The Origin of Rubies

There was a certain king who died leaving four sons behind him with his queen. The queen was passionately fond of the youngest of the princes. She gave him the best robes, the best horses, the best food, and the best furniture. The other three princes became exceedingly jealous of their youngest brother, and conspiring against him and their mother, made them live in a separate house, and took possession of the estate. Owing to overindulgence, the youngest prince had become very wilful. He never listened to any one, not even to his mother, but had his own way in everything. One day he went with his mother to bathe in the river. A large boat was riding there at anchor. None of the boatmen were in it. The prince went into the boat, and told his mother to come into it. His mother besought him to get down from the boat, as it did not belong to him. But the prince said, "No, mother, I am not coming down; I mean to go on a voyage, and if you wish to come with me, then delay not but come up at once, or I shall be off in a trice." The queen besought the prince to do no such thing, but to come down instantly. But the prince gave no heed to what she said, and began to take up the anchor. The queen went up into the boat in great haste; and the moment she was on board the boat started, and falling into the current passed on swiftly like an arrow. The boat went on and on till it reached the sea. After it had gone many furlongs into the open sea, the boat came near a whirlpool, where the prince saw a great many rubies of monstrous size floating on the waters. Such large rubies no one had ever seen, each being in value equal to the wealth of seven kings. The prince caught hold of half a dozen of those rubies, and put them on board. His mother said, "Darling, don't take up those red balls; they must belong to somebody who has been shipwrecked, and we may be taken up as thieves." At the repeated entreaties of his mother the prince threw them into the sea, keeping only one tied up in his clothes. The boat then drifted towards the coast, and the queen and the prince arrived at a certain port where they landed.

ある王が、后のもとに四人の息子を残して死んだ。后は王子たちのうち末の息子を溺愛していた。いちばん上等の衣を、いちばんの馬を、いちばんの食べ物を、いちばんの調度を与えた。上の三人の王子は末の弟にひどく嫉妬し、弟と母に対して結託して、二人を別の家に住まわせ、領地を奪ってしまった。甘やかされすぎたために、末の王子はたいそうわがままになっていた。誰の言うことも、母の言うことさえ聞かず、何事も自分の思いどおりにした。ある日、王子は母と川へ水浴びに出かけた。そこには大きな舟が一艘、錨を下ろして浮かんでいた。舟人は誰も乗っていなかった。王子は舟に乗り込み、母にも乗るように言った。母は、それは自分たちのものではないのだから降りておいでと懇願した。しかし王子は言った。「いやだよ、母さん、降りないよ。航海に出るつもりなんだ。いっしょに来たいなら、ぐずぐずしないですぐ乗っておいで。さもないとあっという間に出ていってしまうよ。」后はそんなことはせず、すぐに降りておいでと懇願した。しかし王子は母の言うことに耳を貸さず、錨を上げはじめた。后は大慌てで舟に乗り込んだ。乗った瞬間に舟は動き出し、流れに乗って矢のように速く進んでいった。舟はどんどん進み、海にたどり着いた。広い海を何ハロンも進むと、舟は大きな渦巻きの近くへ来た。王子はそこに、途方もない大きさのルビーがたくさん水に浮かんでいるのを見た。これほど大きなルビーは誰も見たことがなく、一つ一つが七人の王の富に等しい値打ちがあった。王子はそのルビーを六つほど掴んで舟に載せた。母は言った。「坊や、その赤い玉を拾ってはいけません。きっと難破した誰かのものです。わたしたちが盗人として捕まるかもしれません。」母に繰り返し懇願されて、王子はそれを海へ投げ捨てたが、一つだけは衣に結びつけて取っておいた。それから舟は岸へ流され、后と王子はある港に着いて上陸した。

The port where they landed was not a small place; it was a large city, the capital of a great king. Not far from the place, the queen and her son hired a hut where they lived. As the prince was yet a boy, he was fond of playing at marbles. When the children of the king came out to play on a lawn before the palace, our young prince joined them. He had no marbles, but he played with the ruby which he had in his possession. The ruby was so hard that it broke every taw against which it struck. The daughter of the king, who used to watch the games from a balcony of the palace, was astonished to see a brilliant red ball in the hand of the strange lad, and wanted to take possession of it. She told her father that a boy of the street had an uncommonly bright stone in his possession which she must have, or else she would starve herself to death. The king ordered his servants to bring to him the lad with the precious stone. When the boy was brought, the king wondered at the largeness and brilliancy of the ruby. He had never seen anything like it. He doubted whether any king of any country in the world possessed so great a treasure. He asked the lad where he had got it. The lad replied that he got it from the sea. The king offered a thousand rupees for the ruby, and the lad not knowing its value readily parted with it for that sum. He went with the money to his mother, who was not a little frightened, thinking that her son had stolen the money from some rich man's house. She became quiet, however, on being assured that the money was given to him by the king in exchange for the red ball which he had picked up in the sea.

二人が上陸した港は小さな場所ではなかった。偉大な王の都である、大きな町であった。そこからほど遠からぬところに、后と息子は小屋を借りて暮らした。王子はまだ子どもだったので、ビー玉遊びが好きだった。王の子どもたちが宮殿の前の芝生に遊びに出てくると、若い王子も仲間に入った。ビー玉は持っていなかったが、持っていたルビーで遊んだ。ルビーはたいそう硬かったので、ぶつかった玉をことごとく割ってしまった。宮殿の露台から遊びを眺めていた王の娘は、見知らぬ少年の手にある輝く赤い玉を見て驚き、それを自分のものにしたくなった。王女は父に、町の男の子がとても珍しく明るい石を持っている、それを手に入れなければ、自分は飢え死にしてしまう、と言った。王は召使いたちに、宝石を持つその少年を連れてこいと命じた。少年が連れてこられると、王はルビーの大きさと輝きに驚いた。これほどのものは見たことがなかった。世界のどこの国の王も、これほどの宝を持っているかどうか疑わしいと思った。王は少年に、どこでそれを手に入れたのかと尋ねた。少年は海で拾ったと答えた。王はルビーに千ルピーを出すと言い、少年はその値打ちを知らなかったので、喜んでその額で手放した。金を持って母のもとへ行くと、母は少なからず怯えた。息子がどこかの金持ちの家から金を盗んだのだと思ったのである。しかし、海で拾った赤い玉と引き換えに王が金をくれたのだと請け合われて、母は落ち着いた。

The king's daughter, on getting the ruby, put it in her hair, and, standing before her pet parrot, said to the bird, "Oh, my darling parrot, don't I look very beautiful with this ruby in my hair?" The parrot replied, "Beautiful! you look quite hideous with it! What princess ever puts only one ruby in her hair? It would be somewhat feasible if you had two at least." Stung with shame at the reproach cast in her teeth by the parrot, the princess went into the grief-chamber of the palace, and would neither eat nor drink. The king was not a little concerned when he heard that his daughter had gone into the grief-chamber. He went to her, and asked her the cause of her grief. The princess told the king what her pet parrot had said, and added, "Father, if you do not procure for me another ruby like this, I'll put an end to my life by mine own hands." The king was overwhelmed with grief. Where was he to get another ruby like it? He doubted whether another like it could be found in the whole world. He ordered the lad who had sold the ruby to be brought into his presence. "Have you, young man," asked the king, "another ruby like the one you sold me?" The lad replied, "No, I have not got one. Why, do you want another? I can give you lots, if you wish to have them. They are to be found in a whirlpool in the sea, far, far away. I can go and fetch some for you." Amazed at the lad's reply, the king offered rich rewards for procuring only another ruby of the same sort.

王の娘はルビーを手に入れると髪に挿し、お気に入りの鸚鵡の前に立って言った。「ねえ、わたしの可愛い鸚鵡、このルビーを髪に挿したわたし、とてもきれいでしょう?」鸚鵡は答えた。「きれいだって! それを挿したら、まったくみっともないですよ! ルビーを一つだけ髪に挿す王女がどこにいます? せめて二つあれば、少しは様になるでしょうに。」鸚鵡に面と向かってこう咎められて恥に刺された王女は、宮殿の嘆きの間へ入り、食べることも飲むこともしなくなった。娘が嘆きの間へ入ったと聞いて、王は少なからず案じた。娘のもとへ行き、嘆きのわけを尋ねた。王女は王に、お気に入りの鸚鵡が言ったことを語り、こう付け加えた。「お父さま、これと同じルビーをもう一つ手に入れてくださらないなら、わたしは自分の手で命を絶ちます。」王は悲しみに打ちひしがれた。これと同じルビーをどこで手に入れればよいのか。これと同じものが世界じゅうにもう一つ見つかるかどうかさえ疑わしかった。王は、ルビーを売った少年を御前に連れてこいと命じた。「若者よ」と王は尋ねた。「わしに売ったのと同じルビーを、もう一つ持っているか。」少年は答えた。「いいえ、持っていません。どうして、もう一つ欲しいのですか? お望みならたくさん差し上げられますよ。遠い遠い海の渦巻きに、それがあるのです。行って取ってきてあげます。」少年の答えに驚いた王は、同じルビーをもう一つ手に入れるだけで、豊かな褒美を与えると申し出た。

The lad went home and said to his mother that he must go to sea again to fetch some rubies for the king. The woman was quite frightened at the idea, and begged him not to go. But the lad was resolved on going, and nothing could prevent him from carrying out his purpose. He accordingly went alone on board that same vessel which had brought him and his mother, and set sail. He reached the whirlpool, from near which he had formerly picked up the rubies. This time, however, he determined to go to the exact spot whence the rubies were coming out. He went to the centre of the whirlpool, where he saw a gap reaching to the bottom of the ocean. He dived into it, leaving his boat to wheel round the whirlpool. When he reached the bottom of the ocean he saw there a beautiful palace. He went inside. In the central room of the palace there was the god Siva, with his eyes closed, and absorbed apparently in intense meditation. A few feet above Siva's head was a platform, on which lay a young lady of exquisite beauty. The prince went to the platform and saw that the head of the lady was separated from her body. Horrified at the sight, he did not know what to make of it. He saw a stream of blood trickling from the severed head, falling upon the matted head of Siva, and running into the ocean in the form of rubies. After a little two small rods, one of silver and one of gold, which were lying near the head of the lady, attracted his eyes. As he took up the rods in his hands, the golden rod accidentally fell upon the head, on which the head immediately joined itself to the body, and the lady got up. Astonished at the sight of a human being, the lady asked the prince who he was and how he had got there. After hearing the story of the prince's adventures, the lady said, "Unhappy young man, depart instantly from this place; for when Siva finishes his meditations he will turn you to ashes by a single glance of his eyes." The young man, however, would not go except in her company, as he was over head and ears in love with the beautiful lady. At last they both contrived to run away from the palace, and coming up to the surface of the ocean they climbed into the boat near the centre of the whirlpool, and sailed away towards land, having previously laden the vessel with a cargo of rubies. The wonder of the prince's mother at seeing the beautiful damsel may be well imagined. Early next morning the prince sent a basin full of big rubies, through a servant. The king was astonished beyond measure. His daughter, on getting the rubies, resolved on marrying the wonderful lad who had made a present of them to her. Though the prince had a wife, whom he had brought up from the depths of the ocean, he consented to have a second wife. They were accordingly married, and lived happily for years, begetting sons and daughters.

少年は家へ帰り、王のためにルビーを取りに、また海へ出なければならないと母に言った。母はそれを聞いてすっかり怯え、行かないでくれと懇願した。しかし少年の決心は固く、何ものもその企てを止めることはできなかった。そこで少年は、自分と母を運んできたあの同じ舟に一人で乗り込み、帆を上げた。以前にルビーを拾ったあたりの渦巻きに着いた。しかし今度は、ルビーが湧き出してくるまさにその場所へ行こうと決めていた。渦巻きの中心へ行くと、海の底まで届く裂け目が見えた。少年は舟を渦巻きのまわりに回るに任せて、その中へ潜った。海の底に着くと、そこに美しい宮殿があった。少年は中へ入った。宮殿の中央の部屋にはシヴァ神がいて、目を閉じ、見たところ深い瞑想に没入していた。シヴァの頭の数フィート上には台があり、その上に、たとえようもなく美しい若い女性が横たわっていた。王子が台のところへ行くと、その女性の首が胴から離れているのが見えた。その光景に慄然として、少年はどう考えてよいか分からなかった。切り離された首から血が流れ落ち、シヴァの結い上げた髪の上に落ちて、ルビーとなって海へ流れ出ていくのが見えた。しばらくして、女性の頭の近くに置かれた二本の小さな棒——一本は銀、一本は金——が少年の目を引いた。少年がその棒を手に取ると、金の棒がうっかり頭の上に落ちた。すると首はたちまち胴とつながり、女性は起き上がった。人間の姿を見て驚いた女性は、王子に、あなたは何者で、どうやってここへ来たのかと尋ねた。王子の冒険の話を聞き終えると、女性は言った。「不幸な若者よ、すぐにここを立ち去りなさい。シヴァが瞑想を終えれば、ひと睨みであなたを灰にしてしまうでしょう。」しかし若者は、この美しい女性にすっかり恋してしまっていたので、彼女といっしょでなければ行こうとしなかった。とうとう二人はどうにか宮殿から逃げ出し、海面へ浮かび上がって、渦巻きの中心近くの舟に乗り込んだ。そして舟にルビーを積めるだけ積んでから、陸へ向かって帆を上げた。美しい乙女を見たときの王子の母の驚きは、想像に難くない。翌朝早く、王子は召使いに、大きなルビーを鉢いっぱい持たせて届けさせた。王の驚きは計り知れなかった。王の娘はルビーを受け取ると、それを贈ってくれた不思議な少年と結婚しようと心に決めた。王子には海の底から連れてきた妻がいたが、二番目の妻を持つことを承知した。こうして二人は結ばれ、幾年も幸せに暮らし、息子と娘をもうけた。

Here 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。