How an Old Man Lost His Wen

Many, many years ago there lived a good old man who had a wen like a tennis-ball growing out of his right cheek. This lump was a great disfigurement to the old man, and so annoyed him that for many years he spent all his time and money in trying to get rid of it. He tried everything he could think of. He consulted many doctors far and near, and took all kinds of medicines both internally and externally. But it was all of no use. The lump only grew bigger and bigger till it was nearly as big as his face, and in despair he gave up all hopes of ever losing it, and resigned himself to the thought of having to carry the lump on his face all his life.

むかしむかし、右の頬にテニスの球ほどの瘤が生えた、善良な爺さんが住んでいた。この瘤は爺さんの見目をひどく損ね、あまりに煩わしかったので、爺さんは長年のあいだ、それを取り除こうとして時も金も費やした。思いつくかぎりのことを試した。遠く近くの医者に何人もかかり、飲み薬も塗り薬もありとあらゆるものを使った。けれどもまるで効き目がなかった。瘤はどんどん大きくなるばかりで、とうとう顔と同じくらいの大きさになった。爺さんは絶望して、取れる望みをすっかり捨て、一生この瘤を顔につけて歩くほかないのだとあきらめた。

One day the firewood gave out in his kitchen, so, as his wife wanted some at once, the old man took his ax and set out for the woods up among the hills not very far from his home. It was a fine day in the early autumn, and the old man enjoyed the fresh air and was in no hurry to get home. So the whole afternoon passed quickly while he was chopping wood, and he had collected a goodly pile to take back to his wife. When the day began to draw to a close, he turned his face homewards.

ある日、台所の薪が尽きてしまい、婆さんがすぐに欲しがったので、爺さんは斧を持って、家からさほど遠くない山の森へ出かけた。初秋の晴れた日で、爺さんは澄んだ空気を楽しみ、急いで帰る気もなかった。そうして薪を割っているうちに午後はたちまち過ぎ、婆さんに持って帰るぶんをたっぷり集めた。日が暮れはじめると、爺さんは家のほうへ顔を向けた。

The old man had not gone far on his way down the mountain pass when the sky clouded and rain began to fall heavily. He looked about for some shelter, but there was not even a charcoal-burner’s hut near. At last he espied a large hole in the hollow trunk of a tree. The hole was near the ground, so he crept in easily, and sat down in hopes that he had only been overtaken by a mountain shower, and that the weather would soon clear.

山道をいくらも下らないうちに、空が曇って雨が激しく降りだした。爺さんは雨宿りの場所を探したが、炭焼き小屋さえ近くになかった。とうとう、中が空洞になった木の幹に大きな穴があるのを見つけた。穴は地面に近かったので、爺さんはたやすく這い込んで腰を下ろし、ただの山の通り雨で、すぐに晴れるだろうと望んだ。

But much to the old man’s disappointment, instead of clearing the rain fell more and more heavily, and finally a heavy thunderstorm broke over the mountain. The thunder roared so terrifically, and the heavens seemed to be so ablaze with lightning, that the old man could hardly believe himself to be alive. He thought that he must die of fright. At last, however, the sky cleared, and the whole country was aglow in the rays of the setting sun. The old man’s spirits revived when he looked out at the beautiful twilight, and he was about to step out from his strange hiding-place in the hollow tree when the sound of what seemed like the approaching steps of several people caught his ear. He at once thought that his friends had come to look for him, and he was delighted at the idea of having some jolly companions with whom to walk home. But on looking out from the tree, what was his amazement to see, not his friends, but hundreds of demons coming towards the spot. The more he looked, the greater was his astonishment. Some of these demons were as large as giants, others had great big eyes out of all proportion to the rest of their bodies, others again had absurdly long noses, and some had such big mouths that they seemed to open from ear to ear. All had horns growing on their foreheads. The old man was so surprised at what he saw that he lost his balance and fell out of the hollow tree. Fortunately for him the demons did not see him, as the tree was in the background. So he picked himself up and crept back into the tree.

ところが爺さんのひどい落胆をよそに、雨は晴れるどころかますます激しくなり、とうとう山の上で激しい雷雨になった。雷があまりに恐ろしく轟き、天が稲妻で燃え立つかのようだったので、爺さんは自分が生きているとはほとんど信じられなかった。怖さのあまり死んでしまうにちがいないと思った。けれどもとうとう空は晴れ、あたり一面が夕日の光に照り映えた。美しい夕暮れを眺めて爺さんの気持ちはよみがえり、この奇妙な隠れ家の木の洞から出ようとしたとき、何人かの人が近づいてくるような足音が耳に入った。爺さんはすぐに、仲間が探しに来てくれたのだと思い、いっしょに楽しく家まで歩いて帰れると喜んだ。ところが木から覗いてみると、なんと驚いたことに、それは仲間ではなく、何百という鬼がこちらへやってくるのであった。見れば見るほど驚きは大きくなった。鬼のうちには大男のように大きい者もいれば、体のほかの部分に釣り合わないほど大きな目をした者もおり、また途方もなく長い鼻の者も、耳から耳まで裂けているかと思うほど大きな口の者もいた。みな額に角が生えていた。爺さんは見たものにあまりに驚いて、足を踏み外し、木の洞から転がり出てしまった。幸い木は奥のほうにあったので、鬼たちには見つからなかった。そこで爺さんは起き上がって、また木の中へ這い戻った。

While he was sitting there and wondering impatiently when he would be able to get home, he heard the sounds of gay music, and then some of the demons began to sing.

そこに座って、いつになったら家へ帰れるのかとじりじりしながら思っていると、陽気な囃子の音が聞こえ、それから鬼の何匹かが歌いはじめた。

“What are these creatures doing?” said the old man to himself. “I will look out, it sounds very amusing.”

「あいつらは何をしているのだろう」と爺さんは心の中で言った。「覗いてみよう、なんとも面白そうだ。」

On peeping out, the old man saw that the demon chief himself was actually sitting with his back against the tree in which he had taken refuge, and all the other demons were sitting round, some drinking and some dancing. Food and wine was spread before them on the ground, and the demons were evidently having a great entertainment and enjoying themselves immensely.

覗いてみると、爺さんは、鬼の頭領その人が、爺さんの隠れている木に背をもたせて座っており、ほかの鬼はみなまわりに座って、ある者は酒を飲み、ある者は踊っているのを見た。地面には食べ物と酒が並べられ、鬼たちは明らかに大宴会を開いて、たいそう楽しんでいた。

It made the old man laugh to see their strange antics.

その奇妙な振る舞いを見て、爺さんは笑ってしまった。

“How amusing this is!” laughed the old man to himself “I am now quite old, but I have never seen anything so strange in all my life.”

「なんと面白い!」と爺さんはひとり笑った。「わしももうすっかり年寄りだが、生まれてこのかた、こんな奇妙なものは見たことがない。」

He was so interested and excited in watching all that the demons were doing, that he forgot himself and stepped out of the tree and stood looking on.

鬼たちのすることを見るのにあまり夢中になり、興奮したので、爺さんは我を忘れて木から出て、立って眺めていた。

The demon chief was just taking a big cup of SAKE and watching one of the demons dancing. In a little while he said with a bored air:

鬼の頭領はちょうど大きな杯で酒を飲みながら、一匹の鬼が踊るのを眺めていた。しばらくすると、頭領は退屈そうに言った。

“Your dance is rather monotonous. I am tired of watching it. Isn’t there any one amongst you all who can dance better than this fellow?”

「お前の踊りはどうも単調だな。見飽きたわ。この者より上手に踊れる者は、お前たちの中に一人もおらんのか。」

Now the old man had been fond of dancing all his life, and was quite an expert in the art, and he knew that he could do much better than the demon.

さて爺さんは生涯踊りが好きで、その道にはなかなかの達者であった。自分ならあの鬼よりずっと上手に踊れると分かっていた。

“Shall I go and dance before these demons and let them see what a human being can do? It may be dangerous, for if I don’t please them they may kill me!” said the old fellow to himself.

「行ってこの鬼どもの前で踊り、人間に何ができるか見せてやろうか。危ないかもしれん。気に入られなければ殺されるかもしれんからな!」と爺さんは心の中で言った。

His fears, however, were soon overcome by his love of dancing. In a few minutes he could restrain himself no longer, and came out before the whole party of demons and began to dance at once. The old man, realizing that his life probably depended on whether he pleased these strange creatures or not, exerted his skill and wit to the utmost.

けれども恐れは、踊り好きの気持ちにたちまち打ち負かされた。数分もすると爺さんはもう抑えきれなくなり、鬼の一団の前に出て、すぐさま踊りはじめた。自分の命はこの奇妙な者たちを喜ばせられるかどうかにかかっているのだろうと悟って、爺さんは技と知恵のかぎりを尽くした。

The demons were at first very surprised to see a man so fearlessly taking part in their entertainment, and then their surprise soon gave place to admiration.

鬼たちははじめ、人間がこれほど恐れもなく宴に加わってくるのを見てたいそう驚いたが、その驚きはやがて感嘆に変わった。

“How strange!” exclaimed the horned chief. “I never saw such a skillful dancer before! He dances admirably!”

「なんと不思議な!」と角の生えた頭領は声を上げた。「こんな上手な踊り手は見たことがない! 見事に踊るではないか!」

When the old man had finished his dance, the big demon said:

爺さんが踊り終えると、大鬼は言った。

“Thank you very much for your amusing dance. Now give us the pleasure of drinking a cup of wine with us,” and with these words he handed him his largest wine-cup.

「面白い踊りをまことにありがとう。さあ、わしらと酒を一杯酌み交わしてくれ。」そう言って、いちばん大きな杯を爺さんに差し出した。

The old man thanked him very humbly:

爺さんはたいそうへりくだって礼を言った。

“I did not expect such kindness from your lordship. I fear I have only disturbed your pleasant party by my unskillful dancing.”

「殿さまからこのようなご親切をいただけるとは思いもよりませんでした。わしの下手な踊りで、楽しい宴のお邪魔をしただけではないかと案じております。」

“No, no,” answered the big demon. “You must come often and dance for us. Your skill has given us much pleasure.”

「いやいや」と大鬼は答えた。「たびたび来て、わしらのために踊ってくれねばならぬぞ。お前の技はたいそう楽しかった。」

The old man thanked him again and promised to do so.

爺さんはまた礼を言い、そうすると約束した。

“Then will you come again to-morrow, old man?” asked the demon.

「では爺さん、明日もまた来てくれるか」と鬼は尋ねた。

“Certainly, I will,” answered the old man.

「必ず参ります」と爺さんは答えた。

“Then you must leave some pledge of your word with us,” said the demon.

「では、その約束の証に、何か置いていってもらわねばならぬ」と鬼は言った。

“Whatever you like,” said the old man.

「何なりとお好きなものを」と爺さんは言った。

“Now what is the best thing he can leave with us as a pledge?” asked the demon, looking round.

「さて、証として置いていかせるのに、何がいちばんよかろうな」と鬼はあたりを見まわして尋ねた。

Then said one of the demon’s attendants kneeling behind the chief:

すると、頭領の後ろにひざまずいていた鬼の家来の一人が言った。

“The token he leaves with us must be the most important thing to him in his possession. I see the old man has a wen on his right cheek. Now mortal men consider such a wen very fortunate. Let my lord take the lump from the old man’s right cheek, and he will surely come to-morrow, if only to get that back.”

「置いていかせる証は、その者の持ち物のうちでいちばん大事なものでなければなりません。見れば、爺さんは右の頬に瘤をつけております。人間どもはこうした瘤をたいそう縁起のよいものと考えております。殿、爺さんの右の頬の瘤をお取りなさいませ。そうすれば、それを取り戻すためだけにでも、きっと明日来ることでしょう。」

“You are very clever,” said the demon chief, giving his horns an approving nod. Then he stretched out a hairy arm and claw-like hand, and took the great lump from the old man’s right cheek. Strange to say, it came off as easily as a ripe plum from the tree at the demon’s touch, and then the merry troop of demons suddenly vanished.

「お前はたいそう賢いな」と鬼の頭領は言い、感心して角をうなずかせた。そして毛むくじゃらの腕と鉤爪のような手を伸ばし、爺さんの右の頬から大きな瘤を取った。不思議なことに、瘤は鬼が触れると熟れた李が木から落ちるようにたやすく取れた。そして陽気な鬼の一団は、突然消え失せた。

The old man was lost in bewilderment by all that had happened. He hardly knew for some time where he was. When he came to understand what had happened to him, he was delighted to find that the lump on his face, which had for so many years disfigured him, had really been taken away without any pain to himself. He put up his hand to feel if any scar remained, but found that his right cheek was as smooth as his left.

爺さんは起きたことすべてにすっかり呆然としてしまった。しばらくは自分がどこにいるのかもほとんど分からなかった。何が起きたのかが呑み込めてくると、長年自分の見目を損ねてきた顔の瘤が、少しの痛みもなく本当に取り去られたと知って大喜びした。傷痕が残っていないか手で触ってみたが、右の頬は左の頬と同じくらいすべすべしていた。

The sun had long set, and the young moon had risen like a silver crescent in the sky. The old man suddenly realized how late it was and began to hurry home. He patted his right cheek all the time, as if to make sure of his good fortune in having lost the wen. He was so happy that he found it impossible to walk quietly—he ran and danced the whole way home.

日はとうに沈み、若い月が銀の三日月のように空に昇っていた。爺さんはふいに、ずいぶん遅くなったことに気づき、家路を急ぎはじめた。瘤が取れた幸運を確かめるように、道中ずっと右の頬を撫でていた。あまりに嬉しくて、静かに歩くことなどできなかった——家まで、ずっと走って踊りながら帰った。

He found his wife very anxious, wondering what had happened to make him so late. He soon told her all that had passed since he left home that afternoon. She was quite as happy as her husband when he showed her that the ugly lump had disappeared from his face, for in her youth she had prided herself on his good looks, and it had been a daily grief to her to see the horrid growth.

家では婆さんが、何があってこんなに遅くなったのかと、たいそう案じていた。爺さんはすぐに、その午後に家を出てから起きたことをすべて話した。醜い瘤が顔から消えたのを見せると、婆さんも夫と同じくらい喜んだ。若いころには夫の男ぶりを自慢にしていたので、あの忌まわしいできものを見るのが毎日の悲しみだったのである。

Now next door to this good old couple there lived a wicked and disagreeable old man. He, too, had for many years been troubled with the growth of a wen on his left cheek, and he, too, had tried all manner of things to get rid of it, but in vain.

さてこの善良な老夫婦の隣には、意地の悪い、嫌な爺さんが住んでいた。この爺さんもまた長年、左の頬に瘤が生えて悩んでおり、やはりありとあらゆる手を尽くして取ろうとしたが、無駄であった。

He heard at once, through the servant, of his neighbor’s good luck in losing the lump on his face, so he called that very evening and asked his friend to tell him everything that concerned the loss of it. The good old man told his disagreeable neighbor all that had happened to him. He described the place where he would find the hollow tree in which to hide, and advised him to be on the spot in the late afternoon towards the time of sunset.

召使いを通じて、隣人が顔の瘤を取った幸運をすぐに聞きつけたので、その晩のうちに訪ねてきて、瘤が取れたことについて何もかも話してくれと頼んだ。善良な爺さんは、嫌な隣人に自分の身に起きたことをすべて話した。隠れるための洞のある木がどこにあるかを教え、夕方、日の沈むころにその場所にいるよう勧めた。

The old neighbor started out the very next afternoon, and after hunting about for some time, came to the hollow tree just as his friend had described. Here he hid himself and waited for the twilight.

隣の爺さんは翌日の午後すぐに出かけ、しばらく探しまわってから、友の話したとおりの洞のある木にたどり着いた。そこに隠れて、夕暮れを待った。

Just as he had been told, the band of demons came at that hour and held a feast with dance and song. When this had gone on for some time the chief of the demons looked around and said:

聞いたとおり、その刻限になると鬼の一団がやってきて、踊りと歌の宴を開いた。しばらくそれが続くと、鬼の頭領はあたりを見まわして言った。

“It is now time for the old man to come as he promised us. Why doesn’t he come?”

「もう爺さんが約束どおり来る刻限だ。なぜ来ぬのだ。」

When the second old man heard these words he ran out of his hiding-place in the tree and, kneeling down before the Oni, said:

この言葉を聞くと、二人目の爺さんは木の隠れ場所から駆け出し、鬼の前にひざまずいて言った。

“I have been waiting for a long time for you to speak!”

「お声がかかるのを、ずっとお待ちしておりました!」

“Ah, you are the old man of yesterday,” said the demon chief. “Thank you for coming, you must dance for us soon.”

「おお、昨日の爺さんだな」と鬼の頭領は言った。「来てくれてありがとう。すぐにわしらのために踊ってくれ。」

The old man now stood up and opened his fan and began to dance. But he had never learned to dance, and knew nothing about the necessary gestures and different positions. He thought that anything would please the demons, so he just hopped about, waving his arms and stamping his feet, imitating as well as he could any dancing he had ever seen.

爺さんは立ち上がって扇を開き、踊りはじめた。けれども踊りを習ったことがなく、必要な身振りもさまざまな型も何ひとつ知らなかった。何をやっても鬼は喜ぶだろうと思ったので、ただ跳ねまわり、腕を振り、足を踏み鳴らして、これまで見たことのある踊りをできるかぎり真似してみせた。

The Oni were very dissatisfied at this exhibition, and said amongst themselves:

鬼たちはこの見世物にたいそう不満で、口々に言い合った。

“How badly he dances to-day!”

「今日はなんとへたくそに踊ることか!」

Then to the old man the demon chief said:

それから鬼の頭領は爺さんに言った。

“Your performance to-day is quite different from the dance of yesterday. We don’t wish to see any more of such dancing. We will give you back the pledge you left with us. You must go away at once.”

「今日の芸は昨日の踊りとまるで違う。こんな踊りはもう見たくない。お前が置いていった証は返してやろう。すぐに立ち去れ。」

With these words he took out from a fold of his dress the lump which he had taken from the face of the old man who had danced so well the day before, and threw it at the right cheek of the old man who stood before him. The lump immediately attached itself to his cheek as firmly as if it had grown there always, and all attempts to pull it off were useless. The wicked old man, instead of losing the lump on his left cheek as he had hoped, found to his dismay that he had but added another to his right cheek in his attempt to get rid of the first.

そう言って、頭領は着物の懐から、前の日に上手に踊ったあの爺さんの顔から取った瘤を取り出し、目の前に立っている爺さんの右の頬に投げつけた。瘤はたちまち、はじめからそこに生えていたかのようにしっかりと頬にくっつき、引きはがそうとしても無駄であった。意地の悪い爺さんは、望んでいたように左の頬の瘤が取れるどころか、最初の瘤を取ろうとして、右の頬にもう一つ増やしてしまっただけだと知って愕然とした。

He put up first one hand and then the other to each side of his face to make sure if he were not dreaming a horrible nightmare. No, sure enough there was now a great wen on the right side of his face as on the left. The demons had all disappeared, and there was nothing for him to do but to return home. He was a pitiful sight, for his face, with the two large lumps, one on each side, looked just like a Japanese gourd.

爺さんはまず片方の手を、次にもう片方の手を顔の両側に当てて、恐ろしい悪夢を見ているのではないかと確かめた。いや、まさしく、いまや顔の左側と同じように右側にも大きな瘤があった。鬼たちはみな消えてしまい、家へ帰るほかすることはなかった。その姿は哀れなものであった。両側に一つずつ大きな瘤をつけたその顔は、まるで日本の瓢箪のようだったからである。