The Hunter in Hades

A handsome and brave young man, who was skilful in the chase, one day pursued a large bear into the recesses of the mountains. On and on ran the bear, and still the young fellow pursued it up heights and crags more and more dangerous, but without ever being able to get near enough to shoot it with his poisoned arrows. At last, on a bleak mountain-summit, the bear disappeared down a hole in the ground. The young man followed it in, and found himself in an immense cavern, at the far end of which was a gleam of light. Towards this he groped his way, and, on emerging, found himself in another world. Everything there was as in the world of men, but more beautiful. There were trees, houses, villages, human beings. With these, however, the young hunter had no concern. What he wanted was his bear, which had totally disappeared. The best plan seemed to be to seek it in the remoter mountain district of this new world underground. So he followed up a valley; and, being tired and hungry, picked the grapes and mulberries that were hanging to the trees, and ate them as he trudged along.

狩りの上手な、見目がよく勇敢な若者が、ある日大きな熊を追って山の奥深くへ入っていった。熊はどこまでも走り、若者はますます危うくなる高みや岩場を追いかけていったが、毒矢で射られるほど近づくことはどうしてもできなかった。とうとう荒涼とした山の頂で、熊は地面の穴に姿を消した。若者はあとを追ってなかへ入り、巨大な洞穴のなかにいることに気づいた。そのずっと奥にかすかな光が見えた。若者は手探りでそちらへ進み、出てみると、別の世界にいた。そこでは何もかもが人間の世界と同じだったが、もっと美しかった。木々があり、家々があり、村があり、人々がいた。けれども若い狩人はそうしたものには用がなかった。欲しいのはあの熊で、それはすっかり姿を消していた。いちばんよいのは、この地下の新しい世界の奥の山里で探すことのように思えた。そこで若者は谷をたどっていった。そして疲れて腹がすいていたので、木になっている山葡萄や桑の実を摘み、とぼとぼ歩きながら食べた。

Happening suddenly, for some reason or other, to look down upon his own body, what was not his horror to find himself transformed into a serpent! His very cries and groans, on making the discovery, were turned into serpent's hisses. What was he to do? To go back like this to his native world, where snakes are hated, would be certain death. No plan presented itself to his mind. But, unconsciously, he wandered, or rather crept and glided, back to the entrance of the cavern that led home to the world of men; and there, at the foot of a pine-tree of extraordinary size and height, he fell asleep.

何かのわけでふと自分の体を見下ろすと、なんと、自分が蛇に変わっているのに気づいて、ぞっとした。それに気づいてあげた叫びや呻きさえ、蛇のしゅうしゅういう音に変わっていた。どうしたらよいのか。こんな姿で蛇の嫌われる故郷の世界へ戻れば、殺されるに決まっている。何の手立ても思い浮かばなかった。けれども若者は知らず知らずのうちに、人間の世界の故郷へ通じる洞穴の入口へさまよい戻っていった——いや、這い、滑り戻っていった。そしてそこで、並外れて大きく高い松の木のふもとで眠り込んだ。

To him then, in a dream, appeared the goddess of the pine-tree, and said: "I am sorry to see you in this state. Why did you eat of the poisonous fruits of Hades? The only thing you can do to recover your proper shape is to climb to the top of this pine-tree, and fling yourself down. Then you may, perhaps, become a human being again."

すると夢のなかで、松の木の女神が現れて言った。「こんな姿のあなたを見るのは気の毒です。どうして冥府の毒の実を食べたのですか。もとの姿に戻るためにできるただ一つのことは、この松の木のてっぺんに登って身を投げることです。そうすれば、もしかするとまた人間になれるかもしれません」

On waking from this dream, the young man,--or rather snake, as he still found himself to be,--was filled half with hope and half with fear. But he resolved to follow the goddess' advice. So, gliding up the tall pine-tree, he reached its topmost branch, and, after hesitating a few moments, flung himself down. Crash he went. On coming to his senses, he found himself standing at the foot of the tree; and close by was the body of an immense serpent, ripped open so as to allow of his having crawled out of it. After offering up thanks to the pine-tree, and setting up the divine symbols in its honour, he hastened to retrace his steps through the long, tunnel-like cavern, through which he had originally entered Hades. After walking for a certain time, he emerged into the world of men, to find himself on the mountain-top, whither he had pursued the bear which he had never seen again.

この夢から覚めると、若者は——いや、まだ蛇の姿のままだったので蛇は——半ば望みに、半ば恐れに満たされた。けれども女神の忠告に従おうと決めた。そこで高い松の木を滑るように登っててっぺんの枝に着き、しばらくためらってから身を投げた。どさりと落ちた。我に返ってみると、木のふもとに立っていた。そしてすぐそばには巨大な蛇の体が、そこから這い出られるように裂けて横たわっていた。松の木に感謝を捧げ、そのためにイナウ(神に捧げる削り掛け)を立ててから、若者は、最初に冥府へ入ってきた長いトンネルのような洞穴を急いで引き返した。しばらく歩くと人間の世界に出て、あの熊を追ってきた山の頂にいた。熊はそれきり二度と見なかった。

On reaching his home, he went to bed, and dreamt a second time. It was the same goddess of the pine-tree, that appeared before him and said: "I have come to tell you that you cannot stay long in the world of men after once eating the grapes and mulberries of Hades. There is a goddess in Hades who wishes to marry you. She it was who, assuming the form of a bear, lured you into the cavern, and thence to the under-world. You must make up your mind to come away."

家に着くと、若者は寝床に入って二度目の夢を見た。現れたのは同じ松の木の女神で、こう言った。「知らせに来ました。一度冥府の山葡萄や桑の実を食べたら、人間の世界に長くはいられないのです。冥府にはあなたと結婚したがっている女神がいます。熊の姿をとってあなたを洞穴へ、そしてそこから下の世界へおびき寄せたのはその女神なのです。行く覚悟を決めなければなりません」

And so it fell out. The young man awoke; but a grave sickness overpowered him. A few days later he went a second time to Hades, and returned no more to the land of the living.--(Written down from memory. Told by Ishanashte, 22nd July, 1886.)

そしてそのとおりになった。若者は目を覚ましたが、重い病に倒れた。数日のうちに若者はふたたび冥府へ行き、二度と生ける者の国へは戻らなかった。——(記憶から書き留めた。語り手イシャナシテ、1886年7月22日)