The Beautiful Milkmaid

At a place called Drug, near Raipur in the Central Provinces of India, there once lived an old woman who had a very beautiful daughter.

インドの中央州のライプルの近くのドゥルグという所に、むかし、たいそう美しい娘を持つ年老いた女が住んでいた。

The old woman was most unwilling that her daughter should go out into the streets, for she said: "You are so beautiful, my daughter, that I tremble lest any one take you from me."

年老いた女は、娘が通りに出るのをたいそう嫌がった。こう言うのである。「娘や、お前はあまりに美しいから、誰かにさらわれやしないかと震えてしまうよ」

But the girl replied: "Mother, I must go and earn our daily food. Let me, I pray you, sell milk and curds as usual: no harm will come to me."

けれども娘は答えた。「お母さん、わたしは毎日の食べ物を稼ぎに行かなくてはなりません。どうか、いつものように牛乳と凝乳を売らせてください。何も悪いことは起こりませんから」

The mother very reluctantly let her go; but that day a Rajah happened to pass by and saw her. He noticed how beautiful she was, and stopped his elephant to ask who she was. She told him that she was of humble origin, and only a seller of milk and curds.

母親はしぶしぶ娘を行かせた。ところがその日、ある藩王がたまたま通りかかって娘を見た。藩王は娘がどんなに美しいかに気づいて、象を止めて娘が何者かと尋ねた。娘は、自分は卑しい生まれで、牛乳と凝乳を売っているだけの者だと答えた。

"Then," said the Rajah, "I shall buy all that you have."

「では」と藩王は言った。「お前の持っているものをみな買おう」

"Nay," replied the girl; "surely what is mine is yours, and I offer everything in homage to you."

「いいえ」と娘は答えた。「わたしのものはもとよりあなたさまのものです。何もかも敬意のしるしに差し上げます」

When she persisted in refusing payment the Rajah was angry, and ordered his attendants to scatter the curds, and put the girl into prison for daring to go against his wishes.

娘があくまで代金を受け取るのを断るので、藩王は腹を立てて、家来たちに凝乳をまき散らさせ、自分の望みに逆らった罪で娘を牢に入れさせた。

The order was obeyed, and the beautiful milkmaid found herself a prisoner.

命令は実行され、美しい乳しぼりの娘は囚われの身となった。

While in prison she prayed to her Gods for deliverance, and fashioning a parrot out of clay, breathed life into it and told it to go quickly to her lover, a young man grazing his herds in the hills, and tell him what had happened.

牢のなかで娘は自分の神々に救いを祈り、粘土でオウムをこしらえて命を吹き込み、丘で家畜の群れを放牧している若者である恋人のところへ急いで行って、起こったことを伝えるよう言いつけた。

The bird flew off and did as he was told; and the lover came down that night with all his clansmen, attacked the Rajah and killed him.

鳥は飛び立って言われたとおりにした。そして恋人はその夜、一族の者たちをみな連れて降りてきて、藩王を襲って殺した。

Then he rescued the girl, who lived happily ever after as the wife of her brave deliverer.

それから恋人は娘を救い出し、娘は勇敢な救い手の妻として、それからずっと幸せに暮らした。