Life's Secret

There was a king who had two queens, Duo and Suo. [1] Both of them were childless. One day a Faquir (mendicant) came to the palace-gate to ask for alms. The Suo queen went to the door with a handful of rice. The mendicant asked whether she had any children. On being answered in the negative, the holy mendicant refused to take alms, as the hands of a woman unblessed with child are regarded as ceremonially unclean. He offered her a drug for removing her barrenness, and she expressing her willingness to receive it, he gave it to her with the following directions:--"Take this nostrum, swallow it with the juice of the pomegranate flower; if you do this, you will have a son in due time. The son will be exceedingly handsome, and his complexion will be of the colour of the pomegranate flower; and you shall call him Dalim Kumar. [2] As enemies will try to take away the life of your son, I may as well tell you that the life of the boy will be bound up in the life of a big boal fish which is in your tank, in front of the palace. In the heart of the fish is a small box of wood, in the box is a necklace of gold, that necklace is the life of your son. Farewell."

あるところに、ドゥオとスオ[1] という二人の妃を持つ王がいた。二人とも子がなかった。ある日、ファキール(行者)が施しを求めて宮殿の門へ来た。スオ妃はひとつかみの米を持って戸口へ出た。行者は、子はおありかと尋ねた。ないと答えられると、聖なる行者は施しを受け取るのを断った。子を授からぬ女の手は、祭祀のうえで清らかでないとされるからである。行者はその不妊を除く薬を差し出し、彼女が受け取りたいと言うと、次のように言い含めて与えた。「この妙薬を、柘榴の花の汁とともに呑みなさい。そうすればしかるべきときに息子が生まれる。その子はこのうえなく美しく、その肌の色は柘榴の花の色であろう。名はダリム・クマール[2] とつけなさい。敵がその子の命を奪おうとするであろうから、教えておこう。その子の命は、宮殿の前の池にいる大きなボアル魚の命と結びついている。その魚の心臓のなかに小さな木の箱があり、その箱のなかに黄金の首飾りがある。その首飾りこそがそなたの息子の命なのだ。ではさらば。」

In the course of a month or so it was whispered in the palace that the Suo queen had hopes of an heir. Great was the joy of the king. Visions of an heir to the throne, and of a never-ending succession of powerful monarchs perpetuating his dynasty to the latest generations, floated before his mind, and made him glad as he had never been in his life. The usual ceremonies performed on such occasions were celebrated with great pomp; and the subjects made loud demonstrations of their joy at the anticipation of so auspicious an event as the birth of a prince. In the fulness of time the Suo queen gave birth to a son of uncommon beauty. When the king the first time saw the face of the infant, his heart leaped with joy. The ceremony of the child's first rice was celebrated with extraordinary pomp, and the whole kingdom was filled with gladness.

ひと月ばかりのうちに、スオ妃に世継ぎの望みがあると宮殿でささやかれるようになった。王の喜びは大きかった。王位を継ぐ者の姿、そして自分の血筋を末の代まで永らえさせる力ある君主たちの絶えることのない連なりが心に浮かんで、生涯味わったことのない喜びを与えた。こうした折の常の儀式が盛大に執り行われ、臣民は、王子の誕生というめでたい出来事を待ち望んで大いに喜びを表した。月満ちて、スオ妃は並はずれて美しい男の子を産んだ。王が初めてその赤子の顔を見たとき、その心は喜びに躍った。子の初めての米の儀式は並はずれて盛大に祝われ、王国じゅうが喜びに満たされた。

In course of time Dalim Kumar grew up a fine boy. Of all sports he was most addicted to playing with pigeons. This brought him into frequent contact with his stepmother, the Duo queen, into whose apartments Dalim's pigeons had a trick of always flying. The first time the pigeons flew into her rooms, she readily gave them up to the owner; but the second time she gave them up with some reluctance. The fact is that the Duo queen, perceiving that Dalim's pigeons had this happy knack of flying into her apartments, wished to take advantage of it for the furtherance of her own selfish views. She naturally hated the child, as the king, since his birth, neglected her more than ever, and idolised the fortunate mother of Dalim. She had heard, it is not known how, that the holy mendicant that had given the famous pill to the Suo queen had also told her of a secret connected with the child's life. She had heard that the child's life was bound up with something--she did not know with what. She determined to extort that secret from the boy. Accordingly, the next time the pigeons flew into her rooms, she refused to give them up, addressing the child thus:--"I won't give the pigeons up unless you tell me one thing."

やがてダリム・クマールは立派な少年に育った。あらゆる遊びのうちで、彼は鳩と遊ぶのがいちばん好きだった。そのためにしばしば継母のドゥオ妃と顔を合わせることになった。ダリムの鳩は、いつもその部屋へ飛び込む癖があったからである。初めて鳩が飛び込んだとき、ドゥオ妃は快く持ち主に返した。けれども二度目には、いくらかしぶりながら返した。実のところ、ドゥオ妃はダリムの鳩がこうして自分の部屋へ飛び込む習いがあると気づいて、それを自分の利己的な目当てのために使おうと思ったのである。妃は当然この子を憎んでいた。その誕生以来、王は以前にも増して自分を顧みず、ダリムの幸運な母を溺愛していたからだ。妃は、どういういきさつでかは知られていないが、スオ妃にあの名高い薬をやった聖なる行者が、子の命にまつわる秘密も告げていたと聞いていた。子の命が何かと結びついていると聞いていた——何と結びついているかは知らなかった。妃はその秘密を子から聞き出そうと心に決めた。そこで次に鳩が部屋へ飛び込んできたとき、返すのを断って子にこう言った。「ひとつ教えてくれなければ、鳩は返しませんよ。」

Dalim. What thing, mamma?

ダリム——何をです、おばさま。

Duo. Nothing particular, my darling; I only want to know in what your life is.

ドゥオ——たいしたことではありませんよ、かわいい子。ただ、お前の命がどこにあるのかを知りたいだけです。

Dalim. What is that, mamma? Where can my life be except in me?

ダリム——それはどういうことです、おばさま。ぼくの命が、ぼく以外のどこにあるというのです。

Duo. No, child; that is not what I mean. A holy mendicant told your mother that your life is bound up with something. I wish to know what that thing is.

ドゥオ——いいえ、坊や、そういう意味ではありません。聖なる行者がお前の母上に、お前の命は何かと結びついていると告げたのです。わたしはそれが何かを知りたいのです。

Dalim. I never heard of any such thing, mamma.

ダリム——そんなことは聞いたこともありません、おばさま。

Duo. If you promise to inquire of your mother in what thing your life is, and if you tell me what your mother says, then I will let you have the pigeons, otherwise not.

ドゥオ——お前の命がどの物にあるのかを母上に尋ねて、母上が言ったことをわたしに教えると約束するなら、鳩を返してあげましょう。そうでなければ返しません。

Dalim. Very well, I'll inquire, and let you know. Now, please, give me my pigeons.

ダリム——分かりました、尋ねてお知らせします。さあ、どうか鳩を返してください。

Duo. I'll give them on one condition more. Promise to me that you will not tell your mother that I want the information.

ドゥオ——もうひとつ条件があります。わたしがそれを知りたがっていると母上に言わないと約束なさい。

Dalim. I promise.

ダリム——約束します。

The Duo queen let go the pigeons, and Dalim, overjoyed to find again his beloved birds, forgot every syllable of the conversation he had had with his stepmother. The next day, however, the pigeons again flew into the Duo queen's rooms. Dalim went to his stepmother, who asked him for the required information. The boy promised to ask his mother that very day, and begged hard for the release of the pigeons. The pigeons were at last delivered. After play, Dalim went to his mother and said--"Mamma, please tell me in what my life is contained." "What do you mean, child?" asked the mother, astonished beyond measure at the child's extraordinary question. "Yes, mamma," rejoined the child, "I have heard that a holy mendicant told you that my life is contained in something. Tell me what that thing is." "My pet, my darling, my treasure, my golden moon, do not ask such an inauspicious question. Let the mouth of my enemies be covered with ashes, and let my Dalim live for ever," said the mother, earnestly. But the child insisted on being informed of the secret. He said he would not eat or drink anything unless the information were given him. The Suo queen, pressed by the importunity of her son, in an evil hour told the child the secret of his life. The next day the pigeons again, as fate would have it, flew into the Duo queen's rooms. Dalim went for them; the stepmother plied the boy with sugared words, and obtained the knowledge of the secret.

ドゥオ妃は鳩を放し、ダリムは愛する鳥をふたたび手にした喜びで、継母と交わした話をひと言残らず忘れてしまった。けれども翌日、鳩はまたドゥオ妃の部屋へ飛び込んだ。ダリムは継母のところへ行き、継母は例の知らせを求めた。少年は、きょうのうちに必ず母に尋ねると約束し、どうか鳩を返してくださいと懸命に頼んだ。鳩はとうとう渡された。遊んだあと、ダリムは母のところへ行って言った。「母上、ぼくの命が何のなかにあるのか教えてください。」「どういうことです、坊や」と母は尋ねた。子のこの並はずれた問いに、このうえなく驚いたのである。「そうです、母上」と子は言い返した。「聖なる行者が母上に、ぼくの命は何かのなかにあると告げたと聞きました。それが何かを教えてください。」「わたしの宝、わたしのいとしい子、わたしの黄金の月よ、そんな不吉なことを尋ねてはいけません。わたしの敵の口が灰で塞がれ、わたしのダリムが永久に生きますように」と母は切に言った。けれども子は秘密を教えてくれとせがんだ。教えてくれなければ何も食べず何も飲まないと言った。スオ妃は息子のしつこさに押されて、悪しき時に、子に命の秘密を話してしまった。翌日、運命の定めたとおり、鳩はまたドゥオ妃の部屋へ飛び込んだ。ダリムは取りに行き、継母は砂糖をまぶした言葉で少年を丸め込んで、その秘密を手に入れた。

The Duo queen, on learning the secret of Dalim Kumar's life, lost no time in using it for the prosecution of her malicious design. She told her maid-servants to get for her some dried stalks of the hemp plant, which are very brittle, and which, when pressed upon, make a peculiar noise, not unlike the cracking of joints of bones in the human body. These hemp stalks she put under her bed, upon which she laid herself down and gave out that she was dangerously ill. The king, though he did not love her so well as his other queen, was in duty bound to visit her in her illness. The queen pretended that her bones were all cracking; and sure enough, when she tossed from one side of her bed to the other, the hemp stalks made the noise wanted. The king, believing that the Duo queen was seriously ill, ordered his best physician to attend her. With that physician the Duo queen was in collusion. The physician said to the king that for the queen's complaint there was but one remedy, which consisted in the outward application of something to be found inside a large boal fish which was in the tank before the palace. The king's fisherman was accordingly called and ordered to catch the boal in question. On the first throw of the net the fish was caught. It so happened that Dalim Kumar, along with other boys, was playing not far from the tank. The moment the boal fish was caught in the net, that moment Dalim felt unwell; and when the fish was brought up to land, Dalim fell down on the ground, and made as if he was about to breathe his last. He was immediately taken into his mother's room, and the king was astonished on hearing of the sudden illness of his son and heir. The fish was by the order of the physician taken into the room of the Duo queen, and as it lay on the floor striking its fins on the ground, Dalim in his mother's room was given up for lost. When the fish was cut open, a casket was found in it; and in the casket lay a necklace of gold. The moment the necklace was worn by the queen, that very moment Dalim died in his mother's room.

ドゥオ妃は、ダリム・クマールの命の秘密を知ると、すぐさまそれを邪な企ての遂行に用いた。妃は侍女たちに、大麻の乾いた茎をいくらか持ってこいと言いつけた。それはたいそう脆く、押しつけると人の体の関節が鳴る音によく似た、独特の音を立てるのである。妃はこの大麻の茎を寝床の下に入れ、その上に横になって、重い病だと言い触らした。王はスオ妃ほどにはこの妃を愛していなかったが、病であれば見舞うのが務めであった。妃は骨がみなきしんでいるふりをした。そして果たして、寝床の上で身を返すたびに大麻の茎が求めどおりの音を立てた。王はドゥオ妃が重い病だと信じて、いちばん腕のよい医者に診させた。その医者はドゥオ妃と示し合わせていた。医者は王に、妃の病にはただひとつの療治しかない、それは宮殿の前の池にいる大きなボアル魚の腹のなかにあるものを外から塗ることだ、と言った。そこで王の漁師が呼ばれ、そのボアルを捕らえよと命じられた。網を投げた一度目で魚は捕らえられた。たまたまダリム・クマールは、ほかの少年たちとともに池からさほど遠くないところで遊んでいた。ボアル魚が網にかかった瞬間、ダリムは気分が悪くなった。そして魚が陸へ上げられると、ダリムは地に倒れて、今にも息を引き取りそうになった。彼はただちに母の部屋へ運ばれ、王は世継ぎの息子が突然病に倒れたと聞いて驚いた。魚は医者の指図でドゥオ妃の部屋へ運ばれ、それが床で鰭を打っているあいだ、母の部屋のダリムはもう助からぬと思われた。魚を切り開くと、なかから小箱が出てきた。そしてその箱には黄金の首飾りが入っていた。妃がその首飾りを身につけた瞬間、母の部屋でダリムは死んだ。

When the news of the death of his son and heir reached the king he was plunged into an ocean of grief, which was not lessened in any degree by the intelligence of the recovery of the Duo queen. He wept over his dead Dalim so bitterly that his courtiers were apprehensive of a permanent derangement of his mental powers. The king would not allow the dead body of his son to be either buried or burnt. He could not realise the fact of his son's death; it was so entirely causeless and so terribly sudden. He ordered the dead body to be removed to one of his garden-houses in the suburbs of the city, and to be laid there in state. He ordered that all sorts of provisions should be stowed away in that house, as if the young prince needed them for his refection. Orders were issued that the house should be kept locked up day and night, and that no one should go into it except Dalim's most intimate friend, the son of the king's prime minister, who was intrusted with the key of the house, and who obtained the privilege of entering it once in twenty-four hours.

世継ぎの息子の死の知らせが届くと、王は悲しみの大海に沈んだ。ドゥオ妃が快復したという知らせも、その悲しみを少しも和らげなかった。王は死んだダリムを思ってあまりに激しく泣いたので、廷臣たちはその心が永久に壊れてしまうのではないかと案じた。王は息子の亡骸を葬ることも焼くことも許さなかった。息子の死を現のこととして受け入れられなかったのである。それはまったくわけの分からぬ、あまりに突然の死であった。王は亡骸を都のはずれの庭の館のひとつへ移し、そこに安置するよう命じた。そしてありとあらゆる食べ物をその館に納めておけと命じた。まるで若い王子がその食事に要るかのようにである。館は昼も夜も鍵をかけておき、ダリムの最も親しい友である宰相の息子のほかは誰も入ってはならぬという命が出された。その友には館の鍵が託され、一日に一度そこへ入る特権が与えられた。

As, owing to her great loss, the Suo queen lived in retirement, the king gave up his nights entirely to the Duo queen. The latter, in order to allay suspicion, used to put aside the gold necklace at night; and, as fate had ordained that Dalim should be in the state of death only during the time that the necklace was round the neck of the queen, he passed into the state of life whenever the necklace was laid aside. Accordingly Dalim revived every night, as the Duo queen every night put away the necklace, and died again the next morning when the queen put it on. When Dalim became reanimated at night he ate whatever food he liked, for of such there was a plentiful stock in the garden-house, walked about on the premises, and meditated on the singularity of his lot. Dalim's friend, who visited him only during the day, found him always lying a lifeless corpse; but what struck him after some days was the singular fact that the body remained in the same state in which he saw it on the first day of his visit. There was no sign of putrefaction. Except that it was lifeless and pale, there were no symptoms of corruption--it was apparently quite fresh. Unable to account for so strange a phenomenon, he determined to watch the corpse more closely, and to visit it not only during the day but sometimes also at night. The first night that he paid his visit he was astounded to see his dead friend sauntering about in the garden. At first he thought the figure might be only the ghost of his friend, but on feeling him and otherwise examining him, he found the apparition to be veritable flesh and blood. Dalim related to his friend all the circumstances connected with his death; and they both concluded that he revived at nights only because the Duo queen put aside her necklace when the king visited her. As the life of the prince depended on the necklace, the two friends laid their heads together to devise if possible some plans by which they might get possession of it. Night after night they consulted together, but they could not think of any feasible scheme. At length the gods brought about the deliverance of Dalim Kumar in a wonderful manner.

スオ妃はその大きな喪失のために人目を避けて暮らしていたので、王は夜をもっぱらドゥオ妃とともに過ごした。ドゥオ妃は疑いを避けるために、夜には首飾りを外しておくのが常だった。そして運命の定めによって、ダリムは首飾りが妃の首にあるあいだだけ死の状態にあったので、それが外されるといつでも命の状態に移った。こうしてダリムは毎晩よみがえった。ドゥオ妃が毎晩首飾りを外したからである。そして翌朝、妃がそれを身につけるとまた死んだ。夜によみがえると、ダリムは好きなものを食べた。庭の館にはそうしたものがたっぷり蓄えられていたからである。そして敷地を歩き回り、自分の身の上の奇妙さに思いをめぐらした。ダリムの友は昼にしか訪ねてこなかったので、いつも彼が命なき骸となって横たわっているのを見ていた。けれども幾日かのち、彼の心を打ったのはひとつの奇妙な事実であった。亡骸が、初めて見た日とまったく同じ状態のままなのである。腐りかけた跡ひとつなかった。命がなく青ざめている以外に、朽ちる兆しはなかった——見たところまるで新しいままであった。これほど奇妙な出来事の説明がつかず、彼は亡骸をもっと注意深く見張ろう、昼だけでなくときには夜にも訪ねてみようと心に決めた。初めて夜に訪ねたとき、彼は死んだはずの友が庭を歩き回っているのを見て仰天した。はじめは友の亡霊かと思ったが、触れてみたり、そのほか調べてみたりして、その姿がまぎれもない血肉であることを知った。ダリムは自分の死にまつわるいきさつをすべて友に語った。そして二人は、王が訪れるときにドゥオ妃が首飾りを外すからこそ、彼は夜によみがえるのだと結論した。王子の命はその首飾りにかかっているのだから、二人の友は、できることならそれを手に入れる策はないものかと頭を寄せ合った。夜また夜と相談したが、これという手立ては思いつかなかった。とうとう神々が、不思議なやり方でダリム・クマールの救いをもたらした。

Some years before the time of which we are speaking, the sister of Bidhata-Purusha [3] was delivered of a daughter. The anxious mother asked her brother what he had written on her child's forehead; to which Bidhata-Purusha replied that she should get married to a dead bridegroom. Maddened as she became with grief at the prospect of such a dreary destiny for her daughter, she yet thought it useless to remonstrate with her brother, for she well knew that he never changed what he once wrote. As the child grew in years she became exceedingly beautiful, but the mother could not look upon her with pleasure in consequence of the portion allotted to her by her divine brother. When the girl came to marriageable age, the mother resolved to flee from the country with her, and thus avert her dreadful destiny. But the decrees of fate cannot thus be overruled. In the course of their wanderings the mother and daughter arrived at the gate of that very garden-house in which Dalim Kumar lay. It was evening. The girl said she was thirsty and wanted to drink water. The mother told her daughter to sit at the gate, while she went to search for drinking water in some neighbouring hut. In the meantime the girl through curiosity pushed the door of the garden-house, which opened of itself. She then went in and saw a beautiful palace, and was wishing to come out when the door shut itself of its own accord, so that she could not get out. As night came on the prince revived, and, walking about, saw a human figure near the gate. He went up to it, and found it was a girl of surpassing beauty. On being asked who she was, she told Dalim Kumar all the details of her little history,--how her uncle, the divine Bidhata-Purusha, wrote on her forehead at her birth that she should get married to a dead bridegroom, how her mother had no pleasure in her life at the prospect of so terrible a destiny, and how, therefore, on the approach of her womanhood, with a view to avert so dreadful a catastrophe, she had left her house with her and wandered in various places, how they came to the gate of the garden-house, and how her mother had now gone in search of drinking water for her. Dalim Kumar, hearing her simple and pathetic story, said, "I am the dead bridegroom, and you must get married to me, come with me to the house." "How can you be said to be a dead bridegroom when you are standing and speaking to me?" said the girl. "You will understand it afterwards," rejoined the prince, "come now and follow me." The girl followed the prince into the house. As she had been fasting the whole day the prince hospitably entertained her. As for the mother of the girl, the sister of the divine Bidhata-Purusha, she returned to the gate of the garden-house after it was dark, cried out for her daughter, and getting no answer, went away in search of her in the huts in the neighbourhood. It is said that after this she was not seen anywhere.

いま語っている時より数年前、ビダータ・プルシャ[3] の妹が娘を産んだ。案じた母は兄に、この子の額に何と書いたのかと尋ねた。するとビダータ・プルシャは、この子は死んだ花婿と結ばれるのだと答えた。娘にこれほど陰鬱な定めが待っていると知って悲しみに狂いながらも、母は兄に抗議してもむだだと思った。兄は一度書いたものを決して変えないとよく知っていたからである。娘は年を重ねるにつれてこのうえなく美しくなったが、母は神なる兄が定めた運命のために、その子を喜んで見ることができなかった。娘が嫁ぐ年ごろになると、母は娘を連れて国を出て、この恐ろしい定めを避けようと心を決めた。けれども運命の定めはそのようにして覆せるものではない。さすらううちに、母と娘は、まさにダリムの横たわるあの庭の館の門にたどり着いた。夕方であった。娘は喉が渇いて水が飲みたいと言った。母は娘に門のところで座っているように言い、自分は近くの小屋へ飲み水を探しに行った。そのあいだに娘は好奇心から庭の館の扉を押し、それはひとりでに開いた。そこで娘はなかへ入って美しい館を見た。そして出ようとすると、扉がひとりでに閉じて、出られなくなってしまった。夜になると王子はよみがえり、歩き回るうちに門のあたりに人の姿を見た。近寄ってみると、それは並はずれた美しさの娘であった。何者かと尋ねられて、娘はそのささやかな身の上をダリム・クマールにすっかり語った。神なる伯父ビダータ・プルシャが、生まれたときに自分の額に死んだ花婿と結ばれると書いたこと、母がこれほど恐ろしい定めを思って生きた心地もしなかったこと、それゆえ娘が女になるころ、この恐ろしい災いを避けようとして母が自分を連れて家を出、あちこちをさすらったこと、そしてこの庭の館の門にたどり着き、いま母が自分のために飲み水を探しに行っていることを。ダリム・クマールはその素朴で哀れな話を聞いて言った。「わたしがその死んだ花婿だ。あなたはわたしと結ばれねばならない。館へおいでなさい。」「立って、わたしに話しておられるのに、どうして死んだ花婿と言えるのですか」と娘は言った。「それはあとで分かる」と王子は言い返した。「さあ、ついておいでなさい。」娘は王子に従って館へ入った。娘は一日じゅう何も食べていなかったので、王子は手厚くもてなした。娘の母、すなわち神なるビダータ・プルシャの妹はといえば、暗くなってから庭の館の門に戻り、娘を呼ばわったが、答えがないので近所の小屋へ娘を探しに行ってしまった。そののち、彼女の姿はどこにも見られなかったという。

While the niece of the divine Bidhata-Purusha was partaking of the hospitality of Dalim Kumar, his friend as usual made his appearance. He was surprised not a little at the sight of the fair stranger; and his surprise became greater when he heard the story of the young lady from her own lips. It was forthwith resolved that very night to unite the young couple in the bonds of matrimony. As priests were out of the question, the hymeneal rites were performed a la Gandharva. [4] The friend of the bridegroom took leave of the newly-married couple and went away to his house. As the happy pair had spent the greater part of the night in wakefulness, it was long after sunrise that they awoke from their sleep;--I should have said that the young wife woke from her sleep, for the prince had become a cold corpse, life having departed from him. The feelings of the young wife may be easily imagined. She shook her husband, imprinted warm kisses on his cold lips, but in vain. He was as lifeless as a marble statue. Stricken with horror, she smote her breast, struck her forehead with the palms of her hands, tore her hair and went about in the house and in the garden as if she had gone mad. Dalim's friend did not come into the house during the day, as he deemed it improper to pay a visit to her while her husband was lying dead. The day seemed to the poor girl as long as a year, but the longest day has its end, and when the shades of evening were descending upon the landscape, her dead husband was awakened into consciousness; he rose up from his bed, embraced his disconsolate wife, ate, drank, and became merry. His friend made his appearance as usual, and the whole night was spent in gaiety and festivity. Amid this alternation of life and death did the prince and his lady spend some seven or eight years, during which time the princess presented her husband with two lovely boys who were the exact image of their father.

神なるビダータ・プルシャの姪がダリム・クマールのもてなしにあずかっていると、その友がいつものように姿を現した。彼はこの見知らぬ美しい人を見て少なからず驚き、娘自身の口からその身の上を聞いて、いっそう驚いた。そしてただちに、その夜のうちにこの若い二人を婚礼の絆で結ぼうということになった。祭司は望むべくもなかったので、婚礼の儀はガンダルヴァ[4] の式で行われた。花婿の友は新たに結ばれた二人に別れを告げて家へ帰った。この幸せな二人は夜の大半を起きて過ごしたので、目を覚ましたのは日が昇ってずいぶんたってからであった——いや、目を覚ましたのは若い妻のほうだと言うべきである。王子は命が去って冷たい骸となっていたからだ。若い妻の思いは容易に想像がつくだろう。彼女は夫を揺すり、その冷たい唇に熱い口づけをしたが、むだであった。夫は大理石の像のように命がなかった。恐ろしさに打たれて、彼女は胸を打ち、手のひらで額を打ち、髪をかきむしって、気が触れたかのように館と庭を歩き回った。ダリムの友は、夫が死んで横たわっているあいだに彼女を訪ねるのは不作法だと考えて、昼のあいだは館に入らなかった。この哀れな娘には、その一日が一年のように長く思われた。けれどもどんなに長い日にも終わりはある。そして夕べの影が地に降りるころ、死んでいた夫は目を覚まし、寝床から起き上がって、悲嘆にくれる妻を抱きしめ、食べ、飲み、陽気になった。友もいつものように姿を現し、夜どおし楽しく祝われた。この命と死の交代のうちに、王子とその妻は七、八年を過ごし、そのあいだに妃は父にそっくりな愛らしい男の子を二人もうけた。

It is superfluous to remark that the king, the two queens, and other members of the royal household did not know that Dalim Kumar was living, at any rate, was living at night. They all thought that he was long ago dead and his corpse burnt. But the heart of Dalim's wife was yearning after her mother-in-law, whom she had never seen. She conceived a plan by which she might be able not only to have a sight of her mother-in-law, but also to get hold of the Duo queen's necklace, on which her husband's life was dependent. With the consent of her husband and of his friend she disguised herself as a female barber. Like every female barber she took a bundle containing the following articles:--an iron instrument for paring nails, another iron instrument for scraping off the superfluous flesh of the soles of the feet, a piece of jhama or burnt brick for rubbing the soles of the feet with, and alakta [5] for painting the edges of the feet and toes with. Taking this bundle in her hand she stood at the gate of the king's palace with her two boys. She declared herself to be a barber, and expressed a desire to see the Suo queen, who readily gave her an interview. The queen was quite taken up with the two little boys, who, she declared, strongly reminded her of her darling Dalim Kumar. Tears fell profusely from her eyes at the recollection of her lost treasure; but she of course had not the remotest idea that the two little boys were the sons of her own dear Dalim. She told the supposed barber that she did not require her services, as, since the death of her son, she had given up all terrestrial vanities, and among others the practice of dyeing her feet red; but she added that, nevertheless, she would be glad now and then to see her and her two fine boys. The female barber, for so we must now call her, then went to the quarters of the Duo queen and offered her services. The queen allowed her to pare her nails, to scrape off the superfluous flesh of her feet, and to paint them with alakta and was so pleased with her skill, and the sweetness of her disposition, that she ordered her to wait upon her periodically. The female barber noticed with no little concern the necklace round the queen's neck. The day of her second visit came on, and she instructed the elder of her two sons to set up a loud cry in the palace, and not to stop crying till he got into his hands the Duo queen's necklace. The female barber, accordingly, went again on the appointed day to the Duo queen's apartments. While she was engaged in painting the queen's feet, the elder boy set up a loud cry. On being asked the reason of the cry, the boy, as previously instructed, said that he wanted the queen's necklace. The queen said that it was impossible for her to part with that particular necklace, for it was the best and most valuable of all her jewels. To gratify the boy, however, she took it off her neck, and put it into the boy's hand. The boy stopped crying and held the necklace tight in his hand. As the female barber after she had done her work was about to go away, the queen wanted the necklace back. But the boy would not part with it. When his mother attempted to snatch it from him, he wept bitterly, and showed as if his heart would break. On which the female barber said--"Will your Majesty be gracious enough to let the boy take the necklace home with him? When he falls asleep after drinking his milk, which he is sure to do in the course of an hour, I will carefully bring it back to you." The queen, seeing that the boy would not allow it to be taken away from him, agreed to the proposal of the female barber, especially reflecting that Dalim, whose life depended on it, had long ago gone to the abodes of death.

言うまでもないが、王も二人の妃も、王家のほかの者たちも、ダリム・クマールが生きているとは——少なくとも夜に生きているとは知らなかった。みな、彼はとうに死んで、その亡骸も焼かれたものと思っていた。けれどもダリムの妻の心は、一度も会ったことのない姑を慕っていた。彼女は、姑をひと目見るばかりか、夫の命のかかっているドゥオ妃の首飾りを手に入れる策を考え出した。夫とその友の承知を得て、彼女は女の床屋に身をやつした。女の床屋の常として、次のものを入れた包みを携えた。爪を切る鉄の道具、足の裏の余分な肉を削る鉄の道具、足の裏をこするための焼き煉瓦のかけら、そして足の縁と指を染めるアラクタ[5] である。この包みを手に、彼女は二人の男の子を連れて王の宮殿の門に立った。自分は床屋だと名乗り、スオ妃にお目にかかりたいと申し出ると、妃は快く会ってくれた。妃はこの二人の幼子にすっかり心を奪われ、この子らはいとしいダリム・クマールを強く思い出させると言った。失った宝を思い出して、その目から涙がとめどなく流れた。けれどももちろん、この二人の幼子が自分のいとしいダリムの子であるとは、思いもよらなかった。妃はこの床屋と称する女に、自分にはその務めは要らない、息子が死んで以来この世のあらゆる虚飾を捨てたのであり、足を赤く染める習いもそのひとつなのだから、と告げた。けれどもこう言い添えた。それでも、ときおりお前とその立派な二人の子を見るのはうれしい、と。そこで女の床屋——これからはそう呼ばねばならない——はドゥオ妃の部屋へ行き、その務めを申し出た。妃は爪を切らせ、足の裏の余分な肉を削らせ、アラクタで染めさせて、その腕前と気立てのよさにたいそう喜び、これからも折々に来て仕えよと命じた。女の床屋は妃の首の首飾りを、少なからぬ関心をもって目にとめた。二度目に参上する日が来ると、彼女は上の子に、宮殿で大声で泣き、ドゥオ妃の首飾りを手にするまで泣きやまぬようにと言い含めた。そこで定めの日に、女の床屋はふたたびドゥオ妃の部屋へ行った。妃の足を染めていると、上の子が大声で泣きはじめた。泣くわけを尋ねられると、子は言い含められたとおり、妃の首飾りが欲しいのだと言った。妃は、その首飾りだけは手放せない、それは宝石のなかで最もよく、最も値打ちのあるものなのだと言った。けれども子をなだめようと、それを首から外して子の手に握らせた。子は泣きやみ、首飾りをしっかり握った。女の床屋が仕事を終えて帰ろうとすると、妃は首飾りを返せと言った。けれども子は手放そうとしなかった。母がもぎ取ろうとすると、子は激しく泣いて、胸が張り裂けそうな様子を見せた。そこで女の床屋は言った。「この子に首飾りを持ち帰らせてくださいませぬか。乳を飲んで眠りにつけば——一時間もすればきっとそうなりますから——必ず大事に持ってまいります。」妃は、子がどうしても手放そうとしないのを見て、また、命のかかっていたダリムはとうに死者の国へ行ったのだと考えて、女の床屋の申し出に承知した。

Thus possessed of the treasure on which the life of her husband depended, the woman went with breathless haste to the garden-house and presented the necklace to Dalim, who had been restored to life. Their joy knew no bounds, and by the advice of their friend they determined the next day to go to the palace in state, and present themselves to the king and the Suo queen. Due preparations were made; an elephant, richly caparisoned, was brought for the prince Dalim Kumar, a pair of ponies for the two little boys, and a chaturdala [6] furnished with curtains of gold lace for the princess. Word was sent to the king and the Suo queen that the prince Dalim Kumar was not only alive, but that he was coming to visit his royal parents with his wife and sons. The king and Suo queen could hardly believe in the report, but being assured of its truth they were entranced with joy; while the Duo queen, anticipating the disclosure of all her wiles, became overwhelmed with grief. The procession of Dalim Kumar, which was attended by a band of musicians, approached the palace-gate; and the king and Suo queen went out to receive their long-lost son. It is needless to say that their joy was intense. They fell on each other's neck and wept. Dalim then related all the circumstances connected with his death. The king, inflamed with rage, ordered the Duo queen into his presence. A large hole, as deep as the height of a man, was dug in the ground. The Duo queen was put into it in a standing posture. Prickly thorn was heaped around her up to the crown of her head; and in this manner she was buried alive.

こうして夫の命のかかっている宝を手にして、女は息せき切って庭の館へ行き、生き返ったダリムに首飾りを差し出した。二人の喜びは限りなく、友の勧めによって、翌日、堂々たる行列を組んで宮殿へ行き、王とスオ妃の前に姿を現すことに決めた。しかるべき支度が整えられた。ダリム・クマール王子のためには豪奢に飾り立てた象が、二人の幼子のためには一対の小馬が、そして妃のためには金襴の帳を垂らしたチャトゥルダラ[6] が用意された。ダリム・クマール王子は生きているばかりか、妻と子を連れて王と妃を訪ねに来るという知らせが、王とスオ妃に送られた。王とスオ妃はその報せがとても信じられなかったが、それが本当だと確かめられると、喜びに我を忘れた。一方、ドゥオ妃は自分の企みがすべて明るみに出ることを見越して、悲しみに打ちひしがれた。楽人の一団を従えたダリム・クマールの行列が宮殿の門に近づき、王とスオ妃は長らく失っていた息子を迎えに出た。その喜びの深さは言うまでもない。三人は互いの首に取りすがって泣いた。それからダリムは、自分の死にまつわるいきさつをすべて語った。王は怒りに燃えてドゥオ妃を呼び出した。人の背丈ほど深い大きな穴が地に掘られた。ドゥオ妃は立ったままそこに入れられた。棘のある茨が頭のてっぺんまで積み上げられ、こうして彼女は生き埋めにされた。

Thus my story endeth, The Natiya-thorn withereth; "Why, O Natiya-thorn, dost wither?" "Why does thy cow on me browse?" "Why, O cow, dost thou browse?" "Why does thy neat-herd not tend me?" "Why, O neat-herd, dost not tend the cow?" "Why does thy daughter-in-law not give me rice?" "Why, O daughter-in-law, dost not give rice?" "Why does my child cry?" "Why, O child, dost thou cry?" "Why does the ant bite me?" "Why, O ant, dost thou bite?" Koot! koot! koot!

ここでわたしの話はおしまい。ナティヤの棘は枯れゆく。「なぜ、おおナティヤの棘よ、枯れるのか。」「なぜお前の牛がわたしを食むのか。」「なぜ、おお牛よ、食むのか。」「なぜお前の牛飼いがわたしの世話をしないのか。」「なぜ、おお牛飼いよ、牛の世話をしないのか。」「なぜお前の嫁がわたしに飯をくれないのか。」「なぜ、おお嫁よ、飯をくれないのか。」「なぜわたしの子が泣くのか。」「なぜ、おお子よ、泣くのか。」「なぜ蟻がわたしを噛むのか。」「なぜ、おお蟻よ、噛むのか。」クート! クート! クート!