The Tortoise with a Pretty Daughter

There was once a king who was very powerful. He had great influence over the wild beasts and animals. Now the tortoise was looked upon as the wisest of all beasts and men. This king had a son named Ekpenyon, to whom he gave fifty young girls as wives, but the prince did not like any of them. The king was very angry at this, and made a law that if any man had a daughter who was finer than the prince's wives, and who found favour in his son's eyes, the girl herself and her father and mother should be killed.

むかし、たいそう力のある王がいた。王は野の獣たちに大きな力を及ぼしていた。さて、亀はあらゆる獣と人のなかでいちばん賢いとみなされていた。この王にはエクペニョンという名の息子がいて、王は息子に五十人の若い娘を妻として与えたが、王子はその誰も好きにならなかった。王はこれにたいそう腹を立てて、もし王子の妻たちよりも見目のよい娘を持つ者がいて、その娘が息子の気に入ったなら、娘自身とその父母を殺すという法を定めた。

Now about this time the tortoise and his wife had a daughter who was very beautiful. The mother thought it was not safe to keep such a fine child, as the prince might fall in love with her, so she told her husband that her daughter ought to be killed and thrown away into the bush. The tortoise, however, was unwilling, and hid her until she was three years old. One day, when both the tortoise and his wife were away on their farm, the king's son happened to be hunting near their house, and saw a bird perched on the top of the fence round the house. The bird was watching the little girl, and was so entranced with her beauty that he did not notice the prince coming. The prince shot the bird with his bow and arrow, and it dropped inside the fence, so the prince sent his servant to gather it. While the servant was looking for the bird he came across the little girl, and was so struck with her form, that he immediately returned to his master and told him what he had seen. The prince then broke down the fence and found the child, and fell in love with her at once. He stayed and talked with her for a long time, until at last she agreed to become his wife. He then went home, but concealed from his father the fact that he had fallen in love with the beautiful daughter of the tortoise.

さてそのころ、亀とその妻に、たいそう美しい娘が生まれた。母親は、こんな見事な子を手もとに置いておくのは危ないと思った。王子が恋をするかもしれないからである。そこで母親は夫に、娘は殺して藪に捨てるべきだと言った。けれども亀はそうしたがらず、娘が三歳になるまで隠しておいた。ある日、亀とその妻が二人とも畑に出ていると、王の息子がたまたま家の近くで狩りをしていて、家を囲む垣根のてっぺんに鳥がとまっているのを見た。鳥は小さな女の子を見ていて、その美しさにうっとりしていたので、王子が近づくのに気づかなかった。王子は弓矢で鳥を射て、鳥は垣根の内側に落ちた。そこで王子は召使いを取りにやった。召使いは鳥を探しているうちに小さな女の子に出くわし、その姿にたいそう心を打たれて、すぐに主人のもとへ戻って見たことを話した。そこで王子は垣根を壊して子どもを見つけ、たちまち恋に落ちた。王子は長いあいだそこにとどまって女の子と話し、とうとう女の子は妻になることを承知した。それから王子は家へ帰ったが、亀の美しい娘に恋をしたことは父親に隠しておいた。

But the next morning he sent for the treasurer, and got sixty pieces of cloth[2] and three hundred rods,[3] and sent them to the tortoise. Then in the early afternoon he went down to the tortoise's house, and told him that he wished to marry his daughter. The tortoise saw at once that what he had dreaded had come to pass, and that his life was in danger, so he told the prince that if the king knew, he would kill not only himself (the tortoise), but also his wife and daughter. The prince replied that he would be killed himself before he allowed the tortoise and his wife and daughter to be killed. Eventually, after much argument, the tortoise consented, and agreed to hand his daughter to the prince as his wife when she arrived at the proper age. Then the prince went home and told his mother what he had done. She was in great distress at the thought that she would lose her son, of whom she was very proud, as she knew that when the king heard of his son's disobedience he would kill him. However, the queen, although she knew how angry her husband would be, wanted her son to marry the girl he had fallen in love with, so she went to the tortoise and gave him some money, clothes, yams, and palm-oil as further dowry on her son's behalf in order that the tortoise should not give his daughter to another man. For the next five years the prince was constantly with the tortoise's daughter, whose name was Adet, and when she was about to be put in the fatting house,[4] the prince told his father that he was going to take Adet as his wife. On hearing this the king was very angry, and sent word all round his kingdom that all people should come on a certain day to the market-place to hear the palaver. When the appointed day arrived the market-place was quite full of people, and the stones belonging to the king and queen were placed in the middle of the market-place.

けれども次の朝、王子は宝物係を呼んで、布を六十反[2]と三百ロッド[3]を受け取り、亀に送った。それから午後の早いうちに亀の家へ行って、娘と結婚したいと告げた。亀は、恐れていたことが起こったのだ、自分の命が危ないと、すぐに悟った。そこで亀は王子に、王がこのことを知れば、自分(亀)ばかりでなく妻も娘も殺されるだろうと言った。王子は、亀とその妻と娘が殺されるくらいなら自分が先に死ぬと答えた。とうとう、さんざんやりとりしたあげく、亀は承知して、娘がしかるべき年ごろになったら妻として王子に渡すことに同意した。それから王子は家へ帰って、母親に自分のしたことを話した。母親は、誇りにしている息子を失うと思ってたいそう嘆いた。王が息子の不従順を聞けば、息子を殺すとわかっていたからである。けれども王妃は、夫がどんなに怒るかを知りながらも、息子が恋した娘と結婚してほしいと思った。そこで王妃は亀のところへ行って、金と着物とヤムイモと椰子油を、息子に代わる追加の結納として渡した。亀が娘をほかの男にやらないようにするためである。それから五年のあいだ、王子はアデトという名の亀の娘とたえず一緒にいた。そして娘が肥やし小屋[4]に入れられようというころ、王子は父に、アデトを妻に迎えると告げた。これを聞いて王はたいそう腹を立て、王国じゅうにお触れを出して、ある日にみな市場の広場に集まって評議を聞くよう命じた。その日が来ると市場の広場は人でいっぱいになり、王と王妃の石が広場のまんなかに置かれた。

[Footnote 2: A piece of cloth is generally about 8 yards long by 1 yard broad, and is valued at 5s.]

[脚注 2: 布一反はたいてい長さ 8 ヤード、幅 1 ヤードで、値は 5 シリングである。]

[Footnote 3: A rod is made of brass, and is worth 3d. It is in the shape of a narrow croquet hoop, about 16 inches long and 6 inches across. A rod is native currency on the Cross River.]

[脚注 3: ロッドは真鍮でできていて、値は 3 ペンス。クロッケーの細い門のような形で、長さ 16 インチ、幅 6 インチほどである。ロッドはクロス川の土地の通貨である。]

[Footnote 4: The fatting house is a room where a girl is kept for some weeks previous to her marriage. She is given plenty of food, and made as fat as possible, as fatness is looked upon as a great beauty by the Efik people.]

[脚注 4: 肥やし小屋とは、娘が結婚の何週間か前に入れられる部屋である。食べ物をたっぷり与えられて、できるだけ太らされる。エフィクの人々は太っているのを大きな美しさとみなすからである。]

When the king and queen arrived all the people stood up and greeted them, and they then sat down on their stones. The king then told his attendants to bring the girl Adet before him. When she arrived the king was quite astonished at her beauty. He then told the people that he had sent for them to tell them that he was angry with his son for disobeying him and taking Adet as his wife without his knowledge, but that now he had seen her himself he had to acknowledge that she was very beautiful, and that his son had made a good choice. He would therefore forgive his son.

王と王妃が着くと、人々はみな立ち上がって挨拶し、それから二人は自分の石に腰を下ろした。それから王は従者たちに、娘アデトを前に連れてくるよう言いつけた。アデトが来ると、王はその美しさにすっかり驚いた。それから王は人々に、息子が自分に背いて、知らせもせずにアデトを妻にしたことに腹を立てていると告げるために集めたのだ、けれども今こうして自分の目で見て、この娘がたいそう美しく、息子はよい選択をしたと認めねばならない、と言った。だから息子を許そう、と。

When the people saw the girl they agreed that she was very fine and quite worthy of being the prince's wife, and begged the king to cancel the law he had made altogether, and the king agreed; and as the law had been made under the "Egbo" law, he sent for eight Egbos,[5] and told them that the order was cancelled throughout his kingdom, and that for the future no one would be killed who had a daughter more beautiful than the prince's wives, and gave the Egbos palm wine and money to remove the law, and sent them away. Then he declared that the tortoise's daughter, Adet, should marry his son, and he made them marry the same day. A great feast was then given which lasted for fifty days, and the king killed five cows and gave all the people plenty of foo-foo[6] and palm-oil chop, and placed a large number of pots of palm wine in the streets for the people to drink as they liked. The women brought a big play to the king's compound, and there was singing and dancing kept up day and night during the whole time. The prince and his companions also played in the market square. When the feast was over the king gave half of his kingdom to the tortoise to rule over, and three hundred slaves to work on his farm. The prince also gave his father-in-law two hundred women and one hundred girls to work for him, so the tortoise became one of the richest men in the kingdom. The prince and his wife lived together for a good many years until the king died, when the prince ruled in his place. And all this shows that the tortoise is the wisest of all men and animals.

人々は娘を見て、たいそう見事で王子の妻にふさわしいと口をそろえ、王に、定めた法をすっかり取り消してほしいと願い出た。王は承知した。そしてその法は「エグボ」の法のもとに定められていたので、王は八人のエグボ[5]を呼んで、この命令は王国じゅうで取り消される、これから先、王子の妻たちより美しい娘を持つ者が殺されることはない、と告げた。そして法を取り消すためにエグボたちに椰子酒と金を与えて帰らせた。それから王は、亀の娘アデトが息子と結婚すべきだと宣して、その日のうちに二人を結婚させた。それから五十日続く盛大な宴が催され、王は牛を五頭つぶして、人々みなにフーフー[6]と椰子油の煮込みをたっぷりふるまい、通りには椰子酒の壺をたくさん置いて、人々が好きなだけ飲めるようにした。女たちは王の屋敷で大きな踊りを催し、そのあいだじゅう昼も夜も歌と踊りが続けられた。王子とその仲間たちも市場の広場で演じた。宴が終わると、王は王国の半分を亀に治めさせ、畑で働かせる奴隷を三百人与えた。王子もまた舅に、二百人の女と百人の娘を働き手として与えたので、亀は王国でいちばんの金持ちの一人になった。王子とその妻は何年も一緒に暮らし、王が死ぬと王子が代わって国を治めた。そしてこのすべてが、亀があらゆる人と獣のなかでいちばん賢いことを示しているのである。

[Footnote 5: The Egbo Society has many branches, extending from Calabar up the Cross River as far as the German Cameroons. Formerly this society used to levy blackmail to a certain extent and collect debts for people. The head Ju Ju, or fetish man, of each society is disguised, and frequently wears a hideous mask. There is a bell tied round his waist, hanging behind and concealed by feathers; this bell makes a noise as he runs. When the Egbo is out no women are allowed outside their houses, and even at the present time the women pretend to be very frightened. The Egbo very often carries a whip in his hand, and hits out blindly at any one he comes across. He runs round the town, followed by young men of his society beating drums and firing off guns. There is generally much drinking going on when the Egbo is playing. There is an Egbo House in most towns, the end part of which is screened off for the Egbo to change in. Inside the house are hung human skulls and the skulls of buffalo, or bush cow, as they are called; also heads of the various antelopes, crocodiles, apes, and other animals which have been killed by the members. The skulls of cows and goats killed by the society are also hung up. A fire is always kept in the Egbo House; and in the morning and late afternoon, the members of the society frequently meet there to drink gin and palm wine.]

[脚注 5: エグボ結社にはたくさんの支部があり、カラバルからクロス川をさかのぼってドイツ領カメルーンにまで及んでいる。以前この結社は、ある程度まで金をゆすり取ったり、人々のために借金を取り立てたりしていた。各結社の頭のジュジュ、つまり呪物使いは変装していて、たびたび恐ろしい仮面をかぶる。腰には鈴が結びつけられて後ろに垂れ、羽で隠されている。この鈴は走ると音を立てる。エグボが出ているあいだは女は誰も家の外に出ることを許されず、今日でも女たちはたいそう怖がるふりをする。エグボはたびたび手に鞭を持っていて、出くわした者に見境なく打ちかかる。エグボは町じゅうを走りまわり、そのあとを結社の若者たちが太鼓を叩き鉄砲を撃ちながらついていく。エグボが演じているときには、たいてい酒がたくさん飲まれる。たいていの町にはエグボの家があり、その奥はエグボが着替えるために仕切られている。家のなかには人間の頭蓋骨と、水牛、つまりアフリカ水牛と呼ばれる獣の頭蓋骨が吊るされている。また、会員たちが仕留めたさまざまな羚羊やワニや類人猿などの獣の頭も吊るされている。結社が殺した牛や山羊の頭蓋骨も吊るされている。エグボの家ではいつも火が焚かれていて、朝と午後遅くに、会員たちがたびたびそこに集まってジンや椰子酒を飲むのである。]

[Footnote 6: Foo-foo=yams boiled and mashed up.]

[脚注 6: フーフーとは、ヤムイモを煮てついたものである。]

MORAL.--Always have pretty daughters, as no matter how poor they may be, there is always the chance that the king's son may fall in love with them, and they may thus become members of the royal house and obtain much wealth.

教訓——いつも美しい娘を持つがよい。どんなに貧しくても、王の息子が恋をして、娘が王家の一員となり大きな富を得る見込みは、いつでもあるのだから。