The Jackal and the Hare

In a certain country there are a Jackal and a Hare living together, it is said.

ある国に豺と兎がいっしょに暮らしていたという。

One day when the Jackal was rubbing himself in the morning in the open space at the front of the house, there was a pumpkin seed in his hair. He took it and planted it. Afterwards, when the Hare went to the open ground, and was rubbing himself, he also had a pumpkin seed in his hair. He, too, took it and planted it. That which the Jackal planted, being without water, died. The Hare having brought water in his ears, and watered his seed, it sprouted, grew large, and bore a fruit.

ある日、豺が朝、家の前の開けた場所で体をこすっていると、毛のなかに南瓜の種が一つあった。豺はそれを取って植えた。そのあと兎が開けた場所へ行って体をこすっていると、やはり毛のなかに南瓜の種が一つあった。兎もそれを取って植えた。豺が植えたものは水がなくて枯れた。兎は耳で水を運んで種に水をやると、それは芽を出し、大きく育って実をつけた。

After the fruit had become large, the Jackal and Hare spoke together, "Friend, with that pumpkin fruit let us eat pumpkin milk-rice." They also said, "Whence the rice, coconut, and the like, for it?"

実が大きくなってから、豺と兎は語り合った。「友よ、あの南瓜の実で南瓜の乳粥を食べよう」。二匹はまた言った。「そのための米や椰子はどこから持ってこよう?」

Then the Hare said, "We two will go to the path to the shops. You stay in the bushes. I will be lying down in the grass field (pitiya) at the side of the path. Men going along the road, having placed on the path the articles which they are carrying to the shops, will come to take me. Then you take the goods, and go off to the bushes."

すると兎は言った。「二人で店へ行く道へ行こう。おまえは茂みにいろ。わたしは道ばたの草地(ピティヤ)に横になっている。店へ品を運んでいく男たちが、その品を道に置いて、わたしを取りに来る。そのときおまえが品を取って茂みへ逃げるのだ」

When the Jackal and Hare had gone to the path that led to the shops, and seen a man coming, bringing a bag of rice, the Hare lay down in the grass field as though dead. The Jackal hid himself and waited.

豺と兎が店へ通じる道へ行って、米の袋を持ってくる男を見ると、兎は死んだように草地に横たわった。豺は身を隠して待った。

That man having come up, and seen that the Hare was dead, said, "Appa! Bola, there is meat for me." So he placed the bag of rice on the road, and went to get the Hare. Then the Jackal came running, and carried off the bag of rice into the bushes. When the man was approaching the Hare, it got up and ran away. So the man had neither the bag of rice nor the Hare. He went home empty-handed (nikam).

その男は来て、兎が死んでいるのを見て言った。「アッパ! ボラ、肉が手に入ったぞ」。そして米の袋を道に置いて、兎を取りに行った。すると豺が駆けてきて、米の袋を茂みへ運び去った。男が兎に近づくと、兎は起き上がって逃げ去った。それで男は米の袋も兎も失った。男は手ぶらで(ニカム)家へ帰った。

Again when the Jackal and Hare were looking out, they saw a man come, bringing a pingo (carrying-stick) load of coconuts, and the Hare went and lay down again in the grass field. The Jackal hid himself and looked out.

また豺と兎が見張っていると、椰子の実をピンゴ(天秤棒)に担いだ男が来るのが見えたので、兎はまた草地に横たわりに行った。豺は身を隠して見張った。

Afterwards that man came up, and as he was going on from there he saw that the Hare was lying dead, and saying, "Appa! Bola, there is a Hare," placed the pingo load of coconuts on the path, and went to get the Hare. The Jackal, taking the pingo load of coconuts, went into the bushes. As that man approached the Hare it got up and ran away. So the man had neither the pingo load of coconuts nor the Hare. He went home empty-handed.

そのあとその男は来て、そこから進もうとすると、兎が死んで横たわっているのを見て、「アッパ! ボラ、兎がいるぞ」と言い、椰子の実の天秤棒の荷を道に置いて、兎を取りに行った。豺は椰子の実の荷を取って茂みへ入った。その男が兎に近づくと、兎は起き上がって逃げ去った。それで男は椰子の実の荷も兎も失った。男は手ぶらで家へ帰った。

As the Jackal and Hare were looking out again, they saw that a man was bringing a bill-hook and a betel-cutter, which he had got made at the forge. So the Hare went and lay down again in the field.

また豺と兎が見張っていると、鍛冶場でこしらえてもらった鉈と檳榔切りを持ってくる男が見えた。そこで兎はまた野に横たわりに行った。

The man came up, and when going on from there, having seen that the Hare was dead, placed the bill-hook and betel-cutter on the path, and went to get the Hare. Then the Jackal carried the bill-hook and the betel-cutter into the bushes. As that man was coming near to take the Hare, it got up and ran away. So that man had neither the bill-hook, nor the betel-cutter, nor the Hare. He went home empty-handed.

男は来て、そこから進もうとすると、兎が死んでいるのを見て、鉈と檳榔切りを道に置いて、兎を取りに行った。すると豺は鉈と檳榔切りを茂みへ運んだ。その男が兎を取りに近づくと、兎は起き上がって逃げ去った。それでその男は鉈も檳榔切りも兎も失った。男は手ぶらで家へ帰った。

As the Jackal and Hare were looking out again, they saw a potter coming, bringing a pingo load of pots, so the Hare went and lay down again in the grass field. The Jackal hid himself and waited.

また豺と兎が見張っていると、陶工が壺をピンゴに担いで来るのが見えたので、兎はまた草地に横たわりに行った。豺は身を隠して待った。

When the potter was going on from there, he saw that the Hare was dead, and having placed the pingo load of pots on the path, he went to get it. Then the Jackal, taking the pingo load of pots, went off into the bushes. As the man was coming near the Hare it got up and ran away. So that man had neither the pingo load of pots nor the Hare. He went home empty-handed.

陶工がそこから進もうとすると、兎が死んでいるのを見て、壺の天秤棒の荷を道に置いて、取りに行った。すると豺は壺の荷を取って茂みへ逃げた。男が兎に近づくと、兎は起き上がって逃げ去った。それでその男は壺の荷も兎も失った。男は手ぶらで家へ帰った。

Then the Jackal and Hare took home the bag of rice, and the pingo load of coconuts, and the bill-hook, and the betel-cutter, and the pingo load of pots. After that, having plucked and cut up the pumpkin fruit, and washed the rice, and put it in the cooking pot, and placed it on the fire, and broken the coconut, and scraped out the inside, while squeezing it [in water in order to make coconut-milk], the Jackal said to the Hare, "Friend, I will pour this on the rice, and in the meantime before I take it off the fire, you go, and plucking leaves without a point bring them [to use] as plates."

そして豺と兎は、米の袋と椰子の実の荷と鉈と檳榔切りと壺の荷を家へ持ち帰った。そのあと南瓜の実をもいで切り、米を洗って鍋に入れて火にかけ、椰子を割って中身を削り、〔椰子の乳を作るために水のなかで〕搾りながら、豺は兎に言った。「友よ、これを米にかけよう。そのあいだ、鍋を火から下ろす前に、おまえは行って、先の尖っていない葉を摘んで、皿にするために持ってきてくれ」

While the Hare was going for them, the Jackal ate all the rice, and placed only a little burnt rice in the bottom of the cooking pot. Then he lay down on the ash-heap.

兎がそれを取りに行っているあいだに、豺は飯をすっかり食べてしまい、鍋の底に焦げた飯を少し残しただけだった。そして灰の山に横たわった。

Afterwards the Hare returned, and saying, "Friend, there is not a leaf without a point. I have walked and walked through the whole of this jungle in search of one," gave into the paws of the Jackal two leaves with the ends bitten off. Then, without getting up, the Jackal said, "Ando! Friend, what is the use of a leaf without a point now? The rice people, the coconut people, the bill-hook and betel-cutter people, the pots people having eaten the rice, and beaten me also, rolled me over on this ash-heap. There will still be a little burnt rice in the bottom of the cooking pot. Scrape it off, and putting a little in your mouth, put a little in my mouth too." So the Hare having scraped off the burnt rice, and eaten a little of it, put a little in the Jackal's mouth.

そのあと兎は戻ってきて、「友よ、先の尖っていない葉などない。この藪じゅうを探して歩きに歩いた」と言って、先を噛み切った葉を二枚、豺の前足に渡した。すると豺は起き上がりもせずに言った。「アンドー! 友よ、いまさら先の尖っていない葉が何になる。米の連中、椰子の連中、鉈と檳榔切りの連中、壺の連中が来て飯を食べ、わたしを打って、この灰の山に転がしていったのだ。鍋の底にまだ焦げた飯が少しあるだろう。それを削り取って、少し自分の口に入れ、わたしの口にも少し入れてくれ」。そこで兎は焦げた飯を削り取り、少し食べてから、豺の口にも少し入れてやった。

Then the Jackal said, "Friend, a tick is biting my nose; rid me of it." When the Hare was coming near to rid him of it, the Jackal vomited all over the Hare's body. Then the Hare bounded off to the river, and jumped into it, and having become clean returned to the place where the Jackal was.

すると豺は言った。「友よ、ダニが鼻を噛んでいる。取ってくれ」。兎が取ろうと近づくと、豺は兎の体じゅうに吐きかけた。そこで兎は川へ跳ねていって飛び込み、きれいになって豺のいる場所へ戻ってきた。

The Jackal asked, "How, Friend, did you become clean?"

豺が尋ねた。「友よ、どうやってきれいになった?」

The Hare said, "I went to a place where a washerman-uncle is washing clothes, and got him to wash me."

兎は言った。「洗濯人のおじさんが着物を洗っているところへ行って、洗ってもらったのだ」

The Jackal asked, "Where is he washing?"

豺が尋ねた。「どこで洗っている?」

The Hare said, "Look there! He is washing at the river."

兎は言った。「ほら、あそこ! 川で洗っている」

Afterwards the Jackal went to the river, and said to the washerman-uncle, "Ane! Washerman-uncle, wash me too, a little."

そのあと豺は川へ行って、洗濯人のおじさんに言った。「アネ! 洗濯人のおじさん、わたしも少し洗ってくれ」

When the washerman-uncle, having taken hold of the Jackal's tail, had struck a couple of blows with him on the stone, the Jackal said, "That will do, that will do, washerman-uncle, I shall have become clean now." But the washerman-uncle, saying, "Will you eat my fowls again afterwards? Will you eat them?" gave him another stroke. Then the washerman-uncle, having washed the clothes, went home.

洗濯人のおじさんが豺の尻尾をつかんで石に二つ三つ打ちつけると、豺は言った。「もういい、もういい、洗濯人のおじさん、もうきれいになっただろう」。だが洗濯人のおじさんは「またわしの鶏を食う気か? 食う気か?」と言って、もうひと打ち食らわせた。そして洗濯人のおじさんは着物を洗ってから家へ帰った。

From that time the Jackal and Hare became unfriendly, and the Jackal said that whenever he saw Hares he would eat them.

そのときから豺と兎は仲たがいし、豺は兎を見かけたらいつでも食ってやると言うようになった。