The Story of Prince Yamato Take

The insignia of the great Japanese Empire is composed of three treasures which have been considered sacred, and guarded with jealous care from time immemorial. These are the Yatano-no-Kagami or the Mirror of Yata, the Yasakami-no-Magatama or the Jewel of Yasakami, and the Murakumo-no-Tsurugi or the Sword of Murakumo.

偉大なる日本の帝国のしるしは、いにしえより聖なるものとされ、厳しく守られてきた三つの宝から成っている。すなわち八咫鏡(やたのかがみ)、八尺瓊勾玉(やさかにのまがたま)、そして叢雲剣(むらくものつるぎ)である。

Of these three treasures of the Empire, the sword of Murakumo, afterwards known as Kusanagi-no-Tsrugugi, or the grass-cleaving sword, is considered the most precious and most highly to be honored, for it is the symbol of strength to this nation of warriors and the talisman of invincibility for the Emperor, while he holds it sacred in the shrine of his ancestors.

この帝国の三つの宝のうち、のちに草薙剣(くさなぎのつるぎ)、すなわち草を薙ぐ剣として知られるようになった叢雲の剣は、最も貴く、最も高く敬われるべきものとされている。それはこの武人の国にとって力の象徴であり、帝が先祖の社に聖なるものとして奉じるかぎり、無敵の護符となるからである。

Nearly two thousand years ago this sword was kept at the shrines of Ite, the temples dedicated to the worship of Amaterasu, the great and beautiful Sun Goddess from whom the Japanese Emperors are said to be descended.

二千年近く前、この剣は伊勢の社——日本の帝がその血を引くと言われる、偉大で美しい太陽の女神、天照大神を祀る宮——に納められていた。

There is a story of knightly adventure and daring which explains why the name of the sword was changed from that of Murakumo to Kasanagi, which means grass clearing.

この剣の名が叢雲から、草を薙ぐという意味の草薙へと変わったわけを説き明かす、武勇と大胆さの物語がある。

Once, many, many years ago, there was born a son to the Emperor Keiko, the twelfth in descent from the great Jimmu, the founder of the Japanese dynasty. This Prince was the second son of the Emperor Keiko, and he was named Yamato. From his childhood he proved himself to be of remarkable strength, wisdom and courage, and his father noticed with pride that he gave promise of great things, and he loved him even more than he did his elder son.

むかしむかし、日本の王朝を開いた偉大な神武から十二代目にあたる景行(けいこう)天皇に、一人の皇子が生まれた。この皇子は景行天皇の第二子で、ヤマトと名づけられた。幼いころから並はずれた力と知恵と勇気を示し、父は誇らしく、この子が大きな事をなす見込みを持つことに気づいて、兄の子よりもさらに深く愛した。

Now when Prince Yamato had grown to manhood (in the olden days of Japanese history, a boy was considered to have reached man’s estate at the early age of sixteen) the realm was much troubled by a band of outlaws whose chiefs were two brothers, Kumaso and Takeru. These rebels seemed to delight in rebelling against the King, in breaking the laws and defying all authority.

さてヤマトの皇子が一人前の男に育ったころ(日本の歴史の古い時代には、男の子は十六という早い年で一人前になったと見なされた)、国はクマソとタケルという兄弟を頭とする無法者の一党にひどく悩まされていた。この反徒どもは、王に背き、法を破り、あらゆる権威をあざけることを楽しんでいるように見えた。

At last King Keiko ordered his younger son Prince Yamato to subdue the brigands and, if possible, to rid the land of their evil lives. Prince Yamato was only sixteen years of age, he had but reached his manhood according to the law, yet though he was such a youth in years he possessed the dauntless spirit of a warrior of fuller age and knew not what fear was. Even then there was no man who could rival him for courage and bold deeds, and he received his father’s command with great joy.

とうとう景行の王は、弟の皇子ヤマトに、この賊を討ち、できることならこの地からその邪な命を除けと命じた。ヤマトの皇子はまだ十六の年で、法によってようやく一人前になったばかりであった。それでも年こそ若いが、もっと年長の武人にも劣らぬ恐れを知らぬ気概を備えていて、恐れというものを知らなかった。このときすでに、勇気と大胆な働きで彼に並ぶ者はおらず、皇子は父の命を大いに喜んで受けた。

He at once made ready to start, and great was the stir in the precincts of the Palace as he and his trusty followers gathered together and prepared for the expedition, and polished up their armor and donned it. Before he left his father’s Court he went to pray at the shrine of Ise and to take leave of his aunt the Princess Yamato, for his heart was somewhat heavy at the thought of the dangers he had to face, and he felt that he needed the protection of his ancestress, Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess. The Princess his aunt came out to give him glad welcome, and congratulated him on being trusted with so great a mission by his father the King. She then gave him one of her gorgeous robes as a keepsake to go with him and to bring him good luck, saying that it would surely be of service to him on this adventure. She then wished him all success in his undertaking and bade him good speed.

皇子はただちに出発の支度をした。忠実な家来たちが集まって遠征の支度をし、鎧を磨いて身につけると、宮殿のあたりは大変な騒ぎになった。父の宮廷を出る前に、皇子は伊勢の社へ参って祈り、叔母のヤマトの姫君に暇を告げに行った。立ち向かわねばならぬ危難を思うと、その心はいささか重く、先祖である太陽の女神、天照大神のご加護が必要だと感じたからである。叔母の姫君は出てきて喜んで迎え、父である王からこれほどの大役を託されたことを祝った。それから自分の豪奢な衣の一枚を、道中の形見として、また幸運を招くものとして与え、この冒険できっと役に立つでしょうと言った。そして事の成就を祈って、健やかな旅立ちを願った。

The young Prince bowed low before his aunt, and received her gracious gift with much pleasure and many respectful bows.

若い皇子は叔母の前に深く頭を下げ、その優しい贈り物を大きな喜びと幾度もの丁重な礼とともに受け取った。

“I will now set out,” said the Prince, and returning to the Palace he put himself at the head of his troops. Thus cheered by his aunt’s blessing, he felt ready for all that might befall, and marching through the land he went down to the Southern Island of Kiushiu, the home of the brigands.

「では出発いたします」と皇子は言い、宮殿に戻って兵の先頭に立った。こうして叔母の祝福に励まされ、何が起ころうと立ち向かう覚悟ができて、皇子は国を進軍し、賊のすみかである南の九州の島へ下っていった。

Before many days had passed he reached the Southern Island, and then slowly but surely made his way to the head-quarters of the chiefs Kumaso and Takeru. He now met with great difficulties, for he found the country exceedingly wild and rough. The mountains were high and steep, the valleys dark and deep, and huge trees and bowlders of rock blocked up the road and stopped the progress of his army. It was all but impossible to go on.

幾日もたたぬうちに南の島に着き、それからゆっくりと、しかし確かにクマソとタケルの二人の頭目の本拠へ道を進めた。ここで大きな困難にぶつかった。この地がきわめて荒々しく険しいことを知ったからである。山は高く険しく、谷は暗く深く、巨大な木と岩の塊が道をふさいで軍の歩みを止めた。とても進めそうになかった。

Though the Prince was but a youth he had the wisdom of years, and, seeing that it was vain to try and lead his men further, he said to himself:

皇子はまだ若者であったが年寄りの知恵を備えていて、これ以上兵を率いて進もうとするのはむだだと見て取り、独りごちた。

“To attempt to fight a battle in this impassable country unknown to my men only makes my task harder. We cannot clear the roads and fight as well. It is wiser for me to resort to stratagem and come upon my enemies unawares. In that way I may be able to kill them without much exertion.”

「兵の知らぬこの通りがたい国で戦を挑もうとすれば、務めがいっそう難しくなるばかりだ。道を切り開きながら戦うことはできぬ。策を用いて、敵の不意を突くほうが賢い。そうすればさほど骨を折らずに討ち取れよう。」

So he now bade his army halt by the way. His wife, the Princess Ototachibana, had accompanied him, and he bade her bring him the robe his aunt the priestess of Ise had given him, and to help him attire himself as a woman. With her help he put on the robe, and let his hair down till it flowed over his shoulders. Ototachibana then brought him her comb, which he put in his black tresses, and then adorned himself with strings of strange jewels just as you see in the picture. When he had finished his unusual toilet, Ototachibana brought him her mirror. He smiled as he gazed at himself—the disguise was so perfect.

そこで皇子は軍に道すがら留まるよう命じた。妻の弟橘姫(おとたちばなひめ)が同行していたので、皇子は伊勢の斎宮である叔母がくれた衣を持ってこさせ、女の身なりに整えるのを手伝わせた。姫の助けを借りて衣をまとい、髪を下ろして肩に流した。それから弟橘姫が櫛を持ってきたので、それを黒い髪に挿し、絵に見るとおり珍しい玉の緒で身を飾った。この尋常でない装いを終えると、弟橘姫が鏡を持ってきた。皇子は自分の姿を見て微笑んだ——変装は見事なものだった。

He hardly knew himself, so changed was he. All traces of the warrior had disappeared, and in the shining surface only a beautiful lady looked back at him.

あまりに変わっていて、自分でもそれと分からぬほどであった。武人の跡はすべて消え、輝く鏡の面からは美しい女が見返しているばかりだった。

Thus completely disguised, he set out for the enemy’s camp alone. In the folds of his silk gown, next his strong heart, was hidden a sharp dagger.

こうしてすっかり変装して、皇子はただ一人で敵の陣へ向かった。絹の衣のひだのなか、その強い心のすぐそばに、鋭い短刀が隠されていた。

The two chiefs Kumaso and Takeru wore sitting in their tent, resting in the cool of the evening, when the Prince approached. They were talking of the news which had recently been carried to them, that the King’s son had entered their country with a large army determined to exterminate their band. They had both heard of the young warrior’s renown, and for the first time in their wicked lives they felt afraid. In a pause in their talk they happened to look up, and saw through the door of the tent a beautiful woman robed in sumptuous garments coming towards them. Like an apparition of loveliness she appeared in the soft twilight. Little did they dream that it was their enemy whose coming they so dreaded who now stood before them in this disguise.

二人の頭目クマソとタケルは、皇子が近づいたとき、天幕に座って夕暮れの涼しさのなかで休んでいた。二人は近ごろ届いた知らせのことを話していた。王の子が大軍を率いて自分たちの国に入り、この一党を根絶やしにする覚悟だ、という知らせである。二人ともこの若い武人の名声を耳にしていて、その邪な生涯で初めて恐れを感じていた。話の切れ目にふと目を上げると、天幕の戸口の向こうに、豪奢な衣をまとった美しい女がこちらへ来るのが見えた。やわらかな夕闇のなかに、美しさの幻のように現れたのである。この変装で今目の前に立っているのが、来るのを恐れていたあの敵だとは、二人は夢にも思わなかった。

“What a beautiful woman! Where has she come from?” said the astonished Kumaso, forgetting war and council and everything as he looked at the gentle intruder.

「なんという美しい女だ! どこから来たのだろう」と、驚いたクマソは、この優しい闖入者を見て、戦も評定も何もかも忘れて言った。

He beckoned to the disguised Prince and bade him sit down and serve them with wine. Yamato Take felt his heart swell with a fierce glee for he now knew that his plan would succeed. However, he dissembled cleverly, and putting on a sweet air of shyness he approached the rebel chief with slow steps and eyes glancing like a frightened deer. Charmed to distraction by the girl’s loveliness Kumaso drank cup after cup of wine for the pleasure of seeing her pour it out for him, till at last he was quite overcome with the quantity he had drunk.

クマソは変装した皇子を手招きして、座って酒を注げと命じた。日本武(やまとたけ)は胸が激しい喜びに高鳴るのを感じた。策が図に当たると知ったからである。けれども巧みに装って、恥じらう様子を見せ、怯えた鹿のようにまなざしを揺らしながら、ゆっくりとした足どりで反徒の頭目に近づいた。この娘の美しさに我を忘れたクマソは、酒を注いでもらう楽しみのために杯を重ね、とうとう飲んだ量にすっかり酔いつぶれてしまった。

This was the moment for which the brave Prince had been waiting. Flinging down the wine jar, he seized the tipsy and astonished Kumaso and quickly stabbed him to death with the dagger which he had secretly carried hidden in his breast.

これこそ勇ましい皇子が待っていた瞬間であった。酒の瓶を投げ捨てて、酔って驚くクマソをつかみ、ひそかに懐に隠し持っていた短刀で、たちまち刺し殺した。

Takeru, the brigand’s brother, was terror-struck as soon as he saw what was happening and tried to escape, but Prince Yamato was too quick for him. Ere he could reach the tent door the Prince was at his heel, his garments were clutched by a hand of iron, and a dagger flashed before his eyes and he lay stabbed to the earth, dying but not yet dead.

賊の弟タケルは、何が起きているかを見るやいなや恐怖にとらわれて逃げようとしたが、ヤマトの皇子のほうが速かった。天幕の戸口に着く前に皇子はその踵に迫り、衣は鉄の手につかまれ、短刀が目の前で閃いて、タケルは刺されて地に倒れ、死にかけながらまだ息があった。

“Wait one moment!” gasped the brigand painfully, and he seized the Prince’s hand.

「ひととき待て!」と賊は苦しげにあえぎ、皇子の手をつかんだ。

Yamato relaxed his hold somewhat and said.

ヤマトは手の力をいくらかゆるめて言った。

“Why should I pause, thou villain?”

「なぜ待たねばならぬ、悪党め。」

The brigand raised himself fearfully and said:

賊は恐ろしげに身を起こして言った。

“Tell me from whence you come, and whom I have the honor of addressing? Hitherto I believed that my dead brother and I were the strongest men in the land, and that there was no one who could overcome us. Alone you have ventured into our stronghold, alone you have attacked and killed us! Surely you are more than mortal?”

「どこから来られたのか、どなたにお目にかかっているのか教えてくれ。これまでわたしは、死んだ兄と自分こそこの国で最も強い者で、われらを打ち負かせる者はないと信じていた。あなたはただ一人でわれらの砦に踏み込み、ただ一人でわれらを襲い、討ち取った! まことに人間以上の方にちがいない。」

Then the young Prince answered with a proud smile:—“I am the son of the King and my name is Yamato, and I have been sent by my father as the avenger of evil to bring death to all rebels! No longer shall robbery and murder hold my people in terror!” and he held the dagger dripping red above the rebel’s head.

すると若い皇子は誇らしげな笑みを浮かべて答えた。「わたしは王の子で、名をヤマトという。父より、悪を討つ者として、すべての反徒に死をもたらすために遣わされた! もはや盗みと殺しがわが民を恐れさせることはない!」そして赤く滴る短刀を賊の頭上にかざした。

“Ah,” gasped the dying man with a great effort, “I have often heard of you. You are indeed a strong man to have so easily overcome us. Allow me to give you a new name. From henceforth you shall be known as Yamato Take. Our title I bequeath to you as the bravest man in Yamato.”

「ああ」と死にゆく男は力をふりしぼってあえいだ。「あなたのことはしばしば聞いていた。これほどたやすくわれらを打ち負かすとは、まことに強い方だ。新しい名を差し上げたい。これからのちヤマトタケとお名乗りください。ヤマトで最も勇ましい者として、われらの名をお譲りする。」

And with these noble words, Takeru fell back and died.

この気高い言葉とともに、タケルは倒れて息絶えた。

The Prince having thus successfully put an end to his father’s enemies in the world, was prepared to return to the capital. On the way back he passed through the province of Idum. Here he met with another outlaw named Idzumo Takeru who he knew had done much harm in the land. He again resorted to stratagem, and feigned friendship with the rebel under an assumed name. Having done this he made a sword of wood and jammed it tightly in the shaft of his own strong sword. This he purposedly buckled to his side and wore on every occasion when he expected to meet the third robber Takeru.

皇子はこうして首尾よく父の敵をこの世から除き、都へ帰る支度を整えた。帰り道に出雲の国を通った。ここでイヅモタケルというもう一人の無法者に出会った。この国でずいぶん害をなしてきた者だと知っていた。皇子はまた策に頼り、偽りの名を名乗ってこの反徒と友であるふりをした。そうしておいてから木の刀をこしらえ、自分の頑丈な刀の鞘にきつく押し込んだ。そしてこれをわざと腰に帯びて、三人目の賊タケルに会うと思われるときにはいつも差していた。

He now invited Takeru to the bank of the River Hinokawa, and persuaded him to try a swim with him in the cool refreshing waters of the river.

やがて皇子はタケルを肥河(ひのかわ)の岸に誘い、この川の涼しくさわやかな水で一緒に泳ごうと説き伏せた。

As it was a hot summer’s day, the rebel was nothing loath to take a plunge in the river, while his enemy was still swimming down the stream the Prince turned back and landed with all possible haste. Unperceived, he managed to change swords, putting his wooden one in place of the keen steel sword of Takeru.

暑い夏の日だったので、反徒は喜んで川に飛び込んだ。敵がまだ流れを下って泳いでいるうちに、皇子は引き返してできるかぎり急いで陸に上がった。そして気づかれぬまま刀をすり替え、自分の木の刀をタケルの切れ味鋭い鋼の刀の場所に置いた。

Knowing nothing of this, the brigand came up to the bank shortly. As soon as he had landed and donned his clothes, the Prince came forward and asked him to cross swords with him to prove his skill, saying:

何も知らぬ賊は、まもなく岸に上がってきた。上陸して着物を身につけるとすぐ、皇子は進み出て、腕前を試そうと刀を合わせようと言った。

“Let us two prove which is the better swordsman of the two!”

「二人のうちどちらが剣の腕が上か、試してみようではないか!」

The robber agreed with delight, feeling certain of victory, for he was famous as a fencer in his province and he did not know who his adversary was. He seized quickly what he thought was his sword and stood on guard to defend himself. Alas! for the rebel the sword was the wooden one of the young Prince and in vain Takeru tried to unsheathe it—it was jammed fast, not all his exerted strength could move it. Even if his efforts had been successful the sword would have been of no use to him for it was of wood. Yamato Take saw that his enemy was in his power, and swinging high the sword he had taken from Takeru he brought it down with great might and dexterity and cut off the robber’s head.

賊は喜んで承知した。勝利を確信していたのである。自分の国では剣の名手として名高く、相手が誰かを知らなかったからだ。賊はすばやく、自分の刀と思ったものをつかみ、身を守ろうと構えた。ああ、この反徒にとって哀れなことに、その刀は若い皇子の木の刀で、タケルは抜こうとしてもむだだった——きつく詰まっていて、力を尽くしても動かない。たとえ抜けたとしても、木の刀では何の役にも立たなかったろう。日本武は敵が自分の手中にあるのを見て、タケルから取った刀を高く振り上げ、大きな力と巧みさをもって振り下ろし、賊の首を切り落とした。

In this way, sometimes by using his wisdom and sometimes by using his bodily strength, and at other times by resorting to craftiness, which was as much esteemed in those days as it is despised in these, he prevailed against all the King’s foes one by one, and brought peace and rest to the land and the people.

こうして、あるときは知恵を用い、あるときは体の力を用い、またあるときは策略に頼って——策略は今日では蔑まれるが、当時は知恵と同じほど重んじられていた——皇子は王の敵を一人また一人と打ち破り、この地とその民に平和と安らぎをもたらした。

When he returned to the capital the King praised him for his brave deeds, and held a feast in the Palace in honor of his safe coming home and presented him with many rare gifts. From this time forth the King loved him more than ever and would not let Yamato Take go from his side, for he said that his son was now as precious to him as one of his arms.

都へ帰ると、王はその勇ましい働きをほめ、無事の帰還を祝って宮殿で宴を開き、珍しい贈り物を数多く与えた。このときから王は前にも増して皇子を愛し、日本武をそばから離そうとしなかった。わが子は今や自分の片腕と同じほど大切なのだ、と言ったからである。

But the Prince was not allowed to live an idle life long. When he was about thirty years old, news was brought that the Ainu race, the aborigines of the islands of Japan, who had been conquered and pushed northwards by the Japanese, had rebelled in the Eastern provinces, and leaving the vicinity which had been allotted to them were causing great trouble in the land. The King decided that it was necessary to send an army to do battle with them and bring them to reason. But who was to lead the men?

けれども皇子は長く安穏に暮らすことを許されなかった。三十の年ごろ、日本の島々の先住の民であるアイヌの一族が——征服されて北へ追いやられていたのだが——東の国々で反乱を起こし、割り当てられた土地を離れてこの地に大きな災いをもたらしているという知らせが届いた。王は、軍を送って戦い、これを鎮める必要があると決めた。けれども誰が兵を率いるのか。

Prince Yamato Take at once offered to go and bring the newly arisen rebels into subjection. Now as the King loved the Prince dearly, and could not bear to have him go out of his sight even for the length of one day, he was of course very loath to send him on his dangerous expedition. But in the whole army there was no warrior so strong or so brave as the Prince his son, so that His Majesty, unable to do otherwise, reluctantly complied with Yamato’s wish.

日本武の皇子はただちに、新たに起こった反徒を鎮めに行こうと申し出た。さて王は皇子を深く愛していて、一日たりともそばから離れているのに耐えられなかったので、もちろんこの危うい遠征に送り出すのをたいそう渋った。けれども全軍のなかに、わが子の皇子ほど強く勇ましい武人はいなかったので、陛下はほかにどうしようもなく、しぶしぶヤマトの願いを聞き入れた。

When the time came for the Prince to start, the King gave him a spear called the Eight-Arms-Length-Spear of the Holly Tree (the handle was probably made from the wood of the holly tree), and ordered him to set out to subjugate the Eastern Barbarians as the Ainu were then called.

皇子の出発の時が来ると、王は柊の八尋の矛(柄はおそらく柊の木で作られていた)という槍を与え、当時アイヌがそう呼ばれていた東の蛮族を討ちに行けと命じた。

The Eight-Arms-Length-Spear of the Holly Tree of those old days, was prized by warriors just as much as the Standard or Banner is valued by a regiment in these modern days, when given by the King to his soldiers on the occasion of setting out for war.

あの古い時代の柊の八尋の矛は、今日、戦に出るにあたって王から兵に授けられる軍旗や旗印と同じほど、武人に重んじられていた。

The Prince respectfully and with great reverence received the King’s spear, and leaving the capital, marched with his army to the East. On his way he visited first of all the temples of Ise for worship, and his aunt the Princess of Yamato and High Priestess came out to greet him. She it was who had given him her robe which had proved such a boon to him before in helping him to overcome and slay the brigands of the West.

皇子はうやうやしく深い敬いをもって王の矛を受け取り、都を出て軍とともに東へ進んだ。その道すがら、まず伊勢の宮へ参拝に行くと、叔母であるヤマトの姫君、斎宮が迎えに出てきた。以前、西の賊どもを討ち取るのにあれほど役立った衣を与えてくれたのは、この人であった。

He told her all that had happened to him, and of the great part her keepsake had played in the success of his previous undertaking, and thanked her very heartily. When she heard that he was starting out once again to do battle with his father’s enemies, she went into the temple, and reappeared bearing a sword and a beautiful bag which she had made herself, and which was full of flints, which in those times people used instead of matches for making fire. These she presented to him as a parting gift.

皇子は身に起きたことをすべて語り、叔母の形見が先の務めの成功にどれほど大きな役割を果たしたかを話して、心から礼を述べた。叔母は、皇子がふたたび父の敵と戦いに出ると聞くと、社に入り、一振りの剣と、自ら作った美しい袋を持って現れた。袋には火打ち石がいっぱい入っていた。当時の人々はマッチの代わりにそれで火をおこしたのである。叔母はこれを別れの贈り物として与えた。

The sword was the sword of Murakumo, one of the three sacred treasures which comprise the insignia of the Imperial House of Japan. No more auspicious talisman of luck and success could she have given her nephew, and she bade him use it in the hour of his greatest need.

その剣は叢雲の剣、日本の皇室のしるしをなす三つの聖なる宝のひとつであった。これほどめでたい幸運と成功の護符を甥に与えることはできなかったろう。叔母は、最も窮したときにこれを使いなさいと告げた。

Yamato Take now bade farewell to his aunt, and once more placing himself at the head of his men he marched to the farthest East through the province of Owari, and then he reached the province of Suruga. Here the governor welcomed the Prince right heartily and entertained him royally with many feasts. When these were over, the governor told his guest that his country was famous for its fine deer, and proposed a deer hunt for the Prince’s amusement. The Prince was utterly deceived by the cordiality of his host, which was all feigned, and gladly consented to join in the hunt.

日本武は叔母に別れを告げ、ふたたび兵の先頭に立って、尾張の国を通って東の果てまで進み、それから駿河の国に着いた。ここで国守は皇子を心から歓迎し、数々の宴を催して手厚くもてなした。それが済むと、国守は客に、この国は立派な鹿で名高いと告げ、皇子の慰みに鹿狩りをしようと持ちかけた。皇子は主のもてなしにすっかり欺かれた——それはみな偽りだったのだが——そして喜んで狩りに加わることに承知した。

The governor then led the Prince to a wild and extensive plain where the grass grew high and in great abundance. Quite ignorant that the governor had laid a trap for him with the desire to compass his death, the Prince began to ride hard and hunt down the deer, when all of a sudden to his amazement he saw flames and smoke bursting out from the bush in front of him. Realizing his danger he tried to retreat, but no sooner did he turn his horse in the opposite direction than he saw that even there the prairie was on fire. At the same time the grass on his left and right burst into flames, and these began to spread swiftly towards him on all sides. He looked round for a chance of escape. There was none. He was surrounded by fire.

それから国守は皇子を、草が高く豊かに茂る荒れた広い野へ導いた。国守が自分を亡き者にしようと罠を仕掛けたとはまるで知らずに、皇子は馬を走らせて鹿を追いはじめた。すると突然、驚いたことに、目の前の草むらから炎と煙が噴き出すのが見えた。危険を悟って引き返そうとしたが、馬を反対のほうへ向けるやいなや、そちらの野原も燃えているのが見えた。同時に左右の草も炎を上げ、それが四方から速やかに迫ってきた。皇子は逃げ道はないかとあたりを見回した。どこにもなかった。火に囲まれていたのである。

“This deer hunt was then only a cunning trick of the enemy!” said the Prince, looking round on the flames and the smoke that crackled and rolled in towards him on every side. “What a fool I was to be lured into this trap like a wild beast!” and he ground his teeth with rage as he thought of the governor’s smiling treachery.

「この鹿狩りは、やはり敵の狡い罠だったのだ!」と皇子は、四方からぱちぱちと音を立てて巻き寄せる炎と煙を見回して言った。「野の獣のようにこの罠に誘い込まれるとは、なんという愚か者だ!」そして国守の微笑みに隠れた裏切りを思って歯ぎしりした。

Dangerous as was his situation now, the Prince was not in the least confounded. In his dire extremity he remembered the gifts his aunt had given him when they parted, and it seemed to him as if she must, with prophetic foresight, have divined this hour of need. He coolly opened the flint-bag that his aunt had given him and set fire to the grass near him. Then drawing the sword of Murakumo from its sheath he set to work to cut down the grass on either side of him with all speed. He determined to die, if that were necessary, fighting for his life and not standing still waiting for death to come to him.

その身は危ういものであったが、皇子は少しもうろたえなかった。この窮地のなかで、別れ際に叔母がくれた贈り物を思い出した。そして叔母は先を見通す力で、この窮する時を見抜いていたにちがいないと思われた。皇子は落ち着いて叔母がくれた火打ち石の袋を開け、自分のそばの草に火を放った。それから叢雲の剣を鞘から抜き、渾身の速さで左右の草を薙ぎ払いにかかった。死ぬなら死ぬで、命をかけて戦って死のう、じっと立って死を待つまいと心を決めたのである。

Strange to say the wind began to change and to blow from the opposite direction, and the fiercest portion of the burning bush which had hitherto threatened to come upon him was now blown right away from him, and the Prince, without even a scratch on his body or a single hair burned, lived to tell the tale of his wonderful escape, while the wind rising to a gale overtook the governor, and he was burned to death in the flames he had set alight to kill Yamato Take.

不思議なことに、風の向きが変わって反対から吹きはじめ、それまで皇子に迫ろうとしていた燃える草むらの最も激しい部分は、彼から吹き離された。そして皇子は、体に擦り傷ひとつ、髪の一本も焼かれることなく、この不思議な脱出の話を語り伝えることとなった。一方、風は大風となって国守に追いつき、国守は日本武を殺そうと自ら放った炎のなかで焼け死んだ。

Now the Prince ascribed his escape entirely to the virtue of the sword of Murakumo, and to the protection of Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess of Ise, who controls the wind and all the elements and insures the safety of all who pray to her in the hour of danger. Lifting the precious sword he raised it above his head many times in token of his great respect, and as he did this he re-named it Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi or the Grass-Cleaving Sword, and the place where he set fire to the grass round him and escaped from death in the burning prairie, he called Yaidzu. To this day there is a spot along the great Tokaido railway named Yaidzu, which is said to be the very place where this thrilling event took place.

さて皇子は、自分が助かったのはひとえに叢雲の剣の徳と、風とあらゆる元素を司り、危難の時に祈る者すべての無事を守られる伊勢の太陽の女神、天照大神のご加護によるものだとした。貴い剣を掲げ、深い敬いのしるしに幾度も頭上に捧げ、そうしながらそれを草薙剣、すなわち草を薙ぐ剣と改め名づけた。そして自分のまわりの草に火を放ち、燃える野で死を逃れたその場所を、焼津と名づけた。今日でも東海道の鉄道沿いに焼津という場所があり、まさにこの息詰まる出来事の起きた地だと言われている。

Thus did the brave Prince Yamato Take escape out of the snare laid for him by his enemy. He was full of resource and courage, and finally outwitted and subdued all his foes. Leaving Yaidzu he marched eastward, and came to the shore at Idzu from whence he wished to cross to Kadzusa.

こうして勇ましいヤマトの皇子は、敵の仕掛けた罠から逃れた。彼は機知と勇気に満ちていて、とうとうすべての敵を出し抜き、鎮めた。焼津を発って東へ進み、伊豆の岸に着いて、そこから上総へ渡ろうとした。

In these dangers and adventures he had been followed by his faithful loving wife the Princess Ototachibana. For his sake she counted the weariness of the long journeys and the dangers of war as nothing, and her love for her warrior husband was so great that she felt well repaid for all her wanderings if she could but hand him his sword when he sallied forth to battle, or minister to his wants when he returned weary to the camp.

これらの危難と冒険のあいだ、忠実で情の深い妻、弟橘姫がずっと従っていた。夫のためなら長旅の疲れも戦の危難も何でもなく、この武人の夫への愛はあまりに大きかったので、戦に出るときに刀を手渡し、疲れて陣に戻るときに世話をすることさえできれば、さすらいのすべては十分に報われると思っていた。

But the heart of the Prince was full of war and conquest and he cared little for the faithful Ototachibana. From long exposure in traveling, and from care and grief at her lord’s coldness to her, her beauty had faded, and her ivory skin was burnt brown by the sun, and the Prince told her one day that her place was in the Palace behind the screens at home and not with him upon the warpath. But in spite of rebuffs and indifference on her husband’s part, Ototachibana could not find it in her heart to leave him. But perhaps it would have been better for her if she had done so, for on the way to Idzu, when they came to Owari, her heart was well-nigh broken.

けれども皇子の心は戦と征服でいっぱいで、忠実な弟橘姫をほとんど顧みなかった。長い旅で日にさらされ、また夫の冷たさへの気苦労と嘆きのために、姫の美しさは衰え、象牙のような肌は日に焼けて黒ずんでいた。そしてある日、皇子は姫に、おまえの居場所は家の屏風の内であって、戦の道ではないと言った。けれども夫のつれなさと素っ気なさにもかかわらず、弟橘姫にはその身を離れることがどうしてもできなかった。けれども、そうしていたほうが姫のためにはよかったかもしれない。伊豆へ向かう途中、尾張に着いたとき、その心は打ち砕かれんばかりになったからである。

Here dwelt in a Palace shaded by pine-trees and approached by imposing gates, the Princess Miyadzu, beautiful as the cherry blossom in the blushing dawn of a spring morning. Her garments were dainty and bright, and her skin was white as snow, for she had never known what it was to be weary along the path of duty or to walk in the heat of a summer’s sun. And the Prince was ashamed of his sunburnt wife in her travel-stained garments, and bade her remain behind while he went to visit the Princess Miyadzu. Day after day he spent hours in the gardens and the Palace of his new friend, thinking only of his pleasure, and caring little for his poor wife who remained behind to weep in the tent at the misery which had come into her life. Yet she was so faithful a wife, and her character so patient, that she never allowed a reproach to escape her lips, or a frown to mar the sweet sadness of her face, and she was ever ready with a smile to welcome her husband back or usher him forth wherever he went.

ここには、松に陰られ堂々たる門を構えた宮に、宮簀姫(みやずひめ)が住んでいた。春の朝の紅を帯びた明け方の桜の花のように美しい人であった。その衣は瀟洒で鮮やかで、肌は雪のように白かった。務めの道を歩んで疲れることも、夏の日の暑さのなかを歩くことも知らなかったからである。そして皇子は、旅に汚れた衣をまとった日焼けした妻を恥じ、宮簀姫を訪ねるあいだ、うしろに残っているように命じた。日ごとに彼は新しい友の庭と宮で幾時間も過ごし、自分の楽しみのことだけを考えて、あとに残されて自分の身に降りかかった惨めさを天幕で嘆く哀れな妻をほとんど顧みなかった。それでも姫はあまりに忠実な妻で、その気性はあまりに辛抱強かったので、責める言葉を唇から漏らすことも、その甘く悲しい顔を眉根で曇らせることもなく、夫が帰ればいつでも微笑んで迎え、出かけるときにはどこへなりと送り出す用意ができていた。

At last the day came when the Prince Yamato Take must depart for Idzu and cross over the sea to Kadzusa, and he bade his wife follow in his retinue as an attendant while he went to take a ceremonious farewell of the Princess Miyadzu. She came out to greet him dressed in gorgeous robes, and she seemed more beautiful than ever, and when Yamato Take saw her he forgot his wife, his duty, and everything except the joy of the idle present, and swore that he would return to Owari and marry her when the war was over. And as he looked up when he had said these words he met the large almond eyes of Ototachibana fixed full upon him in unspeakable sadness and wonder, and he knew that he had done wrong, but he hardened his heart and rode on, caring little for the pain he had caused her.

とうとう日本武の皇子が伊豆へ発ち、海を越えて上総へ渡らねばならぬ日が来た。皇子は妻に、供の者として一行に従うようにと命じ、自分は宮簀姫に儀礼の暇乞いに出かけた。宮簀姫は豪奢な衣をまとって迎えに出てきて、これまでになく美しく見えた。日本武はその姿を見て、妻のことも務めのことも、この怠惰な今この時の喜びのほかは何もかも忘れ、戦が終わったら尾張に戻ってこの人を妻に迎えると誓った。そしてその言葉を言い終えて目を上げると、弟橘姫の大きなアーモンドのような目が、言葉にならぬ悲しみと驚きをたたえて自分を見つめているのに出会った。皇子は自分が悪いことをしたと知ったが、心を固くして馬を進め、姫に与えた痛みをほとんど顧みなかった。

When they reached the seashore at Idzu his men sought for boats in which to cross the straits to Kadzusa, but it was difficult to find boats enough to allow all the soldiers to embark. Then the Prince stood on the beach, and in the pride of his strength he scoffed and said:

伊豆の浜に着くと、家来たちは上総への海峡を渡る舟を探したが、兵をみな乗せるだけの舟を見つけるのは難しかった。すると皇子は浜に立ち、自分の力を誇ってあざけるように言った。

“This is not the sea! This is only a brook! Why do you men want so many boats? I could jump this if I would.”

「これは海ではない! ただの小川だ! なぜおまえたちはそんなに舟を欲しがる。その気になればわたしは跳び越えられるぞ。」

When at last they had all embarked and were fairly on their way across the straits, the sky suddenly clouded and a great storm arose. The waves rose mountains high, the wind howled, the lightning flashed and the thunder rolled, and the boat which held Ototachibana and the Prince and his men was tossed from crest to crest of the rolling waves, till it seemed that every moment must be their last and that they must all be swallowed up in the angry sea. For Kin Jin, the Dragon King of the Sea, had heard Yamato Take jeer, and had raised this terrible storm in anger, to show the scoffing Prince how awful the sea could be though it did but look like a brook.

とうとう全員が乗り込み、海峡をよほど渡ったころ、空が突然曇って大嵐が起こった。波は山のように高く立ち、風は吠え、稲妻が閃き、雷が轟いた。弟橘姫と皇子と家来たちの乗る舟は、うねる波の頂から頂へと投げ上げられ、今にも最期が来て、怒れる海に呑み込まれてしまうかと思われた。海の竜王である竜神が、日本武のあざけりを聞いて怒り、この恐ろしい嵐を起こしたのである。小川のように見えても海がどれほど恐ろしいものかを、このあざける皇子に示すために。

The terrified crew lowered the sails and looked after the rudder, and worked for their dear lives’ sake, but all in vain—the storm only seemed to increase in violence, and all gave themselves up for lost. Then the faithful Ototachibana rose, and forgetting all the grief that her husband had caused her, forgetting even that he had wearied of her, in the one great desire of her love to save him, she determined to sacrifice her life to rescue him from death if it were possible.

怯えた水夫たちは帆を下ろし、舵を守り、命を惜しんで働いたが、すべてむだだった——嵐は激しさを増すばかりで、みな死を覚悟した。そのとき忠実な弟橘姫が立ち上がった。そして夫が自分に与えたあらゆる悲しみを忘れ、飽きられていたことさえも忘れて、夫を救いたいというただひとつの大きな愛の願いから、できることなら自分の命を捨てて夫を死から救おうと心を決めた。

While the waves dashed over the ship and the wind whirled round them in fury she stood up and said:

波が船に打ち寄せ、風が猛り狂って渦巻くなか、姫は立ち上がって言った。

“Surely all this has come because the Prince has angered Rin Jin, the God of the Sea, by his jesting. If so, I, Ototachibana, will appease the wrath of the Sea God who desires nothing less than my husband’s life!”

「これはきっと、皇子が戯れによって海の神、竜神のお怒りに触れたために起きたのです。それならば、このわたくし弟橘が、夫の命こそを望んでおられる海の神のお怒りを鎮めましょう!」

Then addressing the sea she said:

それから海に向かってこう言った。

“I will take the place of His Augustness, Yamato Take. I will now cast myself into your outraged depths, giving my life for his. Therefore hear me and bring him safely to the shore of Kadzusa.”

「わたくしが、尊き日本武さまの身代わりとなりましょう。いま怒り荒れるあなたの深みに身を投げ、夫の代わりにこの命を差し上げます。ですからお聞き届けくださって、どうか夫を無事に上総の岸へお導きください。」

With these words she leaped quickly into the boisterous sea, and the waves soon whirled her away and she was lost to sight. Strange to say, the storm ceased at once, and the sea became as calm and smooth as the matting on which the astonished onlookers were sitting. The gods of the sea were now appeased, and the weather cleared and the sun shone as on a summer’s day.

この言葉とともに、姫はすばやく荒れる海へ跳び込んだ。波はまもなく姫を巻き去り、その姿は見えなくなった。不思議なことに、嵐はたちまちやみ、海は、驚いて見ていた者たちが座っている敷物のように静かになめらかになった。海の神々の怒りは鎮まり、天気は晴れて、夏の日のように日が照った。

Yamato Take soon reached the opposite shore and landed safely, even as his wife Ototachibana had prayed. His prowess in war was marvelous, and he succeeded after some time in conquering the Eastern Barbarians, the Ainu.

日本武はまもなく向こう岸に着き、妻の弟橘姫が祈ったとおり無事に上陸した。その戦ぶりは見事なもので、しばらくののち、東の蛮族であるアイヌを平らげることに成功した。

He ascribed his safe landing wholly to the faithfulness of his wife, who had so willingly and lovingly sacrificed herself in the hour of his utmost peril. His heart was softened at the remembrance of her, and he never allowed her to pass from his thoughts even for a moment. Too late had he learned to esteem the goodness of her heart and the greatness of her love for him.

皇子は、自分が無事に上陸できたのはひとえに、最も危うい時に喜んで愛をもって身を捧げてくれた妻の忠実さのおかげだとした。その思い出に心はやわらぎ、ひとときも妻を思いから離すことがなかった。その心の善良さと自分への愛の大きさを重んじることを、あまりに遅く学んだのである。

As he was returning on his homeward way he came to the high pass of the Usui Toge, and here he stood and gazed at the wonderful prospect beneath him. The country, from this great elevation, all lay open to his sight, a vast panorama of mountain and plain and forest, with rivers winding like silver ribbons through the land; then far off he saw the distant sea, which shimmered like a luminous mist in the great distance, where Ototachibana had given her life for him, and as he turned towards it he stretched out his arms, and thinking of her love which he had scorned and his faithlessness to her, his heart burst out into a sorrowful and bitter cry:

帰り道、皇子は碓氷峠の高みに来て、そこに立って眼下の見事な眺めを見渡した。この高い場所からは国じゅうが目の前に開けていて、山と平地と森の広大な眺めが広がり、川が銀の帯のように国を縫って流れていた。それから遠く、はるかな彼方に光る霞のようにきらめく遠い海が見えた。弟橘姫が自分のために命を捧げたあの海である。皇子はそちらへ向き直って両腕を差し伸べ、自分がさげすんだ姫の愛と、姫への自分の不実を思って、その心は悲しく苦い叫びとなってほとばしった。

“Azuma, Azuma, Ya!” (Oh! my wife, my wife!) And to this day there is a district in Tokio called Azuma, which commemorates the words of Prince Yamato Take, and the place where his faithful wife leapt into the sea to save him is still pointed out. So, though in life the Princess Ototachibana was unhappy, history keeps her memory green, and the story of her unselfishness and heroic death will never pass away.

「あづま、あづま、や!」(ああ、わが妻よ、わが妻よ!)そして今日でも東京にはあづまと呼ばれる地があって、日本武の皇子のこの言葉を記念している。また忠実な妻が夫を救うために海へ身を投げた場所も、今なお指し示されている。こうして弟橘姫は生きているあいだは不幸であったが、歴史はその記憶を色あせさせず、その無私と英雄的な死の物語は決して消えることがない。

Yamato Take had now fulfilled all his father’s orders, he had subdued all rebels, and rid the land of all robbers and enemies to the peace, and his renown was great, for in the whole land there was no one who could stand up against him, he was so strong in battle and wise in council.

日本武は今や父の命をすべて果たした。すべての反徒を鎮め、この地から盗賊と平和の敵をみな除き、その名声は大きかった。国じゅうに彼に立ち向かえる者はなく、それほど戦に強く評定に賢かったのである。

He was about to return straight for home by the way he had come, when the thought struck him that he would find it more interesting to take another route, so he passed through the province of Owari and came to the province of Omi.

皇子は来た道をまっすぐ家へ帰ろうとしていたが、別の道を通るほうが面白かろうという考えが浮かんだ。そこで尾張の国を通って近江の国に来た。

When the Prince reached Omi he found the people in a state of great excitement and fear. In many houses as he passed along he saw the signs of mourning and heard loud lamentations. On inquiring the cause of this he was told that a terrible monster had appeared in the mountains, who daily came down from thence and made raids on the villages, devouring whoever he could seize. Many homes had been made desolate and the men were afraid to go out to their daily work in the fields, or the women to go to the rivers to wash their rice.

近江に着くと、皇子は人々がたいそう動揺し恐れているのを知った。通り過ぎる家々の多くに喪のしるしを見、大きな嘆きの声を聞いた。そのわけを尋ねると、恐ろしい怪物が山に現れ、日ごとにそこから下りてきて村々を襲い、つかまえた者を誰かれかまわず食らうのだという。多くの家が荒れ果て、男たちは日ごとの畑仕事に出るのを恐れ、女たちは米を研ぎに川へ行くのを恐れていた。

When Yamato Take heard this his wrath was kindled, and he said fiercely:

日本武はこれを聞いて怒りに火がつき、激しくこう言った。

“From the western end of Kiushiu to the eastern corner of Yezo I have subdued all the King’s enemies—there is no one who dares to break the laws or to rebel against the King. It is indeed a matter for wonder that here in this place, so near the capital, a wicked monster has dared to take up his abode and be the terror of the King’s subjects. Not long shall it find pleasure in devouring innocent folk. I will start out and kill it at once.”

「九州の西の端から蝦夷の東の隅まで、わたしは王の敵をすべて鎮めた——法を破り、王に背こうとする者は一人もおらぬ。それなのに都にこれほど近いこの場所で、邪な怪物が住みつき、王の民の恐怖となっているとは、まことに驚くべきことだ。罪なき者を食らって楽しむのも長くはない。すぐに出かけて討ち取ってやろう。」

With these words he set out for the Ibuki Mountain, where the monster was said to live. He climbed up a good distance, when all of a sudden, at a winding in the path, a monster serpent appeared before him and stopped the way.

こう言って、皇子は怪物が住むという伊吹山へ向かった。かなりの高さまで登ったところで、突然、道の曲がり角に大蛇が現れて行く手をふさいだ。

“This must be the monster,” said the Prince; “I do not need my sword for a serpent. I can kill him with my hands.”

「これが怪物にちがいない」と皇子は言った。「蛇に刀は要らぬ。手で仕留めてやろう。」

He thereupon sprang upon the serpent and tried to strangle it to death with his bare arms. It was not long before his prodigious strength gained the mastery and the serpent lay dead at his feet. Now a sudden darkness came over the mountain and rain began to fall, so that for the gloom and the rain the Prince could hardly see which way to take. In a short time, however, while he was groping his way down the pass, the weather cleared, and our brave hero was able to make his way quickly down the mountain.

そこで皇子は蛇に跳びかかり、素手で締め殺そうとした。まもなくその途方もない力が勝って、蛇は足もとに死んで横たわった。すると突然、山に闇が降りて雨が降りはじめ、暗さと雨のために皇子はどちらへ行けばよいかもほとんど見えなくなった。けれどもまもなく、手さぐりで峠を下っていくうちに空は晴れ、われらの勇ましい英雄は足早に山を下ることができた。

When he got back he began to feel ill and to have burning pains in his feet, so he knew that the serpent had poisoned him. So great was his suffering that he could hardly move, much less walk, so he had himself carried to a place in the mountains famous for its hot mineral springs, which rose bubbling out of the earth, and almost boiling from the volcanic fires beneath.

戻ってくると皇子は具合が悪くなり、足に焼けるような痛みを覚えた。それで蛇に毒を盛られたのだと知った。その苦しみはあまりに大きく、歩くどころか身動きもままならなかったので、地の底の火山の火で煮えたぎるように地からわき出る、熱い鉱泉で名高い山のある場所へ運んでもらった。

Yamato Take bathed daily in these waters, and gradually he felt his strength come again, and the pains left him, till at last one day he found with great joy that he was quite recovered. He now hastened to the temples of Ise, where you will remember that he prayed before undertaking this long expedition. His aunt, priestess of the shrine, who had blessed him on his setting out, now came to welcome him back. He told her of the many dangers he had encountered and of how marvelously his life had been preserved through all—and she praised his courage and his warrior’s prowess, and then putting on her most magnificent robes she returned thanks to their ancestress the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, to whose protection they both ascribed the Prince’s wonderful preservation.

日本武は日ごとにこの湯に浸かり、次第に力が戻って痛みも去り、とうとうある日、すっかり癒えたことを知って大いに喜んだ。それから伊勢の宮へ急いだ。この長い遠征に出る前に祈った場所であることを、覚えておいでだろう。社の斎宮である叔母は、出立のときに祝福を与えたが、こんどは帰りを迎えに出てきた。皇子は出会った数々の危難と、そのすべてを通じてどれほど不思議に命が守られたかを語った——叔母はその勇気と武人の働きをたたえ、それから最も壮麗な衣をまとって、先祖である太陽の女神、天照大神に感謝を捧げた。皇子の見事な守りを、二人ともその神のご加護によるものとしたからである。

Here ends the story of Prince Yamato Take of Japan.

これにて日本のヤマトタケの皇子の物語は終わる。