Nagul-munna

In a village there were two persons called Nagul-Munna and Mun-aeta Guruwa. While those two were living there they spoke together, "Friend, while we two are remaining in this way matters are not going on properly." At the time when they spoke thus, Mun-aeta Guruwa replied to Nagul-Munna's talk, and said, "It is good, friend. If that be so let us two cut a chena."

ある村にナグル・ムンナとムン・アエタ・グルワという二人がいた。その二人が暮らしているうちに語り合った。「友よ、われら二人がこうしていても、ものごとがうまく運ばぬ」。そう語ったとき、ムン・アエタ・グルワはナグル・ムンナの話に答えて言った。「そのとおりだ、友よ。それならば二人で焼畑を切り拓こう」

Having spoken thus, the two persons went to the chena jungle, and there being no watch-hut there, built one; and taking supplies week by week, began to chop down the bushes while they were living at the house in the jungle. Having chopped down the jungle, and burnt it, and sown the chena, the millet plants grew to a very large size.

そう語り合って、二人は焼畑にする藪へ行き、そこに見張り小屋がなかったので一つ建て、週ごとに食糧を運びながら、藪の家に住んで茂みを切り倒しはじめた。藪を切り倒して焼き、焼畑に種を蒔くと、稗はたいそう大きく育った。

When the two persons were at the watch-hut they remained talking one night for a long time, and said, "To-morrow we must go to the village to bring back supplies." After talking thus, they went to sleep, both of them.

二人が見張り小屋にいたある晩、長いこと話し込んで、こう言った。「明日は村へ食糧を取りに行かねばならぬ」。そう話してから、二人とも眠りについた。

During the time while they were sleeping, Mun-aeta Guruwa's clothes caught fire. Then Nagul-Munna awoke, and jumped down to the ground, and ran away. Mun-aeta Guruwa was burnt in the shed and died. On account of his being killed, through fear of being charged with causing his death, Nagul-Munna bounded off into the jungle, and did not return to the village.

眠っているあいだに、ムン・アエタ・グルワの着物に火がついた。するとナグル・ムンナは目を覚まし、地面に跳び下りて逃げ去った。ムン・アエタ・グルワは小屋のなかで焼けて死んだ。相手が死んだので、その死のかどで咎められるのを恐れて、ナグル・ムンナは藪へ跳び込み、村へ帰らなかった。

That day the relatives of those people who were in the village, thinking, "Nagul-Munna and Mun-aeta Guruwa will be coming to fetch supplies," getting ready the supplies, stayed looking for them. On that day the two persons did not come; because they did not come two men went from the village to look for them.

その日、村にいたその者たちの縁者は「ナグル・ムンナとムン・アエタ・グルワが食糧を取りに来るだろう」と思って、食糧を用意して待っていた。その日、二人は来なかった。来ないので、村から二人の男が探しに行った。

The two having gone and looked, and seen that the watch-hut had been burnt, spoke together concerning it: "Both these men have been burnt and died. Let us go back to the village." So they returned.

二人は行って見て、見張り小屋が焼けているのを見て、こう語り合った。「この二人は焼けて死んだのだ。村へ帰ろう」。そして帰っていった。

Nagul-Munna, who sprang into the jungle that night, having come home during the night of the following day, spoke to his wife, who was in the house. The woman, thinking that he had died, was frightened at his speech, and cried out, "Nagul-Munna has been born as a Yaka, and having come here is doing something to me." At that cry the men of the village came running; when they looked he was not there, having run off through fear of being seized.

その夜藪へ跳び込んだナグル・ムンナは、翌日の夜に家へ帰ってきて、家にいた女房に話しかけた。女は夫が死んだと思っていたので、その声に怯えて叫んだ。「ナグル・ムンナがヤカー(鬼神)に生まれ変わって、ここへ来てわたしに何かしている」。その叫びに村の男たちが駆けつけたが、見ると彼はいなかった。捕まるのを恐れて逃げ去ったのである。

In that manner he came on two days. The woman, being afraid, did not open the door. On the third day he arose, and hid himself at the tank near the village. While he was there, a tom-tom beater having gone to a devil-dance, [53] came bringing a bit of cooked rice, and a box containing his mask and decorations. [54]

そのようにして男は二日通った。女は怖がって戸を開けなかった。三日めに男は起き出して、村の近くの溜池に身を隠した。そこにいると、悪魔踊り [53] へ行った太鼓打ちが、炊いた飯を少しと、仮面と飾り [54] の入った箱を持って来た。

As he was coming along bringing them, this Nagul-Munna having seen him, went and beat the tom-tom beater, and taking the bit of cooked rice and the box of devil-dancer's things, bounded into the jungle. Having sprung into the jungle, and eaten the bit of rice, he unfastened the box of devil-dancer's goods, and taking the things in it, dressed himself in them, putting the jingling bracelets [55] on his arms and the jingling anklets [56] on his legs.

太鼓打ちがそれを持って歩いてくるのを見て、このナグル・ムンナは行って太鼓打ちを打ち、炊いた飯と悪魔踊りの品の箱を取って、藪へ跳び込んだ。藪へ跳び込んで飯を食べてから、悪魔踊りの品の箱を開け、なかの品を取って身につけ、鳴る腕輪 [55] を腕に、鳴る足輪 [56] を脚につけた。

There was a large mask in it. Taking it, and tying it on his face, he went to the village when it became night, and having gone to a house there, broke the neck of a calf that was tied near it, and sprang into the rice-field near by. Having made a noise by shaking the jingling bracelets, and given three cries, "Hu, Hu, Hu," he shouted, "If you do not give a leaf-cup of rice and a young coconut at dawn, and at night a leaf-cup of rice and a young coconut, I will kill all the cattle and men that are in your village, and having drunk their blood, go away."

そのなかに大きな仮面があった。それを取って顔に結びつけ、夜になってから村へ行き、ある家へ行って、そのそばにつないであった仔牛の首を折り、すぐそばの田へ跳び込んだ。そして鳴る腕輪を振って音を立て、「フー、フー、フー」と三度叫んでから、こう怒鳴った。「夜明けに葉の器に盛った飯と若い椰子の実を、夜にも葉の器に盛った飯と若い椰子の実を差し出さねば、この村の牛も人もみな殺して、その血を飲んで去ってやるぞ」

The men of the village becoming afraid on account of it, began to give rice every day in the way he said. Having given it for about four or five years in this manner, the men spoke together, "Let us fetch a sooth-sayer to seize that Yaka." After having said concerning it, "It is good," they fetched a doctor (Veda).

村の男たちはそれに怯えて、毎日その言うとおりに飯を差し出しはじめた。そうやって四、五年も差し出してから、男たちは語り合った。「あのヤカーを捕らえる占い師を呼ぼう」。そのことについて「それがよい」と言い合って、医者(ヴェーダ)を呼んだ。

When the doctor went to the tank to catch that Yaka, Nagul-Munna came, and seizing that doctor, cut his bathing cloth, and having taken him to the place where he was staying, killed him, and trampled on his bathing cloth. Through the seizing and killing of the doctor, the men of the village became afraid to a still greater degree.

医者がそのヤカーを捕らえに溜池へ行くと、ナグル・ムンナが来て、その医者をつかまえ、水浴びの布を切り裂き、自分のいる場所へ連れていって殺し、その水浴びの布を踏みつけた。医者が捕らえられ殺されたことで、村の男たちはいっそう怯えた。

After that, having talked about bringing another sooth-sayer they fetched one. In the same manner, when he went to the tank the Yaka killed the sooth-sayer. At that deed the men of the village became more afraid still.

そのあと、別の占い師を呼ぼうと話し合って、一人呼んだ。同じように、溜池へ行くとヤカーはその占い師を殺した。その仕業に村の男たちはますます怯えた。

Having fetched a Sannyasi (a Hindu religious mendicant) from Jaffna, they went to him, and told him to seize the Yaka. That man said, "It is good"; and having gone to the aforesaid tank to look for him, the Yaka was in a tree. So the sooth-sayer repeated incantations to cause the Yaka to descend. The Yaka did not descend.

ジャフナからサンニャーシ(ヒンドゥーの行者)を呼んできて、その者のもとへ行き、ヤカーを捕らえてくれと頼んだ。その男は「それがよい」と言い、例の溜池へ探しに行くと、ヤカーは木の上にいた。そこで占い師はヤカーを下ろすための呪文を唱えた。ヤカーは下りてこなかった。

After that, because he did not descend, that person got to know that he was a man, and on his calling "Hu," to the men of the village the men came. Afterwards, seizing Nagul-Munna, who was in the tree, they went to the village.

そのあと、下りてこないので、その者はヤカーが人間だと知り、「フー」と村の男たちに呼びかけると、男たちが来た。そして木の上にいたナグル・ムンナを捕らえて、村へ行った。

Because Mun-aeta Guruwa had died, the relatives of Mun-aeta Guruwa came for their [legal] action against him.

ムン・アエタ・グルワが死んだので、ムン・アエタ・グルワの縁者が彼を相手に〔法の〕訴えを起こしに来た。

Saying that he had cheated them, and eaten food wrongly obtained from them, the men of the village came for their action.

自分たちをだまして、不当に得た食べ物を食べたと言って、村の男たちが訴えを起こしに来た。

Because he had stolen the rice and the box with tom-tom beater's things in it, the tom-tom beater came for his action.

飯と太鼓打ちの品の入った箱を盗んだので、太鼓打ちが訴えを起こしに来た。

Saying that he killed the first sooth-sayer, his people came for their action.

最初の占い師を殺したと言って、その身内が訴えを起こしに来た。

The second sooth-sayer's people also in the same way came for their action.

二人めの占い師の身内も同じように訴えを起こしに来た。

For his killing the calf the owner came for his action.

仔牛を殺したことで、その持ち主が訴えを起こしに来た。

After all who had brought these actions had came to one spot, the man, saying, "Because my wife told me to cut the chena together with Mun-aeta Guruwa, and through my cutting the chena with him, this happened," killed his own wife.

これらの訴えを起こした者がみな一つ所に集まると、その男は「女房がムン・アエタ・グルワといっしょに焼畑を切り拓けと言い、いっしょに切り拓いたからこうなったのだ」と言って、自分の女房を殺した。

Then, while he was going for his trial a bear bit that man on the way, and he died.

そして裁きへ向かう途中、熊がその男を噛み、男は死んだ。