Matalange Loku-appu

Once upon a time there lived a man and a woman, whose son was a youth named Matalange Loku-Appu.

むかしむかし、ある男と女が暮らしていて、その息子はマタランゲ・ロク・アップという名の若者だった。

One day the mother went to the river to fetch water, telling her son to allow nothing whatever to enter the house in her absence. While she was away a small lizard (hikanala) ran into the house. As it approached, the boy called out to it to stop, but it took no notice of him, and climbed up into the roof, whereupon Loku-Appu set fire to the roof and burnt the house down. When his mother returned, and asked him how the house came to be burnt, he informed her that he had done it in driving the lizard out of the roof.

ある日、母が水を汲みに川へ行き、留守のあいだ何ひとつ家に入れてはならぬと息子に言いつけた。母が出ているあいだに、小さな蜥蜴(ヒカナラ)が家に駆け込んだ。近づいてくると少年は止まれと叫んだが、蜥蜴は取り合わずに屋根へ登っていった。そこでロク・アップは屋根に火をつけて、家を焼き払ってしまった。母が帰ってきて、家がどうして焼けたのかと尋ねると、蜥蜴を屋根から追い出そうとしてやったのだと答えた。

Afterwards the father came home, and on learning what had occurred set off into the forest with his son to cut sticks, in order to build a new house. While he cut the sticks he ordered Loku-Appu to collect them.

そのあと父が帰ってきて、何が起きたかを知ると、新しい家を建てるために、息子を連れて棒を切りに森へ出かけた。父は棒を切りながら、ロク・アップにそれを集めよと命じた。

A river flowed through the forest, and Loku-Appu asked him where it ran. "To your house," he replied. The son, taking this literally, threw all the sticks into the river, so that it might transport them home. When the father discovered that all the sticks were lost in this way, he flew into a passion, tied the boy on a log, and set him afloat in the river, saying, "Go thou also."

森を川が流れていて、ロク・アップはその川がどこへ流れるのかと尋ねた。「おまえの家へだ」と父は答えた。息子はそれを文字どおりに取って、棒をみな川へ投げ込んだ。そうすれば家まで運んでくれると思ったのである。棒がみなそうやって失われたと知ると、父は怒り狂い、息子を丸太に縛りつけて川へ流し、「おまえも行け」と言った。

At a short distance down the river there was a sweet-potato garden. The gardener saw the log and boy floating past, and rescued Loku-Appu. He inquired the boy's name, and was told it was "Uprooter-of-Creepers, Sweet-Potato-Eater." Nevertheless, he placed the boy in charge of his garden.

川を少し下ったところに甘藷の畑があった。畑の主は丸太と少年が流れていくのを見て、ロク・アップを助けた。少年の名を尋ねると、「蔓を引き抜く者、甘藷食い」だと言われた。それでも畑の主は、少年に畑の番を任せた。

After two or three days, the gardener returned to inspect his garden, and found all the sweet potatoes pulled up and eaten. So he tied the boy on the log again, and set him afloat once more.

二、三日して、畑の主が畑を見に戻ってくると、甘藷はみな引き抜かれて食べられていた。そこで少年をまた丸太に縛って、また川へ流した。

Further down the river there was a plantain garden, the owner of which saw Loku-Appu on the log, and drew him ashore. When asked his name, Loku-Appu replied, "Eater-of-the-first-Comb-of-Plantains, Crusher-of-young-Plantain-Shoots." The man gave him charge of the garden.

さらに川を下ったところに芭蕉の畑があり、その主が丸太の上のロク・アップを見て、岸へ引き上げた。名を尋ねると、ロク・アップは答えた。「芭蕉の初房食い、若芽つぶし」。男は少年に畑の番を任せた。

In a few days, the man came to see how his garden progressed, and found everything broken down and eaten. On this, he at once dismissed Loku-Appu.

数日して、男は畑の様子を見に来て、何もかも折られ食べられているのを見つけた。そこですぐにロク・アップを追い出した。

Having nothing to live upon, Loku-Appu now began to borrow from some tom-tom beaters. After a few months, these men, finding that he did not repay them, called on him to make him come to a settlement. Loku-Appu saw them at a distance, and guessing their errand, put a young girl into the corn store-room, and began to trim a club with his knife.

暮らす手だてがなくなって、ロク・アップは太鼓打ちたちから借金をしはじめた。数か月して、返さないのを見た太鼓打ちたちは、話をつけようと押しかけてきた。ロク・アップは遠くから彼らを見て、その用向きを察し、若い娘を米倉に入れて、小刀で棍棒を削りはじめた。

When the creditors arrived he requested them to be seated. Soon afterwards he fetched up an old woman who lived in the house, gave her a smart blow with the club, and put her also into the corn-store.

貸し手たちが着くと、ロク・アップは坐ってくれと言った。まもなく家に住んでいた老婆を連れてきて、棍棒でしたたかに打ちすえ、その老婆も米倉に入れた。

After a few minutes, he called for betel to be brought, and the little girl came out with it. At this, the tom-tom beaters were greatly astonished, and made inquiries regarding the miracle, for such they thought it. Loku-Appu told them that the virtue lay in the club, with which all old women could be converted into young girls.

数分して、檳榔を持ってこいと呼ぶと、小さな娘がそれを持って出てきた。これに太鼓打ちたちはたいそう驚き、この奇跡は何かと尋ねた。奇跡だと思ったのである。ロク・アップは、その力は棍棒にあり、これで老婆はみな若い娘に変えられるのだと言った。

When they heard this, they became exceedingly anxious to possess the wonderful club, but Loku-Appu refused to part with it on any terms. At last, finding persuasion useless, the tom-tom beaters took it from him by force, and went straight home with it.

それを聞くと、彼らはこの不思議な棍棒をぜひ手に入れたくてたまらなくなったが、ロク・アップはどんな条件でも手放さないと言った。とうとう説いても無駄と知って、太鼓打ちたちは力ずくで奪い、まっすぐそれを持って家へ帰った。

There they called up part of the old women of their village, and after beating them well with the club, put them into the corn store-rooms. To give the charm time to work they waited three days. Then they went to examine the old women, expecting to find them become young again; but all were dead.

そこで村の老婆を何人か呼び集め、棍棒でしたたかに打ちすえてから、米倉に入れた。呪いが効くのを待って三日置いた。そして若返っているだろうと思って老婆たちを見に行ったが、みな死んでいた。

Full of anger, they went to Loku-Appu to tell him that he had deceived them, and that the women were all dead. While they were still at a distance, Loku-Appu cried out, "Alas, alas! They have taken hold of the wrong end of the stick!" When they came near he explained to them the blunder they had made. As they took the stick from him by force he was not responsible for it.

怒り心頭に発して、彼らはロク・アップのところへ行き、だましたな、女たちはみな死んだと告げようとした。まだ遠くにいるうちに、ロク・アップは叫んだ。「ああ、ああ! 棒の逆の端を持ってしまったのだ!」 近づいてくると、彼らの犯した間違いを説き明かした。力ずくで棒を奪っていったのだから、自分に責めはない、と。

This time he cut a mark on the right end of the stick to be used, telling the tom-tom beaters that if the wrong end were used the women would certainly die, while the proper end would as certainly change them into young girls.

こんどは使うべき正しい端に印を刻み、間違った端を使えば女はきっと死ぬが、正しい端を使えばきっと若い娘に変わると太鼓打ちたちに告げた。

When the tom-tom beaters returned to their village they fetched up all the rest of the old women, and after belabouring them well with the proper end of the club, put them also into the corn-stores. Yet after three days they found that the result was just the same as at first; all the women were dead.

太鼓打ちたちは村へ帰ると、残りの老婆をみな呼び集めて、棍棒の正しい端でしたたかに打ちすえてから、やはり米倉に入れた。ところが三日たって見てみると、結果は初めとまったく同じで、女たちはみな死んでいた。

Determined to revenge themselves on Loku-Appu, they came to his house, tied him up in a sack, and set off to the river with him, intending to drown him. On the way, they heard the beating of tom-toms, whereupon they set the sack down on the road, and went to see what it was about.

ロク・アップに仕返しをしようと心を決めて、彼らはその家へ来て、彼を袋に詰め、溺れさせようと川へ向かった。その途中、太鼓の音が聞こえたので、袋を道に下ろして、何ごとかと見に行った。

During their absence, a Muhammadan trader in cloth who was coming along the road, found the sack, and heard a voice proceeding from it: "Alas! What a trouble this is that has come upon me! How can I govern a kingdom when I cannot either read or write?"

彼らのいないあいだに、道を来たムハンマド教徒の布商人が袋を見つけ、そのなかから声が聞こえてきた。「ああ! なんという難儀がわたしに降りかかったのだ! 読み書きもできぬのに、どうして国を治められよう?」

The trader immediately untied the sack, and questioned Loku-Appu as to how he came there. Loku-Appu explained to the trader that he was about to be made a king, but not possessing the requisite amount of knowledge for such a high position he had refused the dignity; and now he was being carried off in this way to be put on the throne. "By force they are going to make me king," he said.

商人はすぐさま袋をほどき、どうしてそこにいるのかとロク・アップに尋ねた。ロク・アップは商人に、自分は王にされようとしているが、そんな高い位に必要なだけの学がないので辞退したのだ、それなのにいまこうして玉座に据えるために連れていかれるところなのだ、と説き明かした。「力ずくでわたしを王にしようというのです」と言った。

The trader remarked to him, "It will be a great favour if you will let them do it to me instead"; and eventually they changed places, Loku-Appu tying the trader in the sack, and he himself taking the man's clothes and bundle of cloth. Loku-Appu then hid himself.

商人は言った。「その代わりにわたしにそうさせてくださるなら、大変なご厚意です」。そしてとうとう二人は入れ替わり、ロク・アップは商人を袋に縛り、自分はその男の衣と布の包みを取った。そしてロク・アップは身を隠した。

In a short time the tom-tom beaters came back, carried away the sack with the would-be king, and threw it into the river.

まもなく太鼓打ちたちが戻ってきて、王になりたがっている男の入った袋を運び去り、川へ投げ込んだ。

As they were returning past a part of the river, they saw, to their intense surprise, Loku-Appu washing clothes in it. They came to him and said, "What is this, Loku-Appu? Where have you come from? Where did you get all this cloth?" He replied, "These are the things which I found in the river bottom when you threw me in with the sack. As they are rather muddy I am cleaning them."

帰り道、川のある場所を通ると、驚いたことに、ロク・アップがそこで布を洗っているのが見えた。彼らはそばへ来て言った。「これはどうしたことだ、ロク・アップ? どこから来た? その布はみなどこで手に入れた?」 ロク・アップは答えた。「これはおまえたちが袋ごとわたしを投げ込んだとき、川の底で見つけたものだ。少し泥がついているので洗っているのだ」

The tom-tom beaters said that they would be greatly obliged if he would put them in the way of getting such treasures, so he requested them to bring sacks like that in which he had been tied.

太鼓打ちたちは、そんな宝の手に入れ方を教えてくれたらたいそうありがたいと言ったので、ロク・アップは、自分が縛られていたような袋を持ってこいと言った。

They soon came back with the sacks, were tied up in them, and were thrown into the river by Loku-Appu.

彼らはまもなく袋を持って戻り、そのなかに縛られ、ロク・アップに川へ投げ込まれた。

Then Loku-Appu went to the tom-tom beaters' village, and took possession of their lands and houses.

そしてロク・アップは太鼓打ちたちの村へ行って、その土地と家をわがものにした。