The Rajah's Son and the Vizier's Son

For a second time the friendship of the Rajah's son and the Vizier's son caused great jealousy, so a mischief-maker was called, and he promised he would do all in his power to part them. Then he ordered a dooly and followed them into the forest. At the first opportunity he called to the eldest, who was the Vizier's son, and pretended to whisper in his ear.

藩王の息子と宰相の息子の友情が、またもやひどい妬みを買った。そこで一人の悪だくみをする者が呼ばれ、二人の仲を裂くためにできるだけのことをすると約束した。それから男はドゥーリー(輿)を頼んで、二人のあとを追って森に入った。最初の機会に、男は年上のほう、つまり宰相の息子を呼んで、耳打ちするふりをした。

The Rajah's son at once enquired what the man had said, and would not believe that it was nothing at all, so once again in great anger he ordered his friend to be killed.

藩王の息子はすぐに男が何と言ったのかと尋ね、何も言わなかったという言葉を信じようとせず、またもやひどく腹を立てて、友を殺すよう命じた。

But the Vizier's son was very clever, and soon persuaded the executioner to spare his life, for he told him the Rajah's son would very soon weary of being alone, and would ask for him back; and if the executioner could not bring him, he would most probably suffer death himself; thus he escaped, and went and hid himself.

けれども宰相の息子はたいそう賢くて、まもなく首切り役人を説き伏せて命を助けてもらった。藩王の息子はじきに一人でいるのに飽きて自分を返せと言うだろう、そのとき連れてこられなければ、たぶんお前自身が死ぬことになる、と言ったのである。こうして宰相の息子は逃れて、身を隠した。

In the meantime the Rajah's son chanced to walk by the riverside, where he saw a very beautiful woman sitting beside her husband. He admired the woman very much, and communicated his feelings in looks, though he dared not do so in words.

そのあいだに、藩王の息子はたまたま川べりを歩いていて、とても美しい女が夫のそばに座っているのを見た。王子は女にすっかり見とれて、言葉にする勇気はなかったものの、眼差しで思いを伝えた。

The woman replied by first spreading a little green plaster on the ground, on which she placed a brass vessel, or lota, and over that another or smaller lota, on the top of which was a looking-glass, with ashes spread upon it.

女はそれに答えて、まず地面に緑の漆喰を少し塗り広げ、その上にロータという真鍮の器を置き、その上にもうひとつ小さなロータを重ね、そのてっぺんに鏡を載せて、鏡の上に灰をまいた。

The Rajah's son looked carefully at what she had done, but could not interpret its meaning, so he bitterly regretted the death of his friend, who was noted for his cleverness, and went at once to the executioner to enquire about him.

藩王の息子は女のしたことをよく見たが、その意味を解けなかったので、賢いことで知られた友を死なせたことをひどく悔やみ、すぐに首切り役人のところへ行って友のことを尋ねた。

The executioner owned that he had not killed the boy, and went and called him. Then the friends went together to discover what the woman meant, nor was the Vizier's son long in finding the meaning.

首切り役人は若者を殺さなかったと白状して、呼びに行った。それから友だち二人は一緒に女の意味を突き止めに行ったが、宰相の息子が意味を見つけるのに長くはかからなかった。

The green plaster meant, "In a green spot lives Lota (the name of her husband), and Gudba (or smaller vessel) is the name of the city where we live; the looking-glass means in a house which has many glasses in it; and the ashes mean, 'May these ashes be on your head if you fail to discover my meaning.'"

緑の漆喰は「緑の場所にロータ(夫の名)が住み、グドバ(小さいほうの器)がわたしたちの住む町の名です。鏡は、鏡のたくさんある家に、という意味です。そして灰は『わたしの意味を解けなかったら、この灰があなたの頭にかかりますように』という意味です」ということだった。

After this clue, it did not take the Vizier's son long to find out where the woman lived, and he put pegs into the wall, one above the other, for his friend to climb up to her window.

この手がかりを得ると、宰相の息子が女の住まいを見つけるのに時間はかからず、友が女の窓まで登れるように、壁に杭を上へ上へと打ち込んだ。

But before the Rajah's son could reach the top, a Kotwal, or policeman, saw him, and took him away to the lock-up. This was an unexpected turn of affairs, so the Vizier's son quickly dressed himself as a beautiful woman, and asked to see his friend in the prison. He bribed the jailer to let him in, and, once there, made his friend put on his clothes and escape, while he remained prisoner in his stead.

ところが藩王の息子がてっぺんに着く前に、コトワール、つまり警吏が王子を見つけて留置場へ連れていった。これは思いがけない成り行きだったので、宰相の息子はすばやく美しい女に扮して、牢にいる友に会わせてくれと頼んだ。牢番に賄賂をやってなかへ入れてもらい、なかに入ると、友に自分の着物を着せて逃がし、自分が代わりに囚人として残った。

Next day the news went abroad that the Kotwal had locked up both the Rajah's son and the Vizier's son in the prison, and the Rajah was very angry about it, and sent at once to find out the reason.

次の日、コトワールが藩王の息子と宰相の息子を二人とも牢に入れたという知らせが広まり、藩王はたいそう怒って、すぐにわけを確かめに人を遣わした。

They determined to put the matter as to who was innocent and who was guilty to a test; so the Kotwal had a pan of boiling oil prepared, and said who ever plunged his hand into it, who was innocent of crime, would not be burnt.

人々は誰が無実で誰に罪があるのかを試しで決めることにした。そこでコトワールは煮えたぎる油の鍋を用意させ、罪のない者は手を突っ込んでもやけどをしないと言った。

Each dipped his hand in turn, the Rajah's son, the Vizier's son, the woman, and the Kotwal himself, but only the Kotwal had his hand badly burnt, so this ended the whole affair. The Rajah's son meantime had dressed himself as a woman, and taken service in the house of the beautiful woman who was the wife of a Sowcar.

藩王の息子、宰相の息子、女、そしてコトワール自身が順に手を浸したが、ひどくやけどをしたのはコトワールだけだったので、これで一件は落着した。そのあいだに藩王の息子は女の身なりをして、あの美しい女の家に奉公に入っていた。その女はソーカル(金貸し)の妻だったのである。

Nobody guessed who he was, until one day the Sowcar himself admired him, and tried to be friends with him, thinking he was only a pretty servant-girl; then the Sowcar's wife gave her pretended servant-girl a razor, and said to keep it carefully till the next time the Sowcar came to see her, and then to cut off his nose.

誰も王子の正体に気づかなかったが、ある日ソーカル本人が王子に見とれて、ただのかわいい小間使いだと思って言い寄ろうとした。するとソーカルの妻は、小間使いのふりをしている王子にかみそりを渡して、大事にしまっておき、次にソーカルが会いに来たら鼻を切り落とすよう言った。

The Rajah's son, who was tired of acting the part of a servant-girl, was only too glad to do this; and the Sowcar, rather than let anybody know of his disgrace in having lost his nose, left the country, and thus his wife gained her ends.

小間使いの役を演じるのに飽き飽きしていた藩王の息子は、喜んでそうした。ソーカルは鼻をなくした恥を人に知られるくらいならと国を去り、こうして妻は思いを遂げた。