Abul Hussain

There was a man called Abul Hussain who was once very rich, but had been so foolish in entertaining all his friends that he lost all his money, and became very poor.

アブル・フサインという男がいて、かつてはたいそうな金持ちだったが、友だちをみなもてなすという愚かなことをしたので金をすっかりなくし、たいそう貧しくなった。

He and his old mother lived together, and sometimes, when he felt lonely, he would walk out and call in two or three men, any passing strangers whom he chanced to meet, and ask them to come in and have a talk and smoke with him. When they left his house, he never expected to see them again.

男は年老いた母と一緒に暮らしていて、寂しくなると、ときどき散歩に出て、たまたま出会った通りすがりのよそ者を二、三人呼び入れ、家に入って話をしながら一服していかないかと誘った。その人たちが家を出ていくと、男はもう二度と会えるとは思わなかった。

On one occasion he accosted a man dressed in plain clothes, who, with two others, was taking a stroll, and said: "Friend, come in and have a chat with me."

あるとき男は、ほかの二人と散歩をしている質素な身なりの男に声をかけて言った。「友よ、入ってわたしとおしゃべりしていきませんか」

The man--who was really the King--with his two followers, went in; and, after they had talked some time and made merry over wine, Abul said: "I should like to exchange places with the King for just one day."

その男は——実は王だったのだが——二人のお供と一緒になかへ入った。しばらく話をして酒を飲んで楽しむと、アブルは言った。「一日だけでいいから、王さまと入れ替わってみたいものです」

"Why?" asked the King.

「どうして」と王は尋ねた。

"Because the Priest who prays in the Musjid here, and his four friends, are very wicked men, and I should like to have them killed."

「ここのマスジド(モスク)で祈りを捧げる僧侶とその四人の仲間が、たいそう悪い連中なので、殺させてやりたいのです」

The King, while talking, took out some powder which had the effect of putting a person to sleep, and secretly dropped it into the wine Abul was drinking. Shortly afterwards Abul fell into a deep sleep.

王は話をしながら、人を眠らせる働きのある粉を取り出して、アブルの飲んでいる酒にこっそり落とした。まもなくアブルは深い眠りに落ちた。

The King then said to his servants: "Remove this man and take him to my Palace; change his clothes for some of mine, place him in my bed, and, until I give further orders, recognise him as your King, and let him use as much money as he likes."

すると王は召使いたちに言った。「この男を運び出して、わしの宮殿へ連れていけ。着物をわしのものに着替えさせ、わしの寝台に寝かせて、わしが次に命じるまでは、この男を王として敬い、好きなだけ金を使わせてやれ」

The servants did as he told them, took up the sleeping man and put him to bed in the King's Palace.

召使いたちは言われたとおりにして、眠っている男を抱き上げ、王の宮殿の寝台に寝かせた。

Early next morning the servants came to wake Abul, and said: "Will Your Majesty rise this morning?"

次の朝早く、召使いたちがアブルを起こしに来て言った。「陛下、今朝はお起きになりますか」

Abul rubbed his eyes and looked, and behold, he was in a King's room and the King's servant was addressing him! He saw his clothes, and wondered who he was, and what had happened: then he turned to the man and said: "Who am I?"

アブルは目をこすって見た。なんと、自分は王の部屋にいて、王の召使いが自分に話しかけているではないか! 自分の着ている着物を見て、自分は何者なのか、何が起こったのかと不思議に思った。それから男のほうを向いて言った。「わたしは何者だ」

The man replied: "You are our King."

男は答えた。「わたしどもの王さまでございます」

"Am I?" returned the puzzled Abul, and, rising, he heard strains of music, and knew that the band was playing, as it always does on the awaking of a King in the morning.

「わたしがか」と途方に暮れたアブルは返した。起き上がると音楽の調べが聞こえてきたので、朝、王が目を覚ますといつもそうするように、楽隊が演奏しているのだとわかった。

He washed and dressed and went with his Vizier to hold court. While there, he said to his courtiers: "There is a man living in a certain house, and his name is Abul, I want you to take to his mother a bag of a thousand rupees. Also go to the Musjid; catch the old Priest, give him one hundred stripes, put him and his four friends on donkeys, and drive them out of the city."

アブルは顔を洗って着替え、宰相と一緒に宮廷を開きに行った。そこでアブルは廷臣たちに言った。「ある家に住んでいる男がいて、その名はアブルという。その母親のもとへ千ルピーの袋を届けてくれ。それからマスジドへ行って年寄りの僧侶をつかまえ、鞭で百回打って、そいつと四人の仲間をロバに乗せ、町から追い出せ」

All day Abul reigned as King, but when night came, the servants, who had been instructed what to do by the real King, once more put sleeping powder into his wine, and while he slept removed him to his own home, and put him into his own bed again.

一日じゅうアブルは王として国を治めたが、夜になると、ほんとうの王から何をすべきか言いつけられていた召使いたちが、ふたたびアブルの酒に眠り薬を入れ、眠っているあいだに自分の家へ運んで、また自分の寝床に寝かせた。

When he awoke there in the morning he called to his servants, but no one answered, except his old mother, who came and stood beside him.

朝、そこで目を覚ますと、アブルは召使いたちを呼んだが、誰も答えず、年老いた母だけが来てそばに立った。

"Why do you call your servants?" she asked.

「どうして召使いなんか呼ぶんだい」と母は尋ねた。

"Because I am a King," he replied. "Who are you?"

「わたしは王だからだ」とアブルは答えた。「お前は誰だ」

"I am your mother, my son, and think you must be dreaming. If the King hears about this he will be so angry that perhaps he will have you killed. You are only the son of a poor man; and do not vex the King, for he has been very good, and sent us a present of a thousand rupees yesterday."

「わたしはお前の母さんだよ、息子や。お前は夢でも見ているにちがいない。こんなことが王さまのお耳に入ったら、たいそうお怒りになって、お前を殺させるかもしれないよ。お前はただの貧乏人の息子なんだ。王さまを怒らせるんじゃないよ。王さまはとてもよくしてくださって、昨日わたしたちに千ルピーの贈り物をくださったのだから」

Abul, however, would not listen, but kept on insisting that he was King, so at last the King had him locked up in prison, declaring that he must be mad. There he was kept until he ceased to say that he was King, and then he was released.

けれどもアブルは聞き入れず、自分は王だと言い張ってばかりいたので、とうとう王は、この男は気がふれているにちがいないと言って、牢に閉じ込めさせた。アブルは自分は王だと言うのをやめるまでそこに入れられ、それから放免された。

On his return home, he once more invited some strange men, and, as before, the King was amongst them, and again surreptitiously put the sleeping powder into Abul's wine, and caused him to be removed and put into his Palace on his bed while he was unconscious.

家に戻ると、アブルはまた見知らぬ男たちを招いた。前のように王もそのなかにいて、またこっそりアブルの酒に眠り薬を入れ、アブルが気を失っているあいだに宮殿へ運ばせて、寝台に寝かせた。

Next morning on waking Abul felt sure that it must be a dream this time, and he kept rubbing his eyes and asking the servants who he was. The servants replied: "Why, you are our King."

次の朝目を覚ますと、アブルは今度こそ夢にちがいないと思って、目をこすってばかりいて、自分は何者かと召使いたちに尋ねた。召使いたちは答えた。「なに、わたしどもの王さまでございます」

Abul was more than puzzled, and, pointing to his arms, which still bore the marks of bruises from stripes received in prison, said: "If I am really the King, why have I these bruises? I have been put in prison, and these are the marks where I was beaten."

アブルは途方に暮れるどころではなく、牢で受けた鞭の打ち傷のあざがまだ残っている腕を指さして言った。「わたしがほんとうに王なら、どうしてこんなあざがあるのだ。わたしは牢に入れられていて、これはそこで打たれた跡なのだぞ」

But the servant said: "Your Majesty is dreaming; you are a King, and a very great King."

けれども召使いは言った。「陛下は夢を見ておいでなのです。あなたさまは王、それもたいそう偉大な王でございます」

On this Abul got up, and hearing the strains of music, he was so delighted at his lucky position that he began to dance about the room, while the King, who was peeping from a doorway, stood and laughed so much that he was almost choked. At last, being unable to restrain himself longer, he called out: "O Abul, do you wish to kill me with laughter?"

そこでアブルは起き上がって、音楽の調べを聞くと、自分の幸運な身の上があまりにうれしくて部屋じゅうを踊りまわりはじめた。一方、戸口からのぞいていた王は、立ったまま笑いすぎて息が詰まりそうになった。とうとうそれ以上こらえきれなくなって、王は叫んだ。「おおアブル、わしを笑い死にさせる気か」

On this Abul discovered that the King had been playing a practical joke on him, and he said: "O King, you have given me much misery."

これでアブルは王が自分にいたずらをしていたのだと気づいて言った。「おお王よ、あなたはわたしをずいぶんみじめな目にあわせました」

"Have I?" said the King. "Well, as much misery as I have given you, so much pleasure shall you now have;" and he gave him a present of heaps of money and a beautiful wife, sending him away with the assurance that he would never be poor any more.

「そうか」と王は言った。「では、わしがお前をみじめな目にあわせたのと同じだけ、今度はお前に楽しみを味わわせてやろう」そうして王はアブルに山ほどの金と美しい妻を贈り、もう二度と貧しくはならないと請け合って送り出した。

Very soon Abul ran through all his money, and, hoping to get some more from the King, planned with his wife to pay another visit to the Palace.

まもなくアブルは金をすっかり使い果たしてしまい、王からもっともらえないかと思って、妻と一緒にもう一度宮殿を訪ねる計略を立てた。

Then he went to the King and, crying and wringing his hands, said: "O King, my wife is dead."

それからアブルは王のもとへ行って、泣きながら手をもみしぼって言った。「おお王よ、妻が死にました」

The King, much shocked and grieved, gave him a than [5] of cloth and a thousand rupees, and told him to go and bury his wife.

王はたいそう驚き悲しんで、布をひとターン[5]と千ルピーを与え、行って妻を葬ってやれと言った。

In the meantime his wife had gone to the Queen's apartments, and there, throwing herself on her face, she wept and said: "O Queen, my husband is dead, and I am most unhappy!"

そのあいだに妻は王妃の部屋へ行って、そこでうつぶせに身を投げ出して泣きながら言った。「おお王妃さま、夫が死にました。わたしはほんとうに不幸せです!」

The Queen, deeply grieved, gave her a thousand rupees and a than of cloth, saying: "Go, bury thy dead."

王妃はたいそう悲しんで、千ルピーと布をひとターン与えて言った。「お行き、死者を葬ってやりなさい」

Abul and his wife were now most happy, and set to work to make themselves clothes with the new cloth they had received.

アブルと妻はすっかり幸せになって、もらった新しい布で自分たちの着物をこしらえにかかった。

Now it happened that day that the King went to see his Queen, and, finding her in tears, enquired the cause of her grief.

さて、その日たまたま王が王妃に会いに行くと、王妃が泣いていたので、何を悲しんでいるのかと尋ねた。

"Abul's wife has just been to say Abul is dead."

「アブルの奥さんが今しがた来て、アブルが死んだと言ったのです」

"No," said the King; "you mean that Abul has just been to say that his wife is dead."

「いや」と王は言った。「アブルが今しがた来て、妻が死んだと言ったのだろう」

"No," replied the Queen, "Abul is dead."

「いいえ」と王妃は答えた。「アブルが死んだのです」

"Not at all," returned the King; "Abul's wife is dead," and they fell out and quarrelled about it.

「とんでもない」と王は返した。「アブルの妻が死んだのだ」そうして二人はそのことで言い争いになり、喧嘩になった。

Then the King said: "Well, we'll make a contract: if I am wrong, then I'll give you a present of a garden."

そこで王は言った。「よし、賭けをしよう。わしが間違っていたら、そなたに庭をひとつ贈ろう」

And the Queen said: "Very well; and if I am mistaken, I will give you my picture gallery."

すると王妃は言った。「よろしいですわ。わたしが間違っていたら、わたしの画廊をあなたに差し上げます」

On this the King and Queen together went with a number of followers to the house of Abul.

そこで王と王妃は一緒に、大勢のお供を連れてアブルの家へ行った。

When Abul and his wife saw them coming they were so frightened that they did not know what to do, and, having no time to run away, they both got under the cloth they were sewing, and lay quite still as though they were dead.

アブルと妻は二人がやって来るのを見ると、恐ろしくてどうしたらいいかわからなくなり、逃げる暇もなかったので、二人とも縫っていた布の下にもぐり込んで、死んだようにじっと横たわった。

The King and Queen coming up were surprised indeed to find that both were really dead; but the King, remembering his promise to his wife, said: "Now, if we only could find out who died first."

王と王妃はやって来て、二人ともほんとうに死んでいるのを見てたいそう驚いた。けれども王は妻との約束を思い出して言った。「さて、どちらが先に死んだのかさえわかればなあ」

On this Abul crept out quietly, fell at the King's feet, and cried: "Your Majesty, I died first."

するとアブルがそっと這い出して王の足もとにひれ伏し、叫んだ。「陛下、わたしが先に死にました」

At the same time his wife crawled out and prostrated herself at the Queen's feet, saying: "Your Majesty, I died first."

同時に妻も這い出して王妃の足もとにひれ伏して言った。「王妃さま、わたしが先に死にました」

All the followers began to laugh, and so did the King, who asked Abul why he had done this thing. Abul then confessed how he had squandered all the money which the King had given, and, not knowing how to get any more, had determined to do what he had done.

お供の者はみな笑いだし、王も笑った。王はアブルにどうしてこんなことをしたのかと尋ねた。するとアブルは、王からもらった金をみな使い果たしてしまい、どうすればもっと手に入るかわからず、こんなことをしようと決めたのだと白状した。

The King, pleased at Abul's cleverness, gave him houses and money, so that he never again suffered any want.

王はアブルの抜け目のなさを気に入って、家と金を与えたので、アブルは二度と困窮することはなかった。