The Stupid Boy

In a certain city there are a Gamarala, a Gama-gaeni (his wife), and a son of theirs. The Gamarala went to the chena. The Gama-gaeni lay down, and told the Gama-puta (the son) to examine her head [for insects]. While he was looking through the hair she fell asleep, and a fly settled on her head. "Ade! Fly, do not bite our mother's head," he said, "mother will scold me."

ある都にガマラーラ(村長)と、ガマ・ガエニ(その妻)と、その息子がいる。ガマラーラは焼畑へ行った。ガマ・ガエニは横になって、ガマ・プタ(息子)に〔虫がいないか〕頭を見てくれと言った。息子が髪を分けて見ているうちに母は眠り込み、蠅が頭にとまった。「アデ! 蠅よ、母さんの頭を噛むな」と息子は言った。「母さんに叱られる」

The fly having gone flying away, settled again on her head. Saying, "Now then, this fly is biting mother's head again," he placed his mother's head gently on the ground. Then having gone and taken a rice pestle, and come back with it, he said, "Is the fly still biting the head?" and struck at the fly with the rice pestle, killing his mother with the blow.

蠅は飛び去って、また頭にとまった。「さあ、この蠅がまた母さんの頭を噛んでいる」と言って、息子は母の頭をそっと地面に置いた。そして行って米搗きの杵を取ってきて、「まだ蠅が頭を噛んでいるか?」と言って、杵で蠅を叩き、その一撃で母を殺してしまった。

The boy's father having come, tried to arouse her. "How is it that mother is dead?" he asked. The boy said, "A fly was biting our mother's head. I struck it with the rice pestle. Because of it she died." So the Gamarala took the woman away and buried her.

息子の父が帰ってきて、妻を起こそうとした。「母さんはどうして死んだのだ?」と尋ねた。息子は言った。「蠅が母さんの頭を噛んでいたんだ。米搗きの杵で叩いた。そのせいで死んだ」。そこでガマラーラは女を運び出して葬った。

Then he came home with the boy. Having arrived, the Gamarala told the boy to make a pot of gruel. Having made the pot of gruel he told the boy to take it, and they went to the jungle to cut fence sticks. The man, cutting and cutting the fence sticks, told the boy to draw them out, and throw them down. Then the boy, taking the fence sticks, threw them into the river.

それから息子と家に帰った。着くと、ガマラーラは息子に粥を一鍋こしらえろと言った。粥をこしらえると、それを持てと言って、二人は垣の棒を切りに藪へ行った。男は垣の棒を切りに切って、息子にそれを引き出して投げ下ろせと言った。すると息子は垣の棒を持って、川へ投げ込んだ。

Taking the pot of gruel, and making a raised platform of sticks, he placed it on it. The Gamarala said to the boy, "Now then, as you have come here, go and drink gruel." Then the boy having gone under the stick frame, and pierced the bottom of the pot, and made a hole through it, placed his mouth under it, and drank a sufficient quantity. Still the gruel comes from the pot, so the boy said to the pot of gruel, "Father is there. Don't come out, gruel."

粥の鍋を持って、棒で高い台をこしらえ、その上に鍋を置いた。ガマラーラは息子に言った。「さあ、ここまで来たのだから、行って粥を飲め」。すると息子は棒の台の下へ行って、鍋の底を突き破って穴をあけ、その下に口を当てて、たっぷり飲んだ。それでも粥は鍋から出てくるので、息子は粥の鍋に言った。「父さんがあそこにいる。出てくるな、粥よ」

Having cut the fence sticks, the Gamarala came to drink gruel. There was nothing in the gruel pot. He asked at the hand of the boy, "Where, Ada! is the gruel?"

垣の棒を切り終えて、ガマラーラは粥を飲みに来た。粥の鍋には何も入っていなかった。ガマラーラは息子に尋ねた。「アダ! 粥はどこだ?」

"The gruel went out while I was saying don't go," he said.

「行くなと言っているうちに、粥が出ていってしまったんだ」と息子は言った。

Then the Gamarala thought, "There is no need to keep this boy," and having beaten him he drove him away.

するとガマラーラは「この子を置いておく必要はない」と思い、打って追い出した。

As the boy was going, weeping and weeping, he met with a Buddhist monk. [111] There were two bundles in the Lord's hand. He told the boy to take the couple of bundles. As the boy was carrying them he asked at the hand of the Lord, "What is there in the bundles?"

息子が泣きながら泣きながら歩いていると、仏教の僧 [111] に出会った。師の手には包みが二つあった。師は少年にその包み二つを持てと言った。少年は運びながら師に尋ねた。「包みには何が入っているのですか?」

"Palm-sugar packets, [112] and plantains," he said.

「椰子砂糖の包み [112] と、芭蕉の実だ」と師は言った。

The Lord asked at the hand of the boy, "What is thy name?"

師は少年に尋ねた。「おまえの名は何という?」

The boy said, "My name is Aewariyakka Mulakka."

少年は言った。「わたしの名はアエワリヤッカ・ムラッカです」

As he was coming along from there the boy lagged behind. So the monk spoke to the boy, "Aewariyakka Mulakka, Ada! Come on quickly," he said. Then the boy ate some packets of sugar, [113] and rows of plantains. [114]

そこから歩いてくるうちに、少年はうしろに遅れた。そこで僧は少年に声をかけた。「アエワリヤッカ・ムラッカ、アダ! 早く来い」と言った。すると少年は砂糖の包み [113] と、芭蕉の実のひと連なり [114] を食べてしまった。

The monk having gone to the pansala (monk's residence), when he looked [found that] packets of sugar and rows of plantains were missing. "Ada! where are the other plantains and palm-sugar that were in these?" he asked.

僧はパンサラ(僧坊)へ着いて見ると、砂糖の包みと芭蕉のひと連なりがなくなっていた。「アダ! このなかにあったほかの芭蕉の実と椰子砂糖はどこだ?」と尋ねた。

"Lord, I am a packet eater (Mulakka), and a first-row-of-plantains eater (Aewariyakka)," he said. "I ate them." There and then, having beaten the boy, he chased him away.

「師よ、わたしは包み食い(ムラッカ)、芭蕉のひと連なり食い(アエワリヤッカ)でございます」と少年は言った。「それで食べました」。その場で僧は少年を打って追い払った。

Then, as a washerwoman-aunt was washing clothes, she saw the boy going along, and asked him, "Can you live at our house?" "I can," he said. She asked his name; Giya ("He went") he said was his name.

そのあと、洗濯女のおばさんが着物を洗っていて、通りかかる少年を見て尋ねた。「うちで暮らせるかい?」「暮らせます」と少年は言った。名を尋ねられると、ギヤ(「行った」)が自分の名だと言った。

Having taken the washed clothes, and placed them in the house, he asked at the hand of the mother for the [unwashed] clothes that were in the house. She told him to come [and take them]. After the boy had come in, the mother asked at the hand of the boy, "What is your name?" The boy said, Awo ("He came"), and took the clothes away.

洗った着物を受け取って家に置くと、少年は母に、家にある〔洗っていない〕着物をくれと頼んだ。母は来〔て取っ〕ていいと言った。少年が入ってくると、母は少年に尋ねた。「おまえの名は何というの?」 少年はアウォ(「来た」)と言って、着物を持っていった。

Afterwards, because both the clothes and the boy were missing, [the washer-woman] having searched and looked for him, went home. On account of her going late the washerman called her [and asked the reason]. She said, "It is because of Giya" (the words might also mean, "It is because he went"). A man who was in the house having heard it, said, "Ada! He said Awo."

そのあと、着物も少年もいなくなったので、〔洗濯女は〕探しに探してから家へ帰った。帰りが遅かったので、洗濯人が呼んで〔わけを尋ねた〕。女は言った。「ギヤのせいです」(その言葉は「あの子が行ったせいです」とも取れる)。家にいた男がそれを聞いて言った。「アダ! あの子はアウォと言ったぞ」

While both were saying, "Giya," "Awo," ("He went, he came"), the boy took the clothes, and went to his village.

二人が「ギヤ」「アウォ」(「行った」「来た」)と言い合っているあいだに、少年は着物を持って自分の村へ帰ってしまった。