The Faithless Princess

In a certain country there is a Prince, it is said. The Prince, saying that women are faithless, does not marry.

ある国に王子がいたという。王子は、女は不実だと言って結婚しない。

The God Sakra having ascertained this, came in the appearance of a man, and asked at the hand of the Prince whether if he created a Princess out of his own very body, and gave her to him, he would be willing to take her in marriage. The Prince said, "It is good."

サッカ神(帝釈天)はそれを知って、人の姿で来て、王子自身の体から姫を作って与えたら、それを娶る気があるかと王子に尋ねた。王子は「それはよい」と言った。

Afterwards the God Sakra created a Princess from the Prince's body, and gave her to him.

そのあとサッカ神は王子の体から姫を作って、王子に与えた。

When the Prince and Princess, having got married, had been living together for a very long time, the Princess associated with a Nagaya. [50] When they had been thus for a long time, the Princess and the Nagaya spoke together as to how to kill the Princess's Prince. Then the Nagaya said, "Ask at the hand of the Prince where the Prince's death is. After you have got to know the place where his death is, I will bite [51] him there."

王子と姫は結婚してたいそう長いあいだともに暮らしたが、姫はナーガヤ [50] と通じた。長いことそうしていたあと、姫とナーガヤは、姫の王子をどうやって殺すかを語り合った。するとナーガヤは言った。「王子の死がどこにあるかを王子に尋ねよ。死のありかを知ったら、わたしがそこを噛んで [51] やる」

After that, the Princess asked at the hand of the Prince, "Where is your death?" The Prince did not tell her. Every day the Princess was asking it. On a certain day the Prince said, "To-day my death is in my thumb."

そのあと姫は王子に尋ねた。「あなたの死はどこにありますか」。王子は答えなかった。姫は毎日それを尋ねた。ある日、王子は言った。「今日はわたしの死は親指にある」

Then the Princess told the Nagaya, "He said that his death is in his thumb."

すると姫はナーガヤに告げた。「死は親指にあると言いました」

So the Nagaya went [in his snake form, as a cobra], and stopped on the path on which the Prince was going for his bath, in order to bite [51] him.

そこでナーガヤは〔眼鏡蛇の姿で蛇となって〕行き、王子が水浴びに行く道で、噛む [51] ために待ち構えた。

Afterwards, the Prince's people went first; the Prince went in the middle. Then the people who went first saw the Nagaya, and killed it.

そのあと、王子の供の者が先に行き、王子は真ん中を行った。すると先を行く者たちがナーガヤを見つけて殺した。

Afterwards, the people and the Prince having returned from bathing, the Prince told at the hand of the Princess, "As we were going to bathe to-day a cobra was on the path; my people killed it." The Princess, clasping her hands with grief, asked, "Where was it?" The Prince told her of the place where the cobra was staying, and she knew that it was the Nagaya.

そのあと、供の者と王子が水浴びから戻ると、王子は姫に言った。「今日、水浴びに行く道に眼鏡蛇がいた。供の者が殺した」。姫は嘆いて手を握りしめ、尋ねた。「どこにいたのですか」。王子は蛇のいた場所を告げ、姫はそれがナーガヤだと知った。

Afterwards the Princess having given gold to the goldsmith, and having got a waist-chain made, told him to make a case for it. The goldsmith made it, and gave it. Then the Princess went to the place where the cobra was, and cut off its hood; and placing the cobra in the case of the golden waist-chain, the Princess put it round her waist.

そのあと姫は金細工師に金を渡して腰帯をこしらえさせ、その入れ物も作れと言った。金細工師は作って渡した。そこで姫は蛇のいた場所へ行って、その鎌首を切り取り、黄金の腰帯の入れ物に蛇を入れて、姫はそれを腰に巻いた。

Having it there, when they had eaten and drunk in the evening, and lighted the lamp in the house, both of them went into the house.

それを巻いたまま、夕方に飲み食いして家の灯をともし、二人は家へ入った。

Then the Princess said to the Prince, "I will ask you a riddle. Should you be unable to explain it, I will kill you. Should you explain it, you shall kill me."

すると姫は王子に言った。「謎をかけましょう。解けなければ、わたしがあなたを殺します。解けたら、あなたがわたしを殺してください」

The Prince said "Ha," and both of them swore it.

王子は「よし」と言って、二人はそれを誓った。

The Princess saying,

姫はこう言って、

The Naga belt Naga patiya (Is) the golden waist-chain. Ran hawadiya. Explain (it), friend. Tora, sakiya.

ナーガの帯は ナーガ・パティヤ 黄金の腰帯。 ラン・ハワディヤ。 解いてごらん、友よ。 トラ、サキヤ

told the Prince to solve it. For fifteen paeyas (six hours), without extinguishing the lamp, he tried and tried to explain it. He could not. So she was to kill the Prince next day.

王子にそれを解けと言った。十五パエヤ(六時間)のあいだ、灯を消さずに、王子は解こうとしに解こうとした。だが解けなかった。それで翌日、姫は王子を殺すことになった。

A Devatawa (godling) who drank the smoke of the lamp of that house, was there looking on [invisibly] until the lamp was extinguished. After the lamp was put out, having drunk a little smoke, he took a little that was only slightly burnt with him for his wife. The Devatawa and Devatawi lived in an Ironwood tree on the roadside.

その家の灯の煙を飲むデーワタワ(小神)が、灯が消えるまで〔姿を見せずに〕そこで見ていた。灯が消えてから、煙を少し飲み、まだあまり焼けていないのを少し妻のために持ち帰った。デーワタワとデーワタウィーは道ばたの鉄木の木に住んでいた。

This Prince's elder sister, and the man to whom she was given in marriage, having set off to come to the Prince's city, stayed that night at the resting-place under the Ironwood tree.

この王子の姉と、その嫁ぎ先の男が、王子の都へ来ようと出かけて、その夜は鉄木の木の下の休み場所に泊まった。

Then that Devatawa having brought a little of the under-burnt smoke of the lamp, after he had given it to the Devatawi she quarrelled with him until fifteen paeyas (six hours) had gone, saying, "Where have you been?"

そのときデーワタワが灯の焼け残りの煙を少し持ってきてデーワタウィーに渡すと、妻は「どこへ行っていたのです」と言って、十五パエヤ(六時間)のあいだ言い争った。

The Devatawa said, "Do not quarrel. In such and such a city, such and such a Prince's Princess having associated with a Nagaya, the Prince's people killed the Nagaya. Having cut off the Nagaya's hood, and laid aside her golden waist-chain, putting it round her waist in order to kill the Prince, because of her anger at the killing of the Nagaya, the Princess told a riddle to the Prince. Having sworn that should the Prince be unable to solve it she is to kill the Prince: should he solve it he is to kill the Princess, the Princess said,

デーワタワは言った。「言い争うな。どこそこの都の、どこそこの王子の姫がナーガヤと通じ、王子の供の者がそのナーガヤを殺した。ナーガヤの鎌首を切り取り、黄金の腰帯を脇に置いて、それを腰に巻き、ナーガヤを殺されたことへの怒りから、王子を殺そうとして、姫は王子に謎をかけた。王子が解けなければ姫が王子を殺し、解けたら王子が姫を殺すと誓って、姫はこう言った。

The Naga belt Is the golden waist-chain. Explain it, friend.

ナーガの帯は黄金の腰帯。解いてごらん、友よ。

"From the evening, without extinguishing the lamp, he tried to solve it. The Prince could not explain it. After fifteen paeyas had gone by, he put out the light. Up to the very time when he extinguished the lamp, so long I remained there. She said that she will kill the Prince to-morrow."

「夕方から灯を消さずに、王子は解こうとした。だが王子には解けなかった。十五パエヤが過ぎてから、灯を消した。灯を消すそのときまで、わたしはそこにいたのだ。姫は明日、王子を殺すと言っていた」

Hearing it, there stayed below the Ironwood tree the Prince's elder sister, and the man to whom she was given. After having heard it, as it became light, when they were coming along to the Prince's house, they saw from afar that they were going to behead the Prince. The elder sister said from afar, "A! Don't behead him. I will solve that riddle."

それを鉄木の木の下で聞いていたのが、王子の姉と、その嫁ぎ先の男だった。それを聞いて、夜が明けると、王子の家へ向かってくる途中、遠くから王子の首が刎ねられようとしているのが見えた。姉は遠くから言った。「ああ! 首を刎ねないで。わたしがその謎を解きます」

Having come near, the Prince's elder sister explained the riddle in the manner stated by the Devatawa. So the Prince was saved, and they beheaded the Princess.

そばへ来て、王子の姉はデーワタワの言ったとおりに謎を解き明かした。こうして王子は助かり、姫の首が刎ねられた。