The Story of Swet-Basanta

There was a rich merchant who had an only son whom he loved passionately. He gave to his son whatever he wanted. His son wanted a beautiful house in the midst of a large garden. The house was built for him, and the grounds were laid out into a fine garden. One day as the merchant's son was walking in his garden, he put his hand into the nest of a small bird called toontooni, and found in it an egg, which he took and put in an almirah which was dug into the wall of his house. He closed the door of the almirah, and thought no more of the egg.

ある富める商人がいて、ひとり息子をたいそう愛していた。息子の欲しがるものは何でも与えた。息子は大きな庭のただなかに美しい家を欲しがった。そこで家が建てられ、その地は立派な庭に整えられた。ある日、商人の息子が庭を歩いていると、トゥントゥニという小さな鳥の巣に手を入れて、そこに卵をひとつ見つけた。彼はそれを取って、家の壁に掘り込まれた戸棚に入れた。そして戸棚の扉を閉め、卵のことはそれきり忘れてしまった。

Though the merchant's son had a house of his own, he had no separate establishment; at any rate he kept no cook, for his mother used to send him regularly his breakfast and dinner every day. The egg which he deposited in the wall-almirah one day burst, and out of it came a beautiful infant, a girl. But the merchant's son knew nothing about it. He had forgotten everything about the egg, and the door of the wall-almirah had been kept closed, though not locked, ever since the day the egg was put there. The child grew up within the wall-almirah without the knowledge of the merchant's son or of any one else. When the child could walk, it had the curiosity one day to open the door; and seeing some food on the floor (the breakfast of the merchant's son sent by his mother), it came out, and ate a little of it, and returned to its cell in the wall-almirah. As the mother of the merchant's son sent him always more than he could himself eat, he perceived no diminution in the quantity. The girl of the wall-almirah used every day to come out and eat a part of the food, and after eating used to return to her place in the almirah. But as the girl got older and older, she began to eat more and more; hence the merchant's son began to perceive a diminution in the quantity of his food. Not dreaming of the existence of the wall-almirah girl, he wondered that his mother should send him such a small quantity of food. He sent word to his mother, complaining of the insufficiency of his meals, and of the slovenly manner in which the food was served up in the dish; for the girl of the wall-almirah used to finger the rice, curry, and other articles of food, and as she always went in a hurry back into the almirah that she might not be perceived by any one, she had no time to put the rice and the other things into proper order after she had eaten part of them. The mother was astonished at her son's complaint, for she gave always a much larger quantity than she knew her son could consume, and the food was served up on a silver plate neatly by her own hand. But as her son repeated the same complaint day after day, she began to suspect foul play. She told her son to watch and see whether any one ate part of it unperceived. Accordingly, one day when the servant brought the breakfast and laid it in a clean place on the floor, the merchant's son, instead of going to bathe as it had hitherto been his custom, hid himself in a secret place and began to watch. In a few minutes he saw the door of the wall-almirah open; a beautiful damsel of sweet sixteen stepped out of it, sat on the carpet spread before the breakfast, and began to eat. The merchant's son came out of his hiding-place, and the damsel could not escape. "Who are you, beautiful creature? You do not seem to be earth-born. Are you one of the daughters of the gods?" asked the merchant's son. The girl replied, "I do not know who I am. This I know, that one day I found myself in yonder almirah, and have been ever since living in it." The merchant's son thought it strange. He now remembered that sixteen years before he had put in the almirah an egg he had found in the nest of a toontooni bird. The uncommon beauty of the wall-almirah girl made a deep impression on the mind of the merchant's son, and he resolved in his mind to marry her. The girl no more went into the almirah, but lived in one of the rooms of the spacious house of the merchant's son.

商人の息子は自分の家を持ってはいたが、別に所帯を構えていたわけではない。少なくとも料理人は置いていなかった。母が毎日、朝餉と夕餉をきちんと届けてくれたからである。ある日、彼が壁の戸棚に入れた卵が割れて、そこから美しい赤子が、女の子が出てきた。けれども商人の息子はそれを知らなかった。卵のことはすっかり忘れていたし、壁の戸棚の扉は、卵を入れた日からずっと、鍵はかかっていないものの閉じられたままだったのである。子は商人の息子にもほかの誰にも知られぬまま、壁の戸棚のなかで育った。歩けるようになったころ、ある日ふと扉を開けてみたくなり、床に食べ物があるのを見て——母が送った商人の息子の朝餉である——出てきて少し食べ、また壁の戸棚の自分のすみかへ戻った。商人の息子の母はいつも、息子が食べきれぬほど多く送っていたので、彼は量が減ったことに気づかなかった。壁の戸棚の娘は毎日出てきて食べ物の一部を食べ、食べ終えると戸棚の自分の場所へ戻るのが常だった。けれども娘が大きくなるにつれて、食べる量も増えていった。それで商人の息子は、食べ物の量が減っていることに気づきはじめた。壁の戸棚の娘がいるとは夢にも思わず、なぜ母はこんなに少ない食べ物を送るのだろうといぶかった。彼は母に使いを送り、食事が足りないこと、そして皿の盛りつけがだらしないことを訴えた。壁の戸棚の娘は米も汁もそのほかの食べ物も指でつまんでいたし、誰にも見られぬよういつも急いで戸棚へ戻るので、食べたあとに米やそのほかのものをきちんと整え直す暇がなかったのである。母は息子の訴えに驚いた。いつも息子が食べきれると知っている量よりずっと多く与えていたし、食べ物は自らの手で銀の皿にきれいに盛りつけていたからである。けれども息子が日ごとに同じ訴えを繰り返すので、母は何か不正があるのではないかと疑いはじめた。そして息子に、誰かが気づかれずに食べているのではないか、見張ってみなさいと言った。そこである日、召使いが朝餉を運んできて床の清らかな場所に置くと、商人の息子はこれまでの習いのように水浴びに行かず、人目につかぬ場所に隠れて見張りはじめた。数分のうちに、壁の戸棚の扉が開くのが見えた。うるわしい十六ばかりの乙女がそこから出てきて、朝餉の前に敷かれた敷物に座り、食べはじめた。商人の息子は隠れ場所から出てきて、乙女は逃げられなかった。「あなたは何者です、美しい方。この世の生まれとは見えません。神々の娘のお一人ですか」と商人の息子は尋ねた。娘は答えた。「自分が何者かは存じません。ただ、ある日気がつくとあちらの戸棚のなかにいて、それからずっとそこに住んでいるのです。」商人の息子はこれを妙に思った。そして今、十六年前にトゥントゥニ鳥の巣で見つけた卵をあの戸棚に入れたことを思い出した。壁の戸棚の娘の並はずれた美しさは商人の息子の心に深い跡を残し、彼はこの娘を妻にしようと心に決めた。娘はもう戸棚には入らず、商人の息子の広い家の一室に住むようになった。

The next day the merchant's son sent word to his mother to the effect that he would like to get married. His mother reproached herself for not having long before thought of her son's marriage, and sent a message to her son to the effect that she and his father would the next day send ghataks [14] to different countries to seek for a suitable bride. The merchant's son sent word that he had secured for himself a most lovable young lady, and that if his parents had no objections he would produce her before them. Accordingly the young lady of the wall-almirah was taken to the merchant's house; and the merchant and his wife were so struck with the matchless beauty, grace, and loveliness of the stranger, that, without asking any questions as to her birth, the nuptials were celebrated.

翌日、商人の息子は母に、妻を娶りたいと言い送った。母は、息子の縁談をもっと早く考えてやらなかったことを悔いて、明日、父とともにガタク[14](仲人)をあちこちの国へ遣わしてふさわしい花嫁を探させようと言い送った。すると商人の息子は、自分でこのうえなく愛らしい娘を見つけたので、両親に異存がなければその人を引き合わせたいと言い送った。そこで壁の戸棚の若い娘は商人の家へ連れていかれた。商人とその妻は、この見知らぬ娘の並ぶもののない美しさと優美さと愛らしさに打たれ、その生まれについて何も尋ねずに婚礼を執り行った。

In course of time the merchant's son had two sons; the elder he named Swet and the younger Basanta. The old merchant died and so did his wife. Swet and Basanta grew up fine lads, and the elder was in due time married. Some time after Swet's marriage his mother, the wall-almirah lady, also died, and the widower lost no time in marrying a young and beautiful wife. As Swet's wife was older than his stepmother, she became the mistress of the house. The stepmother, like all stepmothers, hated Swet and Basanta with a perfect hatred; and the two ladies were naturally often at loggerheads with each other.

やがて商人の息子には二人の息子ができた。兄をシュエト、弟をバサンタと名づけた。老いた商人は死に、その妻も死んだ。シュエトとバサンタは立派な若者に育ち、兄はしかるべきときに妻を娶った。シュエトの婚礼からしばらくして、母である壁の戸棚の婦人もまた死に、やもめとなった父はすぐさま若く美しい妻を迎えた。シュエトの妻は継母より年上だったので、家の女主人となった。継母は、すべての継母がそうであるように、シュエトとバサンタを完膚なきまでに憎んだ。そして二人の女は当然のようにしばしば衝突した。

It so happened one day that a fisherman brought to the merchant (we shall no longer call him the merchant's son, as his father had died) a fish of singular beauty. It was unlike any other fish that had been seen. The fish had marvellous qualities ascribed to it by the fisherman. If any one eats it, said he, when he laughs maniks [15] will drop from his mouth, and when he weeps pearls will drop from his eyes. The merchant, hearing of the wonderful properties of the fish, bought it at one thousand rupees, and put it into the hands of Swet's wife, who was the mistress of the house, strictly enjoining on her to cook it well and to give it to him alone to eat. The mistress, or house-mother, who had overheard the conversation between her father-in-law and the fisherman, secretly resolved in her mind to give the cooked fish to her husband and to his brother to eat, and to give to her father-in-law instead a frog daintily cooked. When she had finished cooking both the fish and the frog, she heard the noise of a squabble between her stepmother-in-law and her husband's brother. It appears that Basanta, who was but a lad yet, was passionately fond of pigeons, which he tamed. One of these pigeons had flown into the room of his stepmother, who had secreted it in her clothes. Basanta rushed into the room, and loudly demanded the pigeon. His stepmother denied any knowledge of the pigeon, on which the elder brother, Swet, forcibly took out the bird from her clothes and gave it to his brother. The stepmother cursed and swore, and added, "Wait, when the head of the house comes home I will make him shed the blood of you both before I give him water to drink." Swet's wife called her husband and said to him, "My dearest lord, that woman is a most wicked woman, and has boundless influence over my father-in-law. She will make him do what she has threatened. Our life is in imminent danger. Let us first eat a little, and let us all three run away from this place." Swet forthwith called Basanta to him, and told him what he had heard from his wife. They resolved to run away before nightfall. The woman placed before her husband and her brother-in-law the fish of wonderful properties, and they ate of it heartily. The woman packed up all her jewels in a box. As there was only one horse, and it was of uncommon fleetness, the three sat upon it; Swet held the reins, the woman sat in the middle with the jewel-box in her lap, and Basanta brought up the rear.

たまたまある日、一人の漁師が商人(父が死んだので、もう商人の息子とは呼ぶまい)のもとへ、たぐいまれな美しさの魚を持ってきた。これまで見たどの魚とも似ていなかった。漁師はその魚に不思議な力があると言った。これを食べた者は、笑えばマニク[15](宝玉)が口から落ち、泣けば真珠が目から落ちる、というのである。商人はこの魚の不思議な力を聞いて、千ルピーでそれを買い、家の女主人であるシュエトの妻の手に渡して、よく料理して自分だけに食べさせよと厳しく言いつけた。舅と漁師の話を立ち聞きしていた女主人は、心のなかでひそかに、料理した魚を夫とその弟に食べさせ、舅には代わりに蛙を上手に料理して出そうと決めた。魚と蛙の両方を料理し終えたころ、彼女は姑と夫の弟が言い争う物音を聞いた。どうやらこういうことらしかった。まだ少年であったバサンタは、手なずけた鳩をたいそう好んでいた。その鳩の一羽が継母の部屋へ飛び込み、継母がそれを自分の衣のなかに隠したのである。バサンタは部屋に駆け込んで、大声で鳩を返せと言った。継母は鳩のことなど知らぬと言い張り、そこで兄のシュエトが力ずくでその衣から鳥を取り出して弟に渡した。継母は呪い罵って、こう言い添えた。「待っていなさい。この家の主が帰ってきたら、水を飲ませる前に、お前たち二人の血を流させてやりますからね。」シュエトの妻は夫を呼んで言った。「いとしいあなた、あの女はこのうえなく邪な女で、舅さまに限りない力を持っています。きっと脅したとおりにさせるでしょう。わたしたちの命は今すぐにも危ういのです。まず少し食べて、それから三人でここから逃げましょう。」シュエトはただちにバサンタを呼び、妻から聞いたことを話した。三人は日が暮れる前に逃げようと決めた。妻は夫と義弟の前にあの不思議な力の魚を出し、二人はそれをおいしく食べた。妻は宝石をみな箱に詰めた。馬が一頭しかなく、それが並はずれて足が速かったので、三人はそれに乗った。シュエトが手綱を取り、妻は宝石の箱を膝に抱いて真ん中に座り、バサンタが後ろに乗った。

The horse galloped with the utmost swiftness. They passed through many a plain and many a noted town, till after midnight they found themselves in a forest not far from the bank of a river. Here the most untoward event took place. Swet's wife began to feel the pains of child-birth. They dismounted, and in an hour or two Swet's wife gave birth to a son. What were the two brothers to do in this forest? A fire must be kindled to give heat both to the mother and the new-born baby. But where was the fire to be got? There were no human habitations visible. Still fire must be procured--and it was the month of December--or else both the mother and the baby would certainly perish. Swet told Basanta to sit beside his wife, while he set out in the darkness of the night in search of fire.

馬は渾身の速さで駆けた。三人は幾つもの平野と名高い町を過ぎ、真夜中を過ぎたころ、川の岸からさほど遠くない森にいることに気づいた。ここでこのうえなく都合の悪いことが起きた。シュエトの妻が産の痛みを感じはじめたのである。三人は馬を降り、一、二時間のうちにシュエトの妻は男の子を産んだ。この森で二人の兄弟にどうすることができよう。母にも生まれたばかりの赤子にも暖を取らせるために、火を焚かねばならない。けれどもどこで火を手に入れるのか。人の住まいはどこにも見えない。それでも火は手に入れねばならぬ——しかも十二月のことである——さもなければ母も赤子も必ず死んでしまう。シュエトはバサンタに妻のそばに座っているように言い、自分は夜の闇のなかへ火を探しに出かけた。

Swet walked many a mile in darkness. Still he saw no human habitations. At last the genial light of Sukra [16] somewhat illumined his path, and he saw at a distance what seemed a large city. He was congratulating himself on his journey's end and on his being able to obtain fire for the benefit of his poor wife lying cold in the forest with the new-born babe, when on a sudden an elephant, gorgeously caparisoned, shot across his path, and gently taking him up by his trunk, placed him on the rich howdah [17] on its back. It then walked rapidly towards the city. Swet was quite taken aback. He did not understand the meaning of the elephant's action, and wondered what was in store for him. A crown was in store for him. In that kingdom, the chief city of which he was approaching, every morning a king was elected, for the king of the previous day was always found dead in the morning in the room of the queen. What caused the death of the king no one knew; neither did the queen herself (for every successive king took her to wife) know the cause. And the elephant who took hold of Swet was the king-maker. Early in the morning it went about, sometimes to distant places, and whosoever was brought on its back was acknowledged king by the people. The elephant majestically marched through the crowded streets of the city, amid the acclamations of the people, the meaning of which Swet did not understand, entered the palace, and placed him on the throne. He was proclaimed king amid the rejoicings of some and the lamentations of others. In the course of the day he heard of the strange fatality which overtook every night the elected king of those realms, but being possessed of great discretion and courage, he took every precaution to avert the dreadful catastrophe. Yet he hardly knew what expedients to adopt, as he was unacquainted with the nature of the danger. He resolved, however, upon two things, and these were, to go armed into the queen's bedchamber, and to sit up awake the whole night. The queen was young and of exquisite beauty, and so guileless and benevolent was the expression of her face that it was impossible from looking at her to suppose that she could use any foul means of taking away the life of her nightly consort. In the queen's chamber Swet spent a very agreeable evening; as the night advanced the queen fell asleep, but Swet kept awake, and was on the alert, looking at every creek and corner of the room, and expecting every minute to be murdered. In the dead of night he perceived something like a thread coming out of the left nostril of the queen. The thread was so thin that it was almost invisible. As he watched it he found it several yards long, and yet it was coming out. When the whole of it had come out, it began to grow thick, and in a few minutes it assumed the form of a huge serpent. In a moment Swet cut off the head of the serpent, the body of which wriggled violently. He sat quiet in the room, expecting other adventures. But nothing else happened. The queen slept longer than usual as she had been relieved of the huge snake which had made her stomach its den. Early next morning the ministers came expecting as usual to hear of the king's death; but when the ladies of the bedchamber knocked at the door of the queen they were astonished to see Swet come out. It was then known to all the people how that every night a terrible snake issued from the queen's nostrils, how it devoured the king every night, and how it had at last been killed by the fortunate Swet. The whole country rejoiced in the prospect of a permanent king. It is a strange thing, nevertheless it is true, that Swet did not remember his poor wife with the new-born babe lying in the forest, nor his brother attending on her. With the possession of the throne he seemed to forget the whole of his past history.

シュエトは闇のなかを何マイルも歩いた。それでも人の住まいは見えなかった。とうとうシュクラ[16](金星)の穏やかな光がいくらか道を照らし、遠くに大きな都らしきものが見えた。哀れな妻が生まれたばかりの赤子とともに森で凍えているのを思って、旅の終わりと火を手に入れられることを喜んでいると、突然、豪奢に飾り立てた象が行く手を横切り、そっと鼻で彼を持ち上げて、その背の立派なハウダ[17](輿)に乗せた。それから象は足早に都のほうへ歩き出した。シュエトはすっかり面食らった。象のふるまいの意味が分からず、自分に何が待っているのかといぶかった。待っていたのは王冠であった。彼が近づいていたその都を首都とする王国では、毎朝王が選ばれていた。前の日の王は、いつも朝に妃の部屋で死んでいるのが見つかるからである。王の死のわけは誰も知らなかった。妃自身も知らなかった(次々の王がみな彼女を妻としたのである)。そしてシュエトを捕らえたこの象こそ、王を作る者であった。朝早く、象は歩き回り、ときには遠い場所まで行って、その背に乗せて連れてきた者は誰であれ民に王として認められるのだった。象は人々のあいだの歓呼のなか、混み合う都の通りを堂々と進んだ。シュエトにはその歓呼の意味が分からなかった。そして象は宮殿に入り、彼を玉座に据えた。ある者は喜び、ある者は嘆くなか、彼は王と宣せられた。その日のうちに、この国で選ばれた王が毎晩見舞われる奇妙な運命のことを聞いたが、彼は大いに思慮と勇気を備えていたので、この恐ろしい災いを避けるためにあらゆる用心をした。とはいえ、危難の正体を知らぬので、どんな手立てを取ればよいかもよく分からなかった。それでも二つのことを決めた。武器を持って妃の寝間に入ること、そして夜どおし起きていることである。妃は若く、このうえなく美しく、その顔の表情はあまりに無垢で情け深かったので、見ているかぎり、夜ごとの連れ合いの命を奪う邪な手立てを使うなどとは思えなかった。妃の部屋でシュエトはたいそう心地よい夕べを過ごした。夜が更けると妃は眠りについたが、シュエトは目を覚ましたまま気を張り、部屋の隅々を見渡し、今にも殺されるかと待ち構えていた。夜更けに、妃の左の鼻の穴から糸のようなものが出てくるのが見えた。その糸はあまりに細くて、ほとんど見えないほどであった。見ていると、それは何ヤードもの長さになり、なおも出てきた。すっかり出てしまうと、それは太くなりはじめ、数分のうちに巨大な蛇の姿になった。シュエトはたちまちその蛇の首を切り落とし、その胴は激しくのたうった。彼はほかにも何か起こるかと、部屋に静かに座っていた。けれども何も起きなかった。妃は、その腹をすみかにしていた巨大な蛇から解き放たれて、いつもより長く眠った。翌朝早く、大臣たちがいつものように王の死を聞こうとやって来た。ところが寝間の女たちが妃の戸を叩くと、シュエトが出てきたので驚いた。そのとき人々はみな、毎晩恐ろしい蛇が妃の鼻の穴から出てきて、毎晩王を食らっていたこと、そしてとうとう幸運なシュエトがそれを殺したことを知った。国じゅうが、王が永く続く見込みを喜んだ。奇妙なことだが、それでも本当のことに、シュエトは森に横たわる生まれたばかりの赤子を抱えた哀れな妻のことも、その世話をしている弟のことも思い出さなかった。玉座を手にすると、彼は自分の来し方のすべてを忘れてしまったかのようであった。

Basanta, to whom his brother had entrusted his wife and child, sat watching for many a weary hour, expecting every moment to see Swet return with fire. The whole night passed away without his return. At sunrise he went to the bank of the river which was close by, and anxiously looked about for his brother, but in vain. Distressed beyond measure, he sat on the river side and wept. A boat was passing by in which a merchant was returning to his country. As the boat was not far from the shore the merchant saw Basanta weeping; and what struck the attention of the merchant was the heap of what looked like pearls near the weeping man. At the request of the merchant the boatman took his vessel towards the bank; the merchant went to the weeping man, and found that the heap was a heap of real pearls of the finest lustre: and what astonished him most of all was that the heap was increasing every second, for the tear-drops that were falling from his eyes fell to the ground not as tears but as pearls. The merchant stowed away the heap of pearls into his boat, and with the help of his servants caught hold of Basanta himself, put him on board the vessel, and tied him to a post. Basanta, of course, resisted; but what could he do against so many? Thinking of his brother, his brother's wife and baby, and his own captivity, Basanta wept more bitterly than before, which mightily pleased the merchant, as the more tears his captive shed the richer he himself became. When the merchant reached his native town he confined Basanta in a room, and at stated hours every day scourged him in order to make him shed tears, every one of which was converted into a bright pearl. The merchant one day said to his servants, "As the fellow is making me rich by his weeping, let us see what he gives me by laughing." Accordingly he began to tickle his captive, on which Basanta laughed, and as he laughed a great many maniks dropped from his mouth. After this poor Basanta was alternately whipped and tickled all the day and far into the night; and the merchant, in consequence, became the wealthiest man in the land. Leaving Basanta subjected to the alternate processes of castigation and titillation, let us attend to the fortunes of the poor wife of Swet, alone in the forest, with a child just born.

兄に妻と子を託されたバサンタは、今にもシュエトが火を持って戻るかと待ちながら、幾時間も気をもんで見張っていた。夜は明けたが、兄は戻らなかった。日の出とともに彼はすぐそばの川の岸へ行き、心配して兄を探し回ったが、むだであった。このうえなく心を痛めて、彼は川辺に座って泣いた。そこへ、商人が国へ帰る舟が通りかかった。舟が岸からさほど遠くなかったので、商人はバサンタが泣いているのを見た。そして商人の目を引いたのは、その泣く男のそばにある真珠のような山であった。商人の求めで船頭は舟を岸へ寄せた。商人は泣く男のところへ行き、その山がまことに最上の光沢を持つ真珠の山であることを知った。そして何より驚いたのは、その山が刻々と増えていることであった。その男の目から落ちる涙の滴が、涙ではなく真珠となって地に落ちていたのである。商人は真珠の山を舟に積み込み、召使いの手を借りてバサンタ自身も捕らえ、船に乗せて柱に縛りつけた。バサンタはもちろん抗ったが、これほど大勢を相手に何ができよう。兄のことも、兄の妻と赤子のことも、自分が囚われたことも思って、バサンタは前にも増して激しく泣いた。それは商人を大いに喜ばせた。この捕虜が涙を流せば流すほど、自分が富むからである。商人は故郷の町に着くと、バサンタを一室に閉じ込め、毎日決まった時刻に鞭打って涙を流させた。その涙のひとつひとつが輝く真珠に変わったのである。ある日、商人は召使いたちに言った。「こいつは泣いてわしを富ませてくれる。では笑ったら何をくれるか見てみようではないか。」そこで捕虜をくすぐりはじめると、バサンタは笑い、笑うとその口から多くのマニクが落ちた。そののち哀れなバサンタは、一日じゅう、そして夜遅くまで、代わる代わる鞭打たれ、くすぐられた。その結果、商人はこの地でいちばんの富豪となった。バサンタを打擲とくすぐりの交代に任せて、こんどは生まれたばかりの子を抱えて森に一人でいる、シュエトの哀れな妻の身の上を追おう。

Swet's wife, apparently deserted by her husband and her brother-in-law, was overwhelmed with grief. A woman, but a few hours since delivered of a child--and her first child, alone, and in a forest, far from the habitations of men,--her case was indeed pitiable. She wept rivers of tears. Excessive grief, however, brought her relief. She fell asleep with the new-born baby in her arms. It so happened that at that hour the Kotwal (prefect of the police) of the country was passing that way. He had been very unfortunate with regard to his offspring; every child his wife presented him with died shortly after birth, and he was now going to bury the last infant on the banks of the river. As he was going, he saw in the forest a woman sleeping with a baby in her arms. It was a lively and beautiful boy. The Kotwal coveted the lovely infant. He quietly took it up, put in its place his own dead child, and returning home, told his wife that the child had not really died and had revived. Swet's wife, unconscious of the deceit practised upon her by the Kotwal, on waking found her child dead. The distress of her mind may be imagined. The whole world became dark to her. She was distracted with grief, and in her distraction she formed the resolution of committing suicide. The river was not far from the spot, and she determined to drown herself in it. She took in her hand the bundle of jewels and proceeded to the river-side. An old Brahman was at no great distance, performing his morning ablutions. He noticed the woman going into the water, and naturally thought that she was going to bathe; but when he saw her going far into deep waters, some suspicion arose in his mind. Discontinuing his devotions, he bawled out and ordered the woman to come to him. Swet's wife seeing that it was an old man that was calling her, retraced her steps and came to him. On being asked what she was about to do, she said that she was going to make an end of herself, and that as she had some jewels with her she would be obliged if he would accept them as a present. At the request of the old Brahman she related to him her whole story. The upshot was, that she was prevented from drowning herself, and that she was received into the Brahman's family, where she was treated by the Brahman's wife as her own daughter.

シュエトの妻は、夫にも義弟にも見捨てられたと思って、悲しみに打ちひしがれた。ほんの数時間前に子を産んだばかりの女——それも初めての子を抱えて、一人きりで、人の住まいから遠く離れた森にいるのである。その身の上はまことに哀れであった。彼女は涙の川を流した。けれども悲しみが極まって、かえって救いが訪れた。生まれたばかりの赤子を腕に抱いたまま眠りに落ちたのである。ちょうどそのころ、この国のコトワール(警吏の長)がその道を通りかかった。彼は子に恵まれることではたいそう不運であった。妻の産む子はどれも生まれてまもなく死に、彼はいま最後の赤子を川の岸に葬りに行くところであった。行く途中、森で赤子を腕に抱いて眠る女を見た。それは元気で美しい男の子であった。コトワールはこの愛らしい赤子を欲しがった。そっとそれを取り上げ、その場所に自分の死んだ子を置いて、家に帰ると妻に、子は本当は死んでおらず生き返ったのだと告げた。シュエトの妻は、コトワールに欺かれたとは知らず、目を覚まして自分の子が死んでいるのを見た。その心の嘆きは想像がつくだろう。世界のすべてが彼女には暗くなった。悲しみに我を失い、その錯乱のなかで自ら命を絶とうと決めた。川はその場所から遠くなかったので、そこで身を投げようと心を決めた。彼女は宝石の包みを手に取り、川辺へ向かった。少し離れたところで、老いたバラモンが朝の沐浴を行っていた。彼はこの女が水に入っていくのに気づき、当然、水浴びをするのだろうと思った。けれども深みへ深みへと進んでいくのを見て、心に疑いが起こった。勤行を中断して大声で呼ばわり、女に自分のところへ来るようにと言った。シュエトの妻は、呼んでいるのが老人だと見て、足を返して彼のところへ来た。何をしようとしていたのかと問われて、自分は命を絶とうとしていたのだ、宝石をいくらか持っているので、贈り物として受け取っていただければありがたいと答えた。老いたバラモンに乞われて、彼女は身の上のすべてを語った。その結末はというと、彼女は身投げを止められ、バラモンの家に迎えられて、バラモンの妻に実の娘のように扱われることとなった。

Years passed on. The reputed son of the Kotwal grew up a vigorous, robust lad. As the house of the old Brahman was not far from the Kotwal's, the Kotwal's son used accidentally to meet the handsome strange woman who passed for the Brahman's daughter. The lad liked the woman, and wanted to marry her. He spoke to his father about the woman, and the father spoke to the Brahman. The Brahman's rage knew no bounds. What! the infidel Kotwal's son aspiring to the hand of a Brahman's daughter! A dwarf may as well aspire to catch hold of the moon! But the Kotwal's son determined to have her by force. With this wicked object he one day scaled the wall that encompassed the Brahman's house, and got upon the thatched roof of the Brahman's cow-house. While he was reconnoitering from that lofty position, he heard the following conversation between two calves in the cow-house:--

年月が過ぎた。コトワールの子とされた少年は、たくましく丈夫な若者に育った。老いたバラモンの家はコトワールの家からさほど遠くなかったので、コトワールの息子は、バラモンの娘で通っているこの美しい見知らぬ女にたまたま会うことがあった。若者はこの女を好きになり、妻にしたいと思った。彼は父にその女のことを話し、父はバラモンに話した。バラモンの怒りは限りなかった。何だと! 不信心なコトワールの息子が、バラモンの娘の手を求めるとは! それなら小人が月をつかもうと望むほうがましだ! けれどもコトワールの息子は力ずくで女を手に入れようと決めた。この邪な目当てから、ある日、バラモンの家を囲む塀をよじ登り、バラモンの牛小屋の草葺きの屋根に上がった。その高みから様子をうかがっていると、牛小屋のなかで二頭の仔牛がこう話し合うのが聞こえた——

First Calf. Men accuse us of brutish ignorance and immorality; but in my opinion men are fifty times worse.

一頭目の仔牛——人間はわれらを獣の無知と不道徳だと責めるが、わたしに言わせれば人間のほうが五十倍も悪い。

Second Calf. What makes you say so, brother? Have you witnessed to-day any instance of human depravity?

二頭目の仔牛——なぜそんなことを言うのだ、兄弟。きょう何か人間の堕落の例でも見たのか。

First Calf. Who can be a greater monster of crime than the same lad who is at this moment standing on the thatched roof of this hut over our head?

一頭目の仔牛——今この瞬間、われらの頭の上、この小屋の草葺きの屋根に立っているあの若者以上に、罪の怪物と呼べる者がいようか。

Second Calf. Why, I thought it was only the son of our Kotwal; and I never heard that he was exceptionally vicious.

二頭目の仔牛——なんだ、あれはわれらのコトワールの息子だろう。とりわけ悪い者だとは聞いたことがないぞ。

First Calf. You never heard, but now you hear from me. This wicked lad is now wishing to get married to his own mother!

一頭目の仔牛——お前は聞いたことがなくても、いまわたしから聞くのだ。あの邪な若者は、いま自分の実の母と結ばれようとしているのだぞ!

The First Calf then related to the inquisitive Second Calf in full the story of Swet and Basanta; how they and Swet's wife fled from the vengeance of their stepmother; how Swet's wife was delivered of a child in the forest by the river-side; how Swet was made king by the elephant, and how he succeeded in killing the serpent which issued out of the queen's nostrils; how Basanta was carried away by the merchant, confined in a dungeon, and alternately flogged and tickled for pearls and maniks; how the Kotwal exchanged his dead child for the living one of Swet; how Swet's wife was prevented from drowning herself in the river by the Brahman; how she was received into the Brahman's family and treated as his daughter; how the Kotwal's son grew up a hardy, lusty youth, and fell in love with her; and how at that very moment he was intent on accomplishing his brutal object. All this story the Kotwal's son heard from the thatched roof of the cow-house, and was struck with horror. He forthwith got down from the thatch, and went home and told his father that he must have an interview with the king. Notwithstanding his reputed father's protestations to the contrary, he had an interview with the king, to whom he repeated the whole story as he had overheard it from the thatch of the cow-house. The king now remembered his poor wife's case. She was brought from the house of the Brahman, whom he richly rewarded, and put her in her proper position as the queen of the kingdom; the reputed son of the Kotwal was acknowledged as his own son, and proclaimed the heir-apparent to the throne; Basanta was brought out of the dungeon, and the wicked merchant who had maltreated him was buried alive in the earth surrounded with thorns. After this, Swet, his wife and son, and Basanta, lived together happily for many years.

それから一頭目の仔牛は、知りたがる二頭目の仔牛に、シュエトとバサンタの物語をすっかり語った。二人とシュエトの妻が継母の復讐から逃げたこと。シュエトの妻が川辺の森で子を産んだこと。シュエトが象によって王とされ、妃の鼻の穴から出てきた蛇を首尾よく殺したこと。バサンタが商人にさらわれ、牢に閉じ込められて、真珠とマニクのために代わる代わる鞭打たれくすぐられていること。コトワールが自分の死んだ子とシュエトの生きた子を取り替えたこと。シュエトの妻がバラモンに川で身を投げるのを止められたこと。彼女がバラモンの家に迎えられ、その娘として扱われたこと。コトワールの息子が丈夫で血気盛んな若者に育ち、彼女に恋をしたこと。そしてまさにこの瞬間、その獣のような目当てを遂げようとしていること。このすべての話を、コトワールの息子は牛小屋の草葺きの屋根の上で聞いて、慄然とした。彼はただちに屋根から降り、家に帰って父に、どうしても王にお目にかからねばならないと言った。父とされる人が押しとどめるのも聞かず、彼は王に会い、牛小屋の屋根の上で立ち聞きしたとおりの話をすっかり繰り返した。王は今や哀れな妻のことを思い出した。彼女はバラモンの家から連れてこられ、王はバラモンに豊かな褒美を与え、彼女をこの国の妃という本来の座に据えた。コトワールの子とされていた者は自分の息子と認められて世継ぎと宣せられ、バサンタは牢から出され、彼を虐げた邪な商人は棘に囲まれて生き埋めにされた。そののちシュエトと妻と息子、そしてバサンタは、長年ともに幸せに暮らした。

Now my story endeth, The Natiya-thorn withereth, etc.

ここでわたしの話はおしまい。ナティヤの棘は枯れゆく、云々。