The Mouse Maiden [110]

There are a King and a Queen of a certain city, and there is a daughter of the Queen.

ある都に王と后がいて、后には娘がある。

They asked [permission] to summon the daughter to go [in marriage] to the Prince of another city. The King said "Ha," so they came from that city to summon the King's Princess. After coming, they told the bride to come out [of her chamber] in order to eat the rice [of the wedding-feast]. The Queen said, "She is eating cooked rice in the house."

別の都の王子のもとへ娘を〔嫁に〕迎えたいと願い出があった。王は「よし」と言ったので、その都から王の姫を迎えに来た。来てから、〔婚礼の宴の〕飯を食べに花嫁を〔部屋から〕出させてくれと言った。后は「家のなかで炊いた飯を食べております」と言った。

Then they told her to come out in order to dress her in the robes [sent by the bridegroom (?)]. The Queen said, "She is putting on robes [in her chamber]."

すると〔花婿が贈った〕衣を着せるために出てきてくれと言った。后は「〔部屋で〕衣を着けております」と言った。

Then they told her to come out in order to go [to the bridegroom's city]. So the Queen told two persons to come, and having put a female Mouseling [110] in an incense box, brought it, and gave it into the hands of the two persons, and said, "Take ye this, and until seven days have gone by do not open the mouth of the box." Having taken it to the city, when they opened the mouth of the box after seven days, a mouse sprang out, [and hid itself] among the cooking pots.

すると〔花婿の都へ〕行くために出てきてくれと言った。そこで后は二人を呼んで、鼠娘 [110] を香の箱に入れて持ってきて、二人の手に渡し、こう言った。「これを持っておいで。七日が過ぎるまで箱の口を開けてはなりませんよ」。それを都へ持っていって、七日たってから箱の口を開けると、鼠が跳び出して〔煮炊きの鍋のあいだに隠れた〕。

There was also a (servant) girl at the Prince's house. The girl apportioned and gave cooked rice and vegetable [curry] to the Prince, and covered up the cooking pots [containing the rest of the food]. Then the Mouseling came, and having taken and eaten some of the cooked rice and vegetables, covered up the cooking pots, and went again among the pots.

王子の家には〔召使いの〕娘もいた。娘は炊いた飯と野菜の〔汁物〕を取り分けて王子に出し、〔残りの食べ物の入った〕鍋に蓋をした。すると鼠娘が来て、炊いた飯と野菜を少し取って食べ、鍋に蓋をして、また鍋のあいだへ戻った。

On the following day the same thing occurred. The Prince said to the girl. "Does the Mouseling eat the cooked rice? Look and come back." The girl having gone and looked, came back and said, "She has eaten the cooked rice, and covered the cooking pots, and has gone." The Prince said, "Go thou also, and eat rice, and come back." So the girl went and ate rice, and returned.

翌日も同じことが起きた。王子は娘に言った。「鼠娘が炊いた飯を食べるのか? 見てきなさい」。娘は行って見てきて言った。「炊いた飯を食べて、鍋に蓋をして、行ってしまいました」。王子は言った。「おまえも行って飯を食べてきなさい」。そこで娘は行って飯を食べて戻った。

Next day the Prince said, "I am going to cut paddy (growing rice). Remain thou at the house, and in the evening place the articles for cooking near the hearth." Then the Prince went. Afterwards, in the evening the girl placed the things for cooking near the hearth, and went out of the way.

翌日、王子は言った。「稲(実った米)を刈りに行く。おまえは家にいて、夕方に煮炊きの品を竈のそばに置いておけ」。そして王子は出かけた。そのあと夕方、娘は煮炊きの品を竈のそばに置いて、その場を離れた。

The Mouseling came, and cooked and placed [the food ready], and again went behind the pots. After evening had come, that girl apportioned and gave the rice to the Prince. The Prince ate, and told the girl, "Go thou also, and eat rice, and come back." So the girl went and ate rice, and having covered the cooking pots came to the place where the Prince was.

鼠娘が来て、煮炊きをして〔食べ物を用意して〕置き、また鍋の陰へ戻った。夕方になってから、娘は飯を取り分けて王子に出した。王子は食べて、娘に言った。「おまえも行って飯を食べてきなさい」。そこで娘は行って飯を食べ、鍋に蓋をして、王子のいるところへ来た。

Then the Mouseling came and ate rice, and covered up the pots. After that, she said to the [other] mice, "Let us go and cut the paddy," and collecting a great number of mice, cut all the paddy, and again returned to the house, and stayed among the pots. Next day when the Prince went to the rice field to cut the paddy, all had been cut.

すると鼠娘が来て飯を食べ、鍋に蓋をした。そのあと〔ほかの〕鼠たちに言った。「稲を刈りに行こう」。そして大勢の鼠を集めて稲をすっかり刈り、また家へ戻って鍋のあいだにいた。翌日、王子が稲を刈りに田へ行くと、すっかり刈られていた。

Afterwards the Prince came back, and saying, "Let us go and collect and stack [the paddy]," collected the men, and stacked it, and threshed it by trampling [it with buffaloes]. Then they went and called the women, and having got rid of the chaff in the wind, brought the paddy home.

そのあと王子は帰ってきて、「集めて積み上げに行こう」と言って、男たちを集めて稲を積み上げ、〔水牛に〕踏ませて脱穀した。そして女たちを呼びに行って、風で籾殻を飛ばし、籾を家へ運んだ。

After they had brought it, the Prince went near the place where the cooking pots were stored, at which the Mouseling was hidden, and said, "Having pounded this paddy [to remove the husk], and cooked rice, let us go to your village [to present it to your parents, as the first-fruits]."

運んでから、王子は鼠娘の隠れている、煮炊きの鍋をしまってある場所のそばへ行って言った。「この籾を〔殻を取るために〕搗いて、飯を炊いて、〔初穂として親御さんに差し上げに〕おまえの村へ行こう」

The Mouseling said, "I will not. You go." So the Prince told the girl to pound the paddy and cook rice, and having done this she gave it to the Prince.

鼠娘は言った。「わたしは行きません。あなたが行ってください」。そこで王子は娘に籾を搗いて飯を炊けと言い、娘はそうして王子に渡した。

The Prince took the package of cooked rice, and went to the Mouseling's village, and gave it to the Mouseling's mother.

王子は炊いた飯の包みを持って鼠娘の村へ行き、鼠娘の母に渡した。

The Queen asked at the hand of the Prince, "Where is the girl?"

后は王子に尋ねた。「娘はどこですか?」

The Prince said, "She refused to come."

王子は言った。「来るのを断りました」

The Queen said, "Go back to the city, and having placed the articles for cooking near the hearth, get hid, and stay in the house."

后は言った。「都へ帰って、煮炊きの品を竈のそばに置いて、身を隠して家のなかにいなさい」

After the Prince returned to the city, he did as she had told him. The Mouseling having come out, took off her mouse-jacket, and [assuming her shape as a girl] put on other clothes. While she was preparing to cook, the Prince took the mouse-jacket, and burnt it.

王子は都へ帰って、言われたとおりにした。すると鼠娘が出てきて、鼠の上衣を脱ぎ、〔娘の姿になって〕別の着物を身につけた。娘が煮炊きの支度をしているあいだに、王子は鼠の上衣を取って焼いてしまった。

Afterwards, when the girl went to the place where the mouse-jacket had been, and looked for it, it was not there. Then she looked in the hearth, and saw that there was one sleeve in it. While she was there weeping and weeping, the Prince [came forward and] said, "Your mother told me to burn the mouse-jacket." So the Mouseling became the Princess again, and the Prince and Princess remained there.

そのあと、娘が鼠の上衣を置いた場所へ行って探しても、そこにはなかった。竈のなかを見ると、袖が一つ残っているのが見えた。娘がそこで泣きに泣いていると、王子が〔進み出て〕言った。「あなたの母上が、鼠の上衣を焼けとおっしゃったのです」。こうして鼠娘はまた姫に戻り、王子と姫はそこで暮らした。