The Man who Became a Pig

[Kim Yu was the son of a country magistrate who graduated with literary honours in 1596. In 1623 he was one of the faithful courtiers who joined forces to dethrone the wicked Prince Kwang-hai, and place In-jo on the throne. He was raised to the rank of Prince and became, later, Prime Minister. In the year 1624, when Yi Kwal raised an insurrection, he was the means of putting it down and of bringing many of his followers to justice. In 1648, he died at the age of seventy-seven.

〔金瑬(キム・リュ)は地方の郡守の子で、1596年に文科に及第した。1623年、邪悪な光海君を廃して仁祖を王位につけるために力を合わせた忠臣の一人だった。君の位に上り、のちに領議政になった。1624年に李适(イ・グァル)が反乱を起こしたときには、それを鎮めてその一味の多くを裁きにかけるもとになった。1648年に七十七歳で死んだ。

In the last year of Son-jo the King called his grandchildren together and had them write Chinese for him and draw pictures. At that time In-jo was a little boy, and he drew a picture of a horse. King Son-jo gave the picture to Yi Hang-bok, but when the latter some years later went into exile he gave the picture to Kim Yu. Kim Yu took it, and hung it up in his house and there it remained.

宣祖の晩年、王は孫たちを集めて、漢文を書かせたり絵を描かせたりした。そのとき仁祖は幼い男の子で、馬の絵を描いた。宣祖王はその絵を李恒福(イ・ハンボク)に与えたが、李恒福は何年かのちに流されるとき、その絵を金瑬に与えた。金瑬はそれを受け取って家に掛け、絵はそこにずっと掛かっていた。

Prince In-jo was one day making a journey out of the Palace when he was overtaken by rain, and took refuge in a neighbouring gate-quarters. A servant-maid came out and invited him in, asking him not to stand in the wet, but Prince In-jo declined. The invitation, however, was insisted on, and he went into the guest-room, where he saw the picture of a horse on the wall. On examining it carefully he recognized it as the picture he had drawn when a lad, and he wondered how it could have come here. Kim Yu then came in and they met for the first time. Prince In-jo told him how he had been overtaken by rain and invited in. He asked concerning the picture of the horse that hung on the wall, and Kim Yu in reply asked why he inquired. Prince In-jo said, "I drew that picture myself when I was a boy." Just as they spoke together a rich table of food was brought in from the inner quarters. Kim Yu, not knowing yet who his guest was, looked with wonder at this surprise, and after Prince In-jo had gone, he inquired of his wife why she had sent such delicious fare in to a stranger. The wife replied, "In a dream last night, I saw the King come and stand in front of our house. I was just thinking it over when the servant came in and said that some one was standing before the door. I looked out, and lo, it was the man I had seen in my dream! so I have treated him to the best of hospitality that I was able." Kim Yu soon learned who his caller had been, and became from that time the faithful supporter of Prince In-jo, and later helped to put him on the throne.

ある日、仁祖君が宮殿から出かけていると雨に降られて、近くの門の建物に雨宿りした。一人の下女が出てきて、濡れたところに立っていないでお入りくださいと招いたが、仁祖君は断った。けれども下女がしきりに勧めるので、君は客間に入り、そこで壁に掛かった馬の絵を見た。よく見ると、それは自分が子どものころに描いた絵だとわかって、どうしてこれがここにあるのだろうと不思議に思った。そこへ金瑬が入ってきて、二人は初めて顔を合わせた。仁祖君は、雨に降られて招き入れられたことを話した。君が壁に掛かった馬の絵のことを尋ねると、金瑬は、どうしてそんなことをお尋ねになるのかと問い返した。仁祖君は言った。「子どものころ、わたしが自分で描いた絵なのです。」二人がちょうど話をしているところへ、奥の部屋からごちそうの膳が運ばれてきた。金瑬は客が誰なのかまだ知らなかったので、この思いがけないことに驚いて眺め、仁祖君が帰ったあとで、どうして見知らぬ人にあんなおいしいごちそうを出したのかと妻に尋ねた。妻は答えた。「ゆうべ夢で、王さまがいらしてうちの家の前にお立ちになるのを見たのです。そのことを思い返していると、召し使いが入ってきて、誰かが戸口の前に立っていると言いました。外を見ると、なんと、夢で見たあの方だったのです! それでできるかぎりのおもてなしをしたのです。」金瑬はまもなく訪ねてきた人が誰だったかを知り、そのときから仁祖君の忠実な支えとなって、のちに君を王位につける手助けをした。

After In-jo became king he asked privately of Kim Yu where he had got the picture. Kim Yu said, "I got it from Prince Yi Hang-bok."

仁祖は王になってから、ひそかに金瑬に、あの絵をどこで手に入れたのかと尋ねた。金瑬は言った。「李恒福君からいただいたのです。」

Kim Yu then called Yi's son and inquired of him as to how his father had got it. The son said, "In the last year of King Son-jo he called my father along with all his grandchildren, and showed him the writings and drawings of the young princes. My father looked at them with interest, but the King gave him only one as a keepsake, namely, the drawing of the horse." In the picture there was a willow tree and a horse tied to it. Kim Yu then recognized the thought that underlay the gift of the picture, namely, that Prince Yi Hang-bok should support In-jo in the succession to the throne.]

それから金瑬はイの息子を呼んで、父上はどうしてあの絵を手に入れたのかと尋ねた。息子は言った。「宣祖王は晩年、孫たちみなと一緒にわたしの父を呼んで、若い王子たちの書と絵を見せました。父は興味深くそれを見ましたが、王は形見としてひとつだけ、つまり馬の絵を父にくださったのです。」その絵には柳の木と、それにつながれた馬が描かれていた。そこで金瑬は、その絵を与えたことの奥にある思い、つまり李恒福君が仁祖の王位継承を支えるようにということを悟った。〕

The Story

話

A certain Minister of State, called Kim Yu, living in the County of Seung-pyong, had a relative who resided in a far-distant part of the country, an old man aged nearly one hundred. On a certain day a son of this patriarch came to the office of the Minister and asked to see him. Kim ordered him to be admitted, and inquired as to why he had come. Said he, "I have something very important to say, a private matter to lay before your Excellency. There are so many guests with you now that I'll come again in the evening and tell it."

昇平(スンピョン)郡に住む金瑬という大臣に、国のはるか遠くの地方に住む身内がいた。百歳近い老人だった。ある日、この長老の息子が大臣の役所にやって来て、会いたいと言った。キムは通すように命じて、何の用で来たのかと尋ねた。息子は言った。「たいそう大事な、閣下に申し上げたい内密の話がございます。今はお客さまがたくさんおいでですので、夕方にまた参ってお話しします。」

In the evening, when all had departed, he came, and the Minister ordered out his personal retainers and asked the meaning of the call. The man replied, saying, "My father, though very old, was, as you perhaps know, a strong and hearty man. On a certain day he called us children to him and said, 'I wish to have a siesta, so now close the door and all of you go out of the room. Do not let any one venture in till I call you.'

夕方、みなが帰ってしまうと息子がやって来て、大臣は身近な家来たちを外へ出させて、訪ねてきたわけを尋ねた。男は答えて言った。「わたくしの父は、たいそう年をとっておりましたが、ご存じかもしれませんが、丈夫で達者な人でした。ある日、父はわたくしども子らを呼んで言いました。『昼寝をしたいから、戸を閉めてみな部屋から出ていきなさい。わしが呼ぶまで、誰も入ってきてはならない』と。

"We children agreed, of course, and did so. Till late at night there was neither call nor command to open the door, so that we began to be anxious. We at last looked through the chink, and lo, there was our father changed into a huge pig! Terrified by the sight of it we opened the door and looked in, when the animal grunted and growled and made a rush to get out past us. We hurriedly closed the door again and held a consultation.

「わたくしども子らはもちろん承知して、そのとおりにしました。夜更けになっても、呼ぶ声も戸を開けよという言いつけもなかったので、わたくしどもは心配になってきました。とうとうすきまからのぞいてみると、なんと、父が大きな豚に変わっていたのです! それを見て恐ろしくなり、戸を開けてのぞき込むと、その獣はぶうぶううなって、わたくしどものわきを抜けて出ようと突進してきました。わたくしどもはあわててまた戸を閉めて、相談しました。

"Some said, 'Let's keep the pig just as it is, within doors, and care for it.' Some said, 'Let's have a funeral and bury it.' We ignorant country-folk not knowing just what to do under such peculiar circumstances, I have come to ask counsel of your Excellency. Please think over this startling phenomenon and tell us what we ought to do."

「『豚をこのまま家のなかに置いて世話をしよう』と言う者もいれば、『葬式を出して埋めよう』と言う者もいました。わたくしども無知な田舎者には、こんな妙なことになってどうすればよいのかまったくわからないので、閣下にご相談に参ったのです。どうかこの驚くべき出来事をよくお考えになって、わたくしどもがどうすべきかお教えください。」

Prince Kim, hearing this, gave a great start, thought it over for a long time, and at last said, "No such mysterious thing was ever heard of before, and I really don't know what is best to do under the circumstances, but still, it seems to me that since this metamorphosis has come about, you had better not bury it before death, so give up the funeral idea. Since, too, it is not a human being any longer, I do not think it right to keep it in the house. You say that it wants to make its escape, and as a cave in the woods or hills is its proper abode, I think you had better take it out and let it go free into the trackless depths of some mountainous country, where no foot of man has ever trod."

キム君はこれを聞くとたいそう驚き、長いあいだ考え込んで、とうとう言った。「このような不思議なことはこれまで聞いたこともなく、こうなってはどうするのがいちばんよいのか、まったくわからない。けれども、わたしの思うには、このように姿が変わってしまったからには、死ぬ前に埋めないほうがよいから、葬式の考えはやめなさい。また、もう人ではないのだから、家のなかに置いておくのも正しくないと思う。それは逃げ出したがっているということだし、森や山の洞穴がそのふさわしい住まいなのだから、外へ連れ出して、人の足が一度も踏み入ったことのない、道なき山深い土地の奥へ放してやるのがよいと思う。」

The son accepted this wise counsel, and did as the Minister advised, took it away into the deep mountains and let it go. Then he donned sackcloth, mourned, buried his father's clothes for a funeral, and observed the day of metamorphosis as the day of sacrificial ceremony.

息子はこの賢い助言を受け入れて、大臣の勧めたとおりにし、それを深い山へ連れていって放してやった。それから息子は麻の喪服をまとって喪に服し、父の着物を埋めて葬式とし、姿の変わった日を祭祀の日として守った。

Im Bang.

任埅(イム・バン)