How a Yaka and a Man Fought

In a certain country three men went shooting, [43] it is said. At the time when the three persons were going, one man was obliged to go aside for a certain purpose. The man went aside without telling those two men.

ある国で三人の男が狩り [43] に行ったという。三人が歩いていたとき、一人が用を足しに脇へ行かねばならなくなった。その男は二人に告げずに脇へ行った。

A Yaka saw the man separate from those two persons. Having seen it, the Yaka seized the man, and began to push against him. At that time those two men were very distant. The men having said, "What has happened to this man?" came to look for him. When they came [they saw that] there was a black one near the man. The two persons spoke together, "Let us shoot this black one." So they shot [43] him. Then the black one went out of the way.

ヤカー(鬼神)が、その男が二人から離れるのを見た。それを見るとヤカーは男をつかまえて、押しかかりはじめた。そのとき二人はたいそう遠くにいた。二人は「あの男はどうしたのだ」と言って、探しに来た。来てみると〔見えたのは〕男のそばに黒いものがいることだった。二人は言い合った。「この黒いのを撃とう」。そこで二人は撃った [43]。すると黒いものは道を外れて去った。

Afterwards the men went to look near at hand. When they went the man had fallen. After that, having taken hold of the man and raised him, when they looked at him the man's body having gone quite slimy he was unconscious also.

そのあと二人は近くまで見に行った。行ってみると男は倒れていた。そのあと男を抱き起こして見ると、男の体はすっかり粘つき、気も失っていた。

Afterwards, while the two men, raising [and carrying] that man, were [endeavouring] to come away, the Yaka did not allow them to come. He shakes the bushes; he breaks the trees; he blocked up the path all along. One man of the two men looked upward. Then the Yaka spit into the man's eye, and the man's eye became blind.

そのあと、二人がその男を抱えて〔運んで〕立ち去ろうとすると、ヤカーは行かせようとしなかった。茂みを揺すり、木を折り、道じゅうを塞いだ。二人のうち一人が上を見上げた。するとヤカーがその男の目に唾を吐き、男の目は見えなくなった。

Well then, the two men having uttered and uttered spells, with pain lifting up [and carrying] that man, came to the village. Having come there, and summoned a Yaksa Vedarala [44] to restore the man to consciousness, when he arrived they showed him this man. Then the Yaksa Vedarala told them to warm a large pot of water. So they warmed the water. After that, having bathed the man, and having uttered spells, after the Vedarala had tied protective written spells and diagrams [45] on him the man became conscious.

さて二人は呪文を唱えに唱えて、苦しみながらその男を抱え〔運び〕、村まで来た。そこへ来てヤクサ・ヴェーダラーラ [44](鬼神祓いの医師)を呼んで男を正気に返してもらおうとし、来ると男を見せた。するとヤクサ・ヴェーダラーラは、大鍋に湯を沸かせと言った。そこで湯を沸かした。そのあと男に湯を浴びせ、呪文を唱え、ヴェーダラーラが護符と図 [45] を男に結びつけると、男は正気に返った。

After that, the Yaksa Vedarala and those two men asked about the circumstances that had occurred. The man said, "A Yaka having come, seizing me pressed against me for me to roll over on to the ground. What of that? I did not fall [on account of it]. After you two fired, indeed, I fell. Then the Yaka bounded off, and went away. Well, I don't know anything after that. Whether you came and lifted me up, or what, I do not know."

そのあと、ヤクサ・ヴェーダラーラと二人は、何が起きたのかを尋ねた。男は言った。「ヤカーが来て、わたしをつかまえて地面に転がそうと押しかかった。それがどうした。それくらいでは倒れなかった。おまえたち二人が撃ってから倒れたのだ。するとヤカーは跳ねるように去っていった。そのあとのことは何も知らん。おまえたちが来て抱え起こしたのか、どうなのか、わたしは知らん」

The man having recovered from that, again the Yaka came, and having possessed the man he began to have the powers conferred by "possession." [46] Afterwards that Yaksa Vedarala having come again, and given the Yaka many offerings placed on frames (dola pideni), the Yaka went out of the way. The man remained very well [afterwards].

男がそれから回復すると、またヤカーが来て男に憑き、「憑きもの」による力 [46] を示しはじめた。そのあとヤクサ・ヴェーダラーラがまた来て、ヤカーに台に載せた供物(ドラ・ピデニ)をたくさん供えると、ヤカーは道を外れて去った。男はそれから〔のち〕たいそう健やかに暮らした。