The Ghost who was Afraid of being Bagged

Once on a time there lived a barber who had a wife. They did not live happily together, as the wife always complained that she had not enough to eat. Many were the curtain lectures which were inflicted upon the poor barber. The wife used often to say to her mate, "If you had not the means to support a wife, why did you marry me? People who have not means ought not to indulge in the luxury of a wife. When I was in my father's house I had plenty to eat, but it seems that I have come to your house to fast. Widows only fast; I have become a widow in your life-time." She was not content with mere words; she got very angry one day and struck her husband with the broomstick of the house. Stung with shame, and abhorring himself on account of his wife's reproach and beating, he left his house, with the implements of his craft, and vowed never to return and see his wife's face again till he had become rich. He went from village to village, and towards nightfall came to the outskirts of a forest. He laid himself down at the foot of a tree, and spent many a sad hour in bemoaning his hard lot.

むかしむかし、妻を持つ一人の床屋がいた。二人の暮らしは睦まじくなく、妻はいつも、食べるものが足りないと不平を言っていた。哀れな床屋は、寝物語の説教を数えきれぬほど浴びせられた。妻はよく連れ合いにこう言うのだった。「妻を養う手立てがなかったのなら、なぜわたしを娶ったのです。手立てのない者が、妻などという贅沢に耽ってはいけません。父の家にいたころは食べるものがたっぷりありましたのに、あなたの家へ来たのは断食のためだったようですね。断食するのは寡婦だけです。わたしはあなたが生きているうちに寡婦になってしまった。」妻は言葉だけでは満足せず、ある日ひどく腹を立てて、家の箒の柄で夫を打った。恥に刺され、妻の詰りと打擲のために自分自身を厭わしく思って、床屋は稼業の道具を持って家を出た。そして、金持ちになるまでは二度と戻って妻の顔を見まいと誓った。村から村へと渡り歩き、日暮れどきに、ある森のはずれにたどり着いた。木の根方に身を横たえ、我が身の辛い定めを嘆いて幾時も悲しく過ごした。

It so chanced that the tree, at the foot of which the barber was lying down, was dwelt in by a ghost. The ghost seeing a human being at the foot of the tree naturally thought of destroying him. With this intention the ghost alighted from the tree, and, with outspread arms and a gaping mouth, stood like a tall palmyra tree before the barber, and said, "Now, barber, I am going to destroy you. Who will protect you?" The barber, though quaking in every limb through fear, and his hair standing erect, did not lose his presence of mind, but, with that promptitude and shrewdness which are characteristic of his fraternity, replied, "O spirit, you will destroy me! wait a bit and I'll show you how many ghosts I have captured this very night and put into my bag; and right glad am I to find you here, as I shall have one more ghost in my bag." So saying the barber produced from his bag a small looking-glass, which he always carried about with him along with his razors, his whet-stone, his strop and other utensils, to enable his customers to see whether their beards had been well shaved or not. He stood up, placed the looking-glass right against the face of the ghost, and said, "Here you see one ghost which I have seized and bagged; I am going to put you also in the bag to keep this ghost company." The ghost, seeing his own face in the looking-glass, was convinced of the truth of what the barber had said, and was filled with fear. He said to the barber, "O, sir barber, I'll do whatever you bid me, only do not put me into your bag. I'll give you whatever you want." The barber said, "You ghosts are a faithless set, there is no trusting you. You will promise, and not give what you promise." "O, sir," replied the ghost, "be merciful to me; I'll bring to you whatever you order; and if I do not bring it, then put me into your bag." "Very well," said the barber, "bring me just now one thousand gold mohurs; and by to-morrow night you must raise a granary in my house, and fill it with paddy. Go and get the gold mohurs immediately: and if you fail to do my bidding you will certainly be put into my bag." The ghost gladly consented to the conditions. He went away, and in the course of a short time returned with a bag containing a thousand gold mohurs. The barber was delighted beyond measure at the sight of the gold mohurs. He then told the ghost to see to it that by the following night a granary was erected in his house and filled with paddy.

たまたま、床屋が根方に横たわっていたその木には、一匹の亡霊が住んでいた。亡霊は木の根方に人間がいるのを見て、当然のように、これを取って食おうと思った。そのつもりで亡霊は木から降り、両腕を広げ口を大きく開けて、背の高いパルミラ椰子のように床屋の前に立ちはだかって言った。「さあ床屋、お前を滅ぼしてやるぞ。誰がお前を守るというのだ。」床屋は恐ろしさに手足の一本一本まで震え、髪も逆立っていたが、気を失いはしなかった。そして、この稼業の者にそなわる機転と抜け目なさで、こう答えた。「おお霊よ、わたしを滅ぼすとおっしゃる。まあ少しお待ちを。今夜わたしがどれだけの亡霊を捕らえて袋に入れたか、お見せしましょう。ここであなたにお会いできて、まことに嬉しい。袋の中の亡霊が、もう一匹増えるのですから。」そう言って床屋は袋から小さな鏡を取り出した。剃刀や砥石や革砥やそのほかの道具といっしょに、いつも持ち歩いているもので、客が髭をきちんと剃れたかどうかを見られるようにするためのものである。床屋は立ち上がり、その鏡を亡霊の顔の真正面に据えて言った。「ごらんなさい、わたしが捕らえて袋に入れた亡霊が一匹ここにいる。あなたも袋に入れて、この亡霊の相手をさせてやりましょう。」亡霊は鏡に映った自分の顔を見て、床屋の言うことは本当だと信じ込み、恐れに満たされた。そして床屋に言った。「おお、床屋の旦那、何なりと仰せのとおりにいたします。ただ、どうか袋にだけは入れないでください。お望みのものは何でも差し上げます。」床屋は言った。「お前たち亡霊は信の置けぬ連中だ。まるで当てにならぬ。約束はしても、約束したものを寄こさぬ。」「おお旦那」と亡霊は答えた。「どうかお慈悲を。ご命じのものは何でもお持ちします。もし持ってこなければ、そのときは袋にお入れください。」「よろしい」と床屋は言った。「では、今すぐ金貨千モハルを持ってこい。そして明日の夜までに、わたしの家に穀倉を建て、籾でいっぱいにしておけ。すぐ行って金貨を取ってこい。言いつけを果たさなければ、間違いなく袋に入れるぞ。」亡霊は喜んでその条件を呑んだ。出かけていって、ほどなく千枚の金貨の入った袋を持って戻ってきた。床屋は金貨を見て、たとえようもなく喜んだ。それから亡霊に、翌日の夜までに家に穀倉を建て、籾で満たしておけと言いつけた。

It was during the small hours of the morning that the barber, loaded with the heavy treasure, knocked at the door of his house. His wife, who reproached herself for having in a fit of rage struck her husband with a broomstick, got out of bed and unbolted the door. Her surprise was great when she saw her husband pour out of the bag a glittering heap of gold mohurs.

床屋が重い宝を背負って家の戸を叩いたのは、明け方近くのことであった。腹立ちまぎれに箒の柄で夫を打ったことを悔いていた妻は、寝床から出て閂を外した。夫が袋からきらめく金貨の山を注ぎ出すのを見て、その驚きは大きかった。

The next night the poor devil, through fear of being bagged, raised a large granary in the barber's house, and spent the live-long night in carrying on his back large packages of paddy till the granary was filled up to the brim. The uncle of this terrified ghost, seeing his worthy nephew carrying on his back loads of paddy, asked what the matter was. The ghost related what had happened. The uncle-ghost then said, "You fool, you think the barber can bag you! The barber is a cunning fellow; he has cheated you, like a simpleton as you are." "You doubt," said the nephew-ghost, "the power of the barber! come and see." The uncle-ghost then went to the barber's house, and peeped into it through a window. The barber, perceiving from the blast of wind which the arrival of the ghost had produced that a ghost was at the window, placed full before it the self-same looking-glass, saying, "Come now, I'll put you also into the bag." The uncle-ghost, seeing his own face in the looking-glass, got quite frightened, and promised that very night to raise another granary and to fill it, not this time with paddy, but with rice. So in two nights the barber became a rich man, and lived happily with his wife begetting sons and daughters.

翌晩、哀れな亡霊は袋に入れられるのを恐れて、床屋の家に大きな穀倉を建て、一晩じゅう籾の大きな包みを背負って運び続け、ついに穀倉を縁までいっぱいにした。この怯えた亡霊の叔父が、立派な甥が籾の荷を背負っているのを見て、どうしたのかと尋ねた。亡霊は起きたことを語った。すると叔父の亡霊は言った。「この愚か者め、床屋がお前を袋に入れられると思っているのか。床屋は狡猾な奴だ。お前のような単純者を騙したのだ。」「床屋の力を疑うのですか」と甥の亡霊は言った。「来て見てごらんなさい。」そこで叔父の亡霊は床屋の家へ行き、窓から中を覗いた。床屋は、亡霊の到来が起こした風の唸りから、窓に亡霊がいると察して、あの同じ鏡をその真正面に据えて言った。「さあ来い、お前も袋に入れてやろう。」叔父の亡霊は鏡に映った自分の顔を見てすっかり怯え、その夜のうちにもう一つ穀倉を建て、今度は籾ではなく米で満たすと約束した。こうして二晩のうちに床屋は金持ちになり、妻と幸せに暮らして、多くの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。