Bey Huslo

Bey Huslo was a very extravagant woman, who was always being found fault with by her husband, who held up as her examples other women who were thrifty in their habits, and who saved money, and helped to make and build up their husbands' homes.

ベイ・フスロはたいそう浪費家の女で、いつも夫に小言を言われていた。夫は、つましく暮らして金を貯め、夫の家を築き上げる助けをしているほかの女たちを手本として持ち出すのだった。

On hearing this Bey Huslo took a pick-axe, and began digging here and there like a mason. Her husband asked what she was doing, and she replied: "Trying to build you a house."

これを聞いて、ベイ・フスロはつるはしを持って、石工のようにあちこち掘りはじめた。夫が何をしているのかと尋ねると、女は答えた。「あなたに家を建ててあげようとしているのよ」

He tried to explain that that was not literally meant, and explained again the duties of a wife. "When a good wife falls short of supplies, she borrows two cuttorah's full (or small earthen vessels full) of flour from her neighbour, and thus saves herself the expense of buying any large quantity."

夫は、それは文字どおりの意味ではないと説明しようとして、あらためて妻の務めを説いた。「よい妻は、蓄えが足りなくなったら、隣の人からカットラー(小さな土の器)二杯分の粉を借りる。そうして大量に買う費用を省くのだ」

That night Bey Huslo, who had taken this saying literally, borrowed two small earthen vessels, and, breaking them into small pieces, put them on the fire to cook!

その夜、この言葉を文字どおりに受け取ったベイ・フスロは、小さな土の器を二つ借りてきて、細かく砕いて、煮ようと火にかけた!

Her husband heard the sound as they grated against the cooking-pot, and asked what she was cooking that made such a noise; but he was very angry indeed when she told him, and scolded her roundly.

夫は、それが煮鍋にこすれる音を聞いて、そんな音がするとは何を煮ているのかと尋ねた。けれども女がわけを話すと、夫はほんとうにひどく腹を立てて、さんざんに叱りつけた。

He told her she was perfectly useless, and that, while he had to go about without clothes, other women were able to spin and weave. She replied that if he would only give her some wool, she could do the same.

夫は、お前はまったく役立たずだ、自分は着る物もなしに歩きまわっているのに、ほかの女たちは糸を紡いだり機を織ったりできる、と言った。女は、羊毛さえくれれば自分にも同じことができると答えた。

The man was delighted, and gave her some wool; so she took it to the pond, and told the frogs and toads to weave it into cloth for her.

男は大喜びして女に羊毛を渡した。そこで女はそれを池へ持っていって、蛙やヒキガエルたちに、それを布に織ってくれと言った。

After some days her husband asked her if the cloth was ready, and she said: "I gave it to the frogs and toads to weave for me, and find they have not done so."

何日かして夫が布はできたかと尋ねると、女は言った。「蛙やヒキガエルに織ってもらおうと渡したのに、まだ織ってくれていないのよ」

Then her husband was very angry indeed, and said: "Senseless one, have you ever heard of frogs and toads spinning cloth? Go out of my house this moment!" And, with that, he turned her out, and she went and climbed up into a peepul tree.

すると夫はほんとうにひどく怒って言った。「この分別なしめ、蛙やヒキガエルが布を紡ぐなどと聞いたことがあるか。今すぐわしの家から出ていけ!」そう言うなり夫は女を追い出し、女は出ていってインドボダイジュの木に登った。

Soon after some camels came that way, and, as they stretched out their necks and ate the branches, Bey Huslo called out: "Go away, I will not go with you; I will only go when my husband comes to fetch me."

まもなくラクダが何頭かそこを通りかかって、首を伸ばして枝を食べると、ベイ・フスロは叫んだ。「あっちへ行って。あんたたちと一緒には行かないわ。夫が迎えに来たときだけ行くのよ」

But as the camels had only come to eat, and not to fetch her, they made no reply, and went away.

けれどもラクダたちは食べに来ただけで、女を迎えに来たのではなかったので、何も答えずに去っていった。

After this a dog began to bark at her, but she said again: "Go away, I will not go with you; I will only go with my husband."

そのあと犬が女に向かってほえはじめたが、女はまた言った。「あっちへ行って。あんたと一緒には行かないわ。夫と一緒にしか行かないのよ」

When night fell some thieves sat sharing their spoils under the tree, and Bey Huslo felt so frightened that she fell off, and dropped in their midst.

夜になると、泥棒たちが木の下に座って盗んだ品を分けていた。ベイ・フスロはあまりに怖くなって木から落ち、泥棒たちのまんなかに落ちてしまった。

The thieves did not know what to make of it, and ran away, leaving their stolen property behind. Bey Huslo soon gathered it up and returned to her husband. "Here," she said, "is more than enough for you and for me. We will now live at our ease, and I will have no housekeeping to do, so that you can no longer call me a worthless wife."

泥棒たちは何が起こったのかわからずに逃げ出し、盗んだ品を置き去りにした。ベイ・フスロはすぐにそれを拾い集めて夫のもとへ帰った。「ほら」と女は言った。「あなたとわたしには十分すぎるほどあるわ。これからは気楽に暮らせるし、わたしは家事をしなくていいから、あなたはもうわたしを役立たずの妻なんて呼べないわね」