The Adventures of Kintaro, the Golden Boy

Long, long ago there lived in Kyoto a brave soldier named Kintoki. Now he fell in love with a beautiful lady and married her. Not long after this, through the malice of some of his friends, he fell into disgrace at Court and was dismissed. This misfortune so preyed upon his mind that he did not long survive his dismissal—he died, leaving behind him his beautiful young wife to face the world alone. Fearing her husband’s enemies, she fled to the Ashigara Mountains as soon as her husband was dead, and there in the lonely forests where no one ever came except woodcutters, a little boy was born to her. She called him Kintaro or the Golden Boy. Now the remarkable thing about this child was his great strength, and as he grew older he grew stronger and stronger, so that by the time he was eight years of age he was able to cut down trees as quickly as the woodcutters. Then his mother gave him a large ax, and he used to go out in the forest and help the woodcutters, who called him “Wonder-child,” and his mother the “Old Nurse of the Mountains,” for they did not know her high rank. Another favorite pastime of Kintaro’s was to smash up rocks and stones. You can imagine how strong he was!

むかしむかし、京都に金時(きんとき)という名の勇ましい武士が住んでいた。さてこの武士は美しい女に恋をして妻に迎えた。それからまもなく、友の何人かの悪意によって宮中で面目を失い、職を解かれた。この不運があまりに心にこたえて、職を解かれてから長くは生きられなかった——金時は死に、美しい若い妻はひとりで世に立ち向かうことになった。妻は夫の敵を恐れて、夫が死ぬとすぐに足柄の山へ逃れた。そして木こりのほかは誰も来ない寂しい森のなかで、男の子が生まれた。妻はその子を金太郎、すなわち黄金の子と名づけた。さてこの子の並はずれたところは、その大力であった。大きくなるにつれてますます強くなり、八つの年になるころには、木こりに負けぬ速さで木を切り倒せるようになっていた。そこで母は大きな斧を与え、金太郎は森へ出て木こりたちを手伝うようになった。木こりたちは金太郎を「不思議な子」と呼び、その母を「山の乳母」と呼んだ。母の高い身分を知らなかったからである。金太郎のもうひとつの好きな遊びは、岩や石を打ち砕くことだった。どれほど力が強かったか、想像がつくだろう!

Quite unlike other boys, Kintaro, grew up all alone in the mountain wilds, and as he had no companions he made friends with all the animals and learned to understand them and to speak their strange talk. By degrees they all grew quite tame and looked upon Kintaro as their master, and he used them as his servants and messengers. But his special retainers were the bear, the deer, the monkey and the hare.

ほかの子らとはまるで違って、金太郎は山の荒れ野でひとり育った。仲間がいなかったので、あらゆる獣と友になり、その言葉を解し、その不思議な話し方で話せるようになった。次第に獣たちはみなすっかりなつき、金太郎を主と仰いだ。金太郎は獣たちを家来とし、使いに立てた。けれどもとりわけの家来は、熊と鹿と猿と兎であった。

The bear often brought her cubs for Kintaro to romp with, and when she came to take them home Kintaro would get on her back and have a ride to her cave. He was very fond of the deer too, and would often put his arms round the creature’s neck to show that its long horns did not frighten him. Great was the fun they all had together.

熊はしばしば子熊たちを金太郎の遊び相手に連れてきて、家へ連れ帰るときには、金太郎がその背に乗せてもらって洞穴まで乗っていくのだった。鹿もたいそう好きで、しばしばその首に腕を回して、長い角を怖がってなどいないことを示した。みなで一緒にずいぶん楽しく遊んだものである。

One day, as usual, Kintaro went up into the mountains, followed by the bear, the deer, the monkey, and the hare. After walking for some time up hill and down dale and over rough roads, they suddenly came out upon a wide and grassy plain covered with pretty wild flowers.

ある日、いつものように金太郎は熊と鹿と猿と兎を従えて山へ登っていった。丘を上り谷を下り、荒れた道をしばらく歩いたのち、一行は突然、美しい野の花に覆われた広い草の原に出た。

Here, indeed, was a nice place where they could all have a good romp together. The deer rubbed his horns against a tree for pleasure, the monkey scratched his back, the hare smoothed his long ears, and the bear gave a grunt of satisfaction.

ここはまことに、みなで思いきり跳ね回れるよい場所であった。鹿は喜んで角を木にこすりつけ、猿は背をかき、兎は長い耳をなでつけ、熊は満足そうにうなった。

Kintaro said, “Here is a place for a good game. What do you all say to a wrestling match?”

金太郎は言った。「ここはよい遊びのできる場所だ。相撲を取るのはどうだろう。」

The bear being the biggest and the oldest, answered for the others:

熊はいちばん大きく年長だったので、みなを代表して答えた。

“That will be great fun,” said she. “I am the strongest animal, so I will make the platform for the wrestlers;” and she set to work with a will to dig up the earth and to pat it into shape.

「それはたいそう面白かろう」と熊は言った。「わたしがいちばん力があるから、相撲取りのための土俵をこしらえよう。」そして進んで土を掘り起こし、形に整える仕事にかかった。

“All right,” said Kintaro, “I will look on while you all wrestle with each other. I shall give a prize to the one who wins in each round.”

「よし」と金太郎は言った。「わたしは見ているから、おまえたちで取り組むがいい。一番ごとに勝った者に褒美をやろう。」

“What fun! we shall all try to get the prize,” said the bear.

「それは面白い! みんなで褒美を取ろうとするだろうな」と熊は言った。

The deer, the monkey and the hare set to work to help the bear raise the platform on which they were all to wrestle. When this was finished, Kintaro cried out:

鹿と猿と兎は、みなで相撲を取る土俵を熊が築くのを手伝いはじめた。それができあがると、金太郎は声をあげた。

“Now begin! the monkey and the hare shall open the sports and the deer shall be umpire. Now, Mr. Deer, you are to be umpire!”

「さあ始めよう! 猿と兎が最初の一番を務め、鹿が行司だ。さあ鹿どの、おまえが行司だぞ!」

“He, he!” answered the deer. “I will be umpire. Now, Mr. Monkey and Mr. Hare, if you are both ready, please walk out and take your places on the platform.”

「へえ、へえ!」と鹿は答えた。「行司を務めましょう。さあ猿どの、兎どの、支度がよければ、出てきて土俵に着いてください。」

Then the monkey and the hare both hopped out, quickly and nimbly, to the wrestling platform. The deer, as umpire, stood between the two and called out:

そこで猿と兎は、すばやく身軽に土俵へ跳び出した。行司の鹿は二人のあいだに立って呼ばわった。

“Red-back! Red-back!” (this to the monkey, who has a red back in Japan). “Are you ready?”

「赤背! 赤背!」(これは猿のことである。日本の猿は背が赤いのだ。)「支度はよいか。」

Then he turned to the hare:

それから兎のほうを向いた。

“Long-ears! Long-ears! are you ready?”

「長耳! 長耳! 支度はよいか。」

Both the little wrestlers faced each other while the deer raised a leaf on high as signal. When he dropped the leaf the monkey and the hare rushed upon each other, crying “Yoisho, yoisho!”

小さな二人の力士は向かい合い、鹿は合図に葉を一枚高くかざした。鹿がその葉を落とすと、猿と兎は「よいしょ、よいしょ!」と叫びながら互いに突進した。

While the monkey and the hare wrestled, the deer called out encouragingly or shouted warnings to each of them as the hare or the monkey pushed each other near the edge of the platform and were in danger of falling over.

猿と兎が相撲を取るあいだ、鹿は励ましたり、注意を叫んだりした。兎や猿が互いを土俵の際まで押していって、落ちそうになるときである。

“Red-back! Red-back! stand your ground!” called out the deer.

「赤背! 赤背! 踏みとどまれ!」と鹿が叫んだ。

“Long-ears! Long-ears! be strong, be strong—don’t let the monkey beat you!” grunted the bear.

「長耳! 長耳! 強くあれ、強くあれ——猿に負けるな!」と熊がうなった。

So the monkey and the hare, encouraged by their friends, tried their very hardest to beat each other. The hare at last gained on the monkey. The monkey seemed to trip up, and the hare giving him a good push sent him flying off the platform with a bound.

こうして猿と兎は、友に励まされて、力のかぎり相手を負かそうとした。とうとう兎が猿に押し勝った。猿は足をすべらせたらしく、兎がぐいと押すと、猿は跳ねるように土俵の外へ飛んでいった。

The poor monkey sat up rubbing his back, and his face was very long as he screamed angrily. “Oh, oh! how my back hurts—my back hurts me!”

哀れな猿は起き上がって背中をさすり、顔をひどくこわばらせて、腹立たしげに叫んだ。「ああ、ああ! 背中が痛い——背中が痛いよ!」

Seeing the monkey in this plight on the ground, the deer holding his leaf on high said:

猿がこんな有様で地面にいるのを見て、鹿は葉を高くかざして言った。

“This round is finished—the hare has won.”

「この一番は終わりました——兎の勝ちです。」

Kintaro then opened his luncheon box and taking out a rice-dumpling, gave it to the hare saying:

そこで金太郎は弁当の箱を開け、握り飯をひとつ取り出して兎に与えて言った。

“Here is your prize, and you have earned, it well!”

「これがおまえの褒美だ。よく取ったな!」

Now the monkey got up looking very cross, and as they say in Japan “his stomach stood up,” for he felt that he had not been fairly beaten. So he said to Kintaro and the others who were standing by:

さて猿はひどく不機嫌な顔で立ち上がった。日本で言うように「腹が立って」いたのである。まともに負かされたのではないと思っていたからだ。そこで金太郎とそばに立つ者たちに言った。

“I have not been fairly beaten. My foot slipped and I tumbled. Please give me another chance and let the hare wrestle with me for another round.”

「おれはまともに負かされたのではない。足がすべって転んだのだ。もう一度やらせてくれ。兎ともう一番取らせてくれ。」

Then Kintaro consenting, the hare and the monkey began to wrestle again. Now, as every one knows, the monkey is a cunning animal by nature, and he made up his mind to get the best of the hare this time if it were possible. To do this, he thought that the best and surest way would be to get hold of the hare’s long ear. This he soon managed to do. The hare was quite thrown off his guard by the pain of having his long ear pulled so hard, and the monkey seizing his opportunity at last, caught hold of one of the hare’s legs and sent him sprawling in the middle of the dais. The monkey was now the victor and received, a rice-dumpling from Kintaro, which pleased him so much that he quite forgot his sore back.

金太郎が承知したので、兎と猿はまた相撲を取りはじめた。さて、誰でも知っているとおり、猿は生まれつき狡い獣で、こんどこそできるなら兎を出し抜こうと心を決めた。そのためには、兎の長い耳をつかむのがいちばんよく、いちばん確かだと思った。それはまもなくやってのけた。兎は長い耳を強く引っぱられた痛みにすっかり油断してしまい、猿はとうとう機をとらえて兎の片足をつかみ、土俵のまんなかに投げ倒した。こうして猿は勝者となり、金太郎から握り飯をもらった。それがうれしくて、背中の痛みもすっかり忘れてしまった。

The deer now came up and asked the hare if he felt ready for another round, and if so whether he would try a round with him, and the hare consenting, they both stood up to wrestle. The bear came forward as umpire.

そこへ鹿が出てきて、兎にもう一番取る気はあるか、あるなら自分と一番取ってみないかと尋ねた。兎が承知したので、二人は立って相撲を取ることになった。熊が行司として進み出た。

The deer with long horns and the hare with long ears, it must have been an amusing sight to those who watched this queer match. Suddenly the deer went down on one of his knees, and the bear with the leaf on high declared him beaten. In this way, sometimes the one, sometimes the other, conquering, the little party amused themselves till they were tired.

長い角の鹿と長い耳の兎——この奇妙な取組を見ていた者には、さぞ面白い眺めだったにちがいない。突然、鹿が片膝をついたので、熊は葉を高くかざして負けを告げた。こんなふうに、あるときは一方が、あるときは他方が勝って、小さな一行は疲れるまで楽しんだ。

At last Kintaro got up and said:

とうとう金太郎は立ち上がって言った。

“This is enough for to-day. What a nice place we have found for wrestling; let us come again to-morrow. Now, we will all go home. Come along!” So saying, Kintaro led the way while the animals followed.

「きょうはこれで十分だ。相撲にはよい場所を見つけたな。あす、また来よう。さあ、みんな帰ろう。ついておいで!」そう言って金太郎が先に立ち、獣たちはあとに従った。

After walking some little distance they came out on the banks of a river flowing through a valley. Kintaro and his four furry friends stood and looked about for some means of crossing. Bridge there was none. The river rushed “don, don” on its way. All the animals looked serious, wondering how they could cross the stream and get home that evening.

しばらく歩くと、一行は谷を流れる川の岸に出た。金太郎と四匹の毛深い友は立って、渡る手だてを探してあたりを見回した。橋はなかった。川は「どんどん」と音を立てて流れていた。獣たちはみな真剣な顔になり、どうやってこの流れを渡り、その夕方のうちに家へ帰ろうかと考えた。

Kintaro, however, said:

けれども金太郎は言った。

“Wait a moment. I will make a good bridge for you all in a few minutes.”

「ちょっと待て。すぐにみんなのためによい橋をこしらえてやろう。」

The bear, the deer, the monkey and the hare looked at him to see what he would do now.

熊も鹿も猿も兎も、金太郎が何をするのかと見つめた。

Kintaro went from one tree to another that grew along the river bank. At last he stopped in front of a very large tree that was growing at the water’s edge. He took hold of the trunk and pulled it with all his might, once, twice, thrice! At the third pull, so great was Kintaro’s strength that the roots gave way, and “meri, meri” (crash, crash), over fell the tree, forming an excellent bridge across the stream.

金太郎は川岸に生えた木から木へと歩いていった。とうとう水際に生えているたいそう大きな木の前で足を止めた。その幹をつかみ、力のかぎり引いた。一度、二度、三度! 三度目に引いたとき、金太郎の力があまりに強かったので根が緩み、「めりめり」と木は倒れて、流れを渡る立派な橋になった。

“There,” said Kintaro, “what do you think of my bridge? It is quite safe, so follow me,” and he stepped across first. The four animals followed. Never had they seen any one so strong before, and they all exclaimed:

「ほら」と金太郎は言った。「わたしの橋をどう思う。しっかりしているから、ついておいで。」そう言ってまず自分が渡った。四匹の獣があとに続いた。これほど力の強い者を見たことがなく、みなが声をあげた。

“How strong he is! how strong he is!”

「なんと強い! なんと強い!」

While all this was going on by the river a woodcutter, who happened to be standing on a rock overlooking the stream, had seen all that passed beneath him. He watched with great surprise Kintaro and his animal companions. He rubbed his eyes to be sure that he was not dreaming when he saw this boy pull over a tree by the roots and throw it across the stream to form a bridge.

こうしたことが川のそばで起きているあいだ、たまたま流れを見下ろす岩の上に立っていた一人の木こりが、下で起きたことをすべて見ていた。木こりはたいそう驚いて金太郎と獣の仲間たちを見守った。この少年が木を根こそぎ引き抜き、流れに渡して橋にするのを見たとき、夢を見ているのではないかと目をこすった。

The woodcutter, for such he seemed to be by his dress, marveled at all he saw, and said to himself:

身なりからしてそう見えるこの木こりは、目にしたすべてに驚嘆して独りごちた。

“This is no ordinary child. Whose son can he be? I will find out before this day is done.”

「これはただの子どもではない。誰の子だろう。きょうのうちに突きとめてやろう。」

He hastened after the strange party and crossed the bridge behind them. Kintaro knew nothing of all this, and little guessed that he was being followed. On reaching the other side of the river he and the animals separated, they to their lairs in the woods and he to his mother, who was waiting for him.

木こりはこの不思議な一行を急いで追い、そのうしろから橋を渡った。金太郎はこのことを何も知らず、あとをつけられているとは思いもよらなかった。川の向こう岸に着くと、彼と獣たちは別れ、獣たちは森のねぐらへ、彼は待っている母のもとへ帰っていった。

As soon as he entered the cottage, which stood like a matchbox in the heart of the pine-woods, he went to greet his mother, saying:

松林のただなかにマッチ箱のように建つ小屋へ入るとすぐ、金太郎は母に挨拶しに行って言った。

“Okkasan (mother), here I am!”

「おっかさん、帰ったよ!」

“O, Kimbo!” said his mother with a bright smile, glad to see her boy home safe after the long day. “How late you are to-day. I feared that something had happened to you. Where have you been all the time?”

「おお、金坊!」と母は晴れやかに微笑んで言った。長い一日ののち、わが子が無事に帰ったのがうれしかったのである。「きょうはずいぶん遅かったね。何かあったのではないかと案じていたよ。ずっとどこにいたんだい。」

“I took my four friends, the bear, the deer, the monkey, and the hare, up into the hills, and there I made them try a wrestling match, to see which was the strongest. We all enjoyed the sport, and are going to the same place to-morrow to have another match.”

「四匹の友だち、熊と鹿と猿と兎を連れて山へ行って、そこで相撲を取らせたんだ。どれがいちばん強いか見るためにね。みんなで楽しんだから、あす、また同じ場所へ行ってもう一番取るんだ。」

“Now tell me who is the strongest of all?” asked his mother, pretending not to know.

「では、みんなのなかでいちばん強いのは誰だい」と母は知らないふりをして尋ねた。

“Oh, mother,” said Kintaro, “don’t you know that I am the strongest? There was no need for me to wrestle with any of them.”

「ああ、おっかさん」と金太郎は言った。「いちばん強いのはおれだと知らないの。おれが誰かと相撲を取る必要なんてないよ。」

“But next to you then, who is the strongest?”

「では、おまえの次に強いのは誰だい。」

“The bear comes next to me in strength,” answered Kintaro.

「おれの次に強いのは熊だ」と金太郎は答えた。

“And after the bear?” asked his mother again.

「では熊の次は」と母はまた尋ねた。

“Next to the bear it is not easy to say which is the strongest, for the deer, the monkey, and the hare all seem to be as strong as each other,” said Kintaro.

「熊の次は、どれがいちばん強いか言うのは難しいな。鹿も猿も兎も、みな同じくらい強いようだから」と金太郎は言った。

Suddenly Kintaro and his mother were startled by a voice from outside.

突然、金太郎と母は外からの声に驚かされた。

“Listen to me, little boy! Next time you go, take this old man with you to the wrestling match. He would like to join the sport too!”

「聞いてくれ、坊や! こんど行くときには、この爺も相撲の見物に連れていってくれ。爺もその遊びに加わりたいのだ!」

It was the old woodcutter who had followed Kintaro from the river. He slipped off his clogs and entered the cottage. Yama-uba and her son were both taken by surprise. They looked at the intruder wonderingly and saw that he was some one they had never seen before.

それは川から金太郎を追ってきた老いた木こりであった。木こりは下駄を脱いで小屋に入った。山姥(やまうば)と息子はともに不意を突かれた。二人はこの闖入者を不思議そうに見て、今まで見たことのない人物だと知った。

“Who are you?” they both exclaimed.

「あなたは誰です」と二人は声をそろえて言った。

Then the woodcutter laughed and said:

すると木こりは笑って言った。

“It does not matter who I am yet, but let us see who has the strongest arm—this boy or myself?”

「わしが誰かは、まだどうでもよい。だがどちらの腕が強いか、試してみようではないか——この子か、わしか。」

Then Kintaro, who had lived all his life in the forest, answered the old man without any ceremony, saying:

そこで、生涯を森で過ごしてきた金太郎は、かしこまることもなく老人に答えた。

“We will have a try if you wish it, but you must not be angry whoever is beaten.”

「望みなら試してみよう。だがどちらが負けても怒ってはいけないよ。」

Then Kintaro and the woodcutter both put out their right arms and grasped each other’s hands. For a long time Kintaro and the old man wrestled together in this way, each trying to bend the other’s arm, but the old man was very strong, and the strange pair were evenly matched. At last the old man desisted, declaring it a drawn game.

そこで金太郎と木こりは、ともに右腕を出して互いの手を握った。長いあいだ二人はそうして組み合い、互いに相手の腕を曲げようとしたが、老人はたいそう力が強く、この奇妙な二人は互角であった。とうとう老人が手を離し、引き分けだと宣した。

“You are, indeed, a very strong child. There are few men who can boast of the strength of my right arm!” said the woodcutter. “I saw you first on the banks of the river a few hours ago, when you pulled up that large tree to make a bridge across the torrent. Hardly able to believe what I saw I followed you home. Your strength of arm, which I have just tried, proves what I saw this afternoon. When you are full-grown you will surely be the strongest man in all Japan. It is a pity that you are hidden away in these wild mountains.”

「おまえはまことに、たいそう力の強い子どもだ。わしの右腕の力に張り合えると誇れる者は、そう多くない!」と木こりは言った。「数刻前に川の岸で初めておまえを見た。あの大きな木を引き抜いて、急流に渡して橋にしたときだ。見たものがとても信じられず、あとをつけて家まで来たのだ。たった今試したおまえの腕の力が、けさ見たことを裏づけている。おまえが一人前になれば、きっと日本じゅうでいちばん力の強い男になるだろう。この荒れた山に隠れているのは惜しいことだ。」

Then he turned to Kintaro’s mother:

それから木こりは金太郎の母のほうを向いた。

“And you, mother, have you no thought of taking your child to the Capital, and of teaching him to carry a sword as befits a samurai (a Japanese knight)?”

「そして母御、この子を都へ連れていき、侍(日本の武士)にふさわしく刀を帯びるよう教えてやろうとは思われぬか。」

“You are very kind to take so much interest in my son.” replied the mother; “but he is as you see, wild and uneducated, and I fear it would be very difficult to do as you say. Because of his great strength as an infant I hid him away in this unknown part of the country, for he hurt every one that came near him. I have often wished that I could, one day, see my boy a knight wearing two swords, but as we have no influential friend to introduce us at the Capital, I fear my hope will never come true.”

「息子にそれほど心を寄せてくださるとは、たいそうご親切なことでございます」と母は答えた。「けれどもご覧のとおり、この子は野育ちで学もなく、おっしゃるようにするのはたいそう難しいのではないかと恐れます。赤子のころから力が強すぎて、近寄る者をみな傷つけましたので、この人知れぬ土地に隠して育てたのです。いつの日か、わが子が二本の刀を差した武士になるのを見たいと幾度も願ってまいりましたが、都で引き合わせてくれる有力な知人もございませんので、その望みは決して叶うまいと恐れております。」

“You need not trouble yourself about that. To tell you the truth I am no woodcutter! I am one of the great generals of Japan. My name is Sadamitsu, and I am a vassal of the powerful Lord Minamoto-no-Raiko. He ordered me to go round the country and look for boys who give promise of remarkable strength, so that they may be trained as soldiers for his army. I thought that I could best do this by assuming the disguise of a woodcutter. By good fortune, I have thus unexpectedly come across your son. Now if you really wish him to be a SAMURAI (a knight), I will take him and present him to the Lord Raiko as a candidate for his service. What do you say to this?”

「そのことなら案じられるな。実を言えば、わしは木こりではない! 日本の名だたる武将の一人だ。名を貞光(さだみつ)といい、力ある源頼光(みなもとのらいこう)公の家来である。公は、並はずれた力を見込める少年を探して国じゅうを回り、その軍の兵として鍛えられるようにせよと、わしに命じられた。それには木こりに身をやつすのがいちばんよいと思ったのだ。幸いにも、こうして思いがけずご子息に行き会った。さて、もし本当にこの子を侍にしたいと願われるなら、わしが連れていって、頼光公にお仕えする者の候補として差し上げよう。いかがかな。」

As the kind general gradually unfolded his plan the mother’s heart was filled with a great joy. She saw that here was a wonderful chance of the one wish of her life being fulfilled—that of seeing Kintaro a SAMURAI before she died.

この親切な将軍が計らいを少しずつ明かすにつれて、母の心は大きな喜びに満たされた。ここに、生涯のただひとつの願い——死ぬ前に金太郎が侍になるのを見るという願いが叶う、またとない機会があるのを見たのである。

Bowing her head to the ground, she replied:

母は地に頭をつけて答えた。

“I will then intrust my son to you if you really mean what you say.”

「本当にそうおっしゃってくださるなら、息子をあなたさまにお預けいたします。」

Kintaro had all this time been sitting by his mother’s side listening to what they said. When his mother finished speaking, he exclaimed:

金太郎はこのあいだじゅう母のかたわらに座って、二人の話を聞いていた。母が話し終えると、金太郎は叫んだ。

“Oh, joy! joy! I am to go with the general and one day I shall be a SAMURAI!”

「ああ、うれしい、うれしい! おれは将軍さまと一緒に行って、いつか侍になるんだ!」

Thus Kintaro’s fate was settled, and the general decided to start for the Capital at once, taking Kintaro with him. It need hardly be said that Yama-uba was sad at parting with her boy, for he was all that was left to her. But she hid her grief with a strong face, as they say in Japan. She knew that it was for her boy’s good that he should leave her now, and she must not discourage him just as he was setting out. Kintaro promised never to forget her, and said that as soon as he was a knight wearing two swords he would build her a home and take care of her in her old age.

こうして金太郎の身の振り方は決まり、将軍は金太郎を連れてすぐに都へ発つことにした。山姥がわが子と別れるのを悲しんだことは、言うまでもあるまい。息子は彼女に残された唯一のものだったのだから。けれども日本で言うように、彼女は強い顔をして悲しみを隠した。今この子が自分のもとを離れるのが子のためなのだと分かっていたし、まさに旅立とうというときに気落ちさせてはならなかった。金太郎は決して母を忘れぬと約束し、二本の刀を差す武士になったらすぐに家を建てて、老いた母の世話をすると言った。

All the animals, those he had tamed to serve him, the bear, the deer, the monkey, and the hare, as soon as they found out that he was going away, came to ask if they might attend him as usual. When they learned that he was going away for good they followed him to the foot of the mountain to see him off.

金太郎が手なずけて仕えさせていた獣たち——熊と鹿と猿と兎は、金太郎が行ってしまうと知るとすぐにやって来て、いつものようにお供してよいかと尋ねた。そして金太郎がもう帰らない旅に出るのだと知ると、見送るために山のふもとまでついてきた。

“Kimbo,” said his mother, “mind and be a good boy.”

「金坊」と母は言った。「気をつけて、よい子でおいで。」

“Mr. Kintaro,” said the faithful animals, “we wish you good health on your travels.”

「金太郎さま」と忠実な獣たちは言った。「旅のご無事をお祈りします。」

Then they all climbed a tree to see the last of him, and from that height they watched him and his shadow gradually grow smaller and smaller, till he was lost to sight.

それからみなで木に登って金太郎の最後の姿を見送り、その高みから、彼とその影が次第に小さく小さくなっていって、とうとう見えなくなるまで見つめていた。

The general Sadamitsu went on his way rejoicing at having so unexpectedly found such a prodigy as Kintaro.

将軍貞光は、これほどの逸材である金太郎を思いがけず見つけたことを喜びながら道を進んだ。

Having arrived at their destination the general took Kintaro at once to his Lord, Minamoto-no-Raiko, and told him all about Kintaro and how he had found the child. Lord Raiko was delighted with the story, and having commanded Kintaro to be brought to him, made him one of his vassals at once.

目指す地に着くと、将軍はただちに金太郎を主君の源頼光公のもとへ連れていき、金太郎のことと、どうしてこの子を見つけたかを残らず語った。頼光公はこの話にたいそう喜び、金太郎を連れてくるよう命じて、すぐに家来の一人に加えた。

Lord Raiko’s army was famous for its band called “The Four Braves.” These warriors were chosen by himself from amongst the bravest and strongest of his soldiers, and the small and well-picked band was distinguished throughout the whole of Japan for the dauntless courage of its men.

頼光公の軍は「四天王」と呼ばれる一団で名高かった。この武者たちは、公が自らその兵のうちの最も勇ましく力ある者から選んだもので、少数のえりすぐりのこの一団は、その恐れを知らぬ勇気によって日本じゅうに知られていた。

When Kintaro grew up to be a man his master made him the Chief of the Four Braves. He was by far the strongest of them all. Soon after this event, news was brought to the city that a cannibal monster had taken up his abode not far away and that people were stricken with fear. Lord Raiko ordered Kintaro to the rescue. He immediately started off, delighted at the prospect of trying his sword.

金太郎が大人になると、主君は彼を四天王の筆頭にした。四人のなかで飛び抜けて強かったからである。それからまもなく、人を食らう怪物が遠からぬところに住みついて、人々が恐れおののいているという知らせが都にもたらされた。頼光公は金太郎に討伐を命じた。金太郎は自分の刀を試せるという見込みに喜んで、ただちに出発した。

Surprising the monster in its den, he made short work of cutting off its great head, which he carried back in triumph to his master.

怪物をそのすみかで不意打ちにして、金太郎はその大きな首をあっさり斬り落とし、意気揚々と主君のもとへ持ち帰った。

Kintaro now rose to be the greatest hero of his country, and great was the power and honor and wealth that came to him. He now kept his promise and built a comfortable home for his old mother, who lived happily with him in the Capital to the end of her days.

こうして金太郎は国じゅうで最も名高い英雄となり、大きな力と誉れと富がその身に訪れた。そして約束どおり、年老いた母のために居心地のよい家を建てた。母はその生涯の終わりまで、都で息子とともに幸せに暮らしたのである。

Is not this the story of a great hero?

これこそ偉大な英雄の物語ではないだろうか。