Ituen and the King's Wife

Ituen was a young man of Calabar. He was the only child of his parents, and they were extremely fond of him, as he was of fine proportions and very good to look upon. They were poor people, and when Ituen grew up and became a man, he had very little money indeed, in fact he had so little food, that every day it was his custom to go to the market carrying an empty bag, into which he used to put anything eatable he could find after the market was over.

イトゥエンはカラバルの若者だった。両親のひとり息子で、両親はイトゥエンをこのうえなくかわいがっていた。体つきが立派で、たいそう見目がよかったからである。両親は貧しい人々で、イトゥエンが大きくなって一人前の男になったころには、金はほんとうにわずかしかなかった。実のところ食べ物があまりに乏しかったので、イトゥエンは毎日、空の袋を持って市場へ行き、市が終わったあとで地面に残っている食べられるものを拾って袋に入れるのが常だった。

At this time Offiong was king. He was an old man, but he had plenty of wives. One of these women, named Attem, was quite young and very good-looking. She did not like her old husband, but wished for a young and handsome husband. She therefore told her servant to go round the town and the market to try and find such a man and to bring him at night by the side door to her house, and she herself would let him in, and would take care that her husband did not discover him.

そのころ、オフィオンが王だった。王は年寄りだったが、妻をたくさん持っていた。そのなかのアッテムという名の女はたいそう若く、たいそう見目がよかった。この女は年寄りの夫が好きではなく、若く美しい夫を欲しがっていた。そこで女は召使いに、町と市場を回ってそういう男を探し、夜に自分の家の脇の戸口へ連れてくるよう言いつけた。自分で戸を開けてやり、夫に見つからないよう気をつけるから、というのである。

That day the servant went all round the town, but failed to find any young man good-looking enough. She was just returning to report her ill-success when, on passing through the market-place, she saw Ituen picking up the remains of corn and other things which had been left on the ground. She was immediately struck with his fine appearance and strength, and saw that he was just the man to make a proper lover for her mistress, so she went up to him, and said that the queen had sent for him, as she was so taken with his good looks. At first Ituen was frightened and refused to go, as he knew that if the King discovered him he would be killed. However, after much persuasion he consented, and agreed to go to the queen's side door when it was dark.

その日、召使いは町じゅうを回ったが、十分に見目のよい若者を見つけられなかった。首尾が悪かったと報告しようと戻る途中、市場の広場を通りかかったとき、召使いはイトゥエンが地面に残されたトウモロコシなどを拾っているのを見た。召使いはたちまちイトゥエンの立派な姿と強さに心を打たれ、これこそ女主人にふさわしい恋人になる男だと思った。そこで召使いはイトゥエンのところへ行って、王妃があなたの見目のよさに心を奪われて呼びにやったのだと言った。初めイトゥエンは怖がって行くのを断った。王に見つかったら殺されるとわかっていたからである。けれどもさんざん説き伏せられて承知し、暗くなったら王妃の脇の戸口へ行くと約束した。

When night came he went with great fear and trembling, and knocked very softly at the queen's door. The door was opened at once by the queen herself, who was dressed in all her best clothes, and had many necklaces, beads, and anklets on. Directly she saw Ituen she fell in love with him at once, and praised his good looks and his shapely limbs. She then told her servant to bring water and clothes, and after he had had a good wash and put on a clean cloth, he rejoined the queen. She hid him in her house all the night.

夜になると、イトゥエンはたいそう恐れ震えながら出かけていって、王妃の戸をそっと叩いた。戸はすぐに王妃自身によって開かれた。王妃はありったけの晴れ着を着て、首飾りやビーズや足輪をたくさんつけていた。イトゥエンを見るやいなや、王妃はたちまち恋に落ち、その見目のよさと均整のとれた手足をほめそやした。それから王妃は召使いに水と着物を持ってこさせ、イトゥエンはよく体を洗って清潔な布をまとってから、王妃のもとへ戻った。王妃はひと晩じゅうイトゥエンを家に隠しておいた。

In the morning when he wished to go she would not let him, but, although it was very dangerous, she hid him in the house, and secretly conveyed food and clothes to him. Ituen stayed there for two weeks, and then he said that it was time for him to go and see his mother, but the queen persuaded him to stay another week, much against his will.

朝になってイトゥエンが帰りたいと言っても、王妃は帰そうとせず、たいそう危ないことだったが家に隠しておいて、こっそり食べ物と着物を運んだ。イトゥエンは二週間そこにとどまり、それから、そろそろ母に会いに行かねばならないと言った。けれども王妃はもう一週間いるよう説き伏せ、イトゥエンはたいそう不本意ながらとどまった。

When the time came for him to depart, the queen got together fifty carriers with presents for Ituen's mother who, she knew, was a poor woman. Ten slaves carried three hundred rods; the other forty carried yams, pepper, salt, tobacco, and cloth. When all the presents arrived Ituen's mother was very pleased and embraced her son, and noticed with pleasure that he was looking well, and was dressed in much finer clothes than usual; but when she heard that he had attracted the queen's attention she was frightened, as she knew the penalty imposed on any one who attracted the attention of one of the king's wives.

出発の時が来ると、王妃は貧しいと知っていたイトゥエンの母親への贈り物を持たせるために、五十人の運び手を集めた。十人の奴隷が三百ロッドを運び、残りの四十人はヤムイモ、唐辛子、塩、たばこ、布を運んだ。贈り物がみな届くと、イトゥエンの母親はたいそう喜んで息子を抱きしめ、息子の顔色がよく、いつもよりずっと立派な着物を着ているのをうれしく思った。けれども息子が王妃の目に留まったと聞くと、母親は恐ろしくなった。王の妻の一人の目に留まった者に科される罰を知っていたからである。

Ituen stayed for a month in his parents' house and worked on the farm; but the queen could not be without her lover any longer, so she sent for him to go to her at once. Ituen went again, and, as before, arrived at night, when the queen was delighted to see him again.

イトゥエンはひと月のあいだ両親の家にとどまって畑で働いた。けれども王妃はもうこれ以上恋人なしではいられなくなって、すぐに来るよう使いをやった。イトゥエンはまた出かけていき、前と同じように夜に着いて、王妃はまた会えたのを大喜びした。

In the middle of the night some of the king's servants, who had been told the story by the slaves who had carried the presents to Ituen's mother, came into the queen's room and surprised her there with Ituen. They hastened to the king, and told him what they had seen. Ituen was then made a prisoner, and the king sent out to all his people to attend at the palaver house to hear the case tried. He also ordered eight Egbos to attend armed with machetes. When the case was tried Ituen was found guilty, and the king told the eight Egbo men to take him into the bush and deal with him according to native custom. The Egbos then took Ituen into the bush and tied him up to a tree; then with a sharp knife they cut off his lower jaw, and carried it to the king.

真夜中に、イトゥエンの母親へ贈り物を運んだ奴隷たちから話を聞いた王の召使いの何人かが、王妃の部屋に入ってきて、王妃がイトゥエンと一緒にいるところを押さえた。召使いたちは王のもとへ急いで、見たことを告げた。イトゥエンはとらえられ、王は民みなに、評議の家に集まってこの件の裁きを聞くよう命じた。王はまた、山刀で武装した八人のエグボを出席させた。裁きが行われるとイトゥエンは有罪とされ、王は八人のエグボに、イトゥエンを藪へ連れていって土地のしきたりどおりに処置せよと言った。そこでエグボたちはイトゥエンを藪へ連れていって木に縛りつけ、鋭い刃で下あごを切り取って、それを王のもとへ運んだ。

When the queen heard the fate of her lover she was very sad, and cried for three days. This made the king angry, so he told the Egbos to deal with his wife and her servant according to their law. They took the queen and the servant into the bush, where Ituen was still tied up to the tree dying and in great pain. Then, as the queen had nothing to say in her defence, they tied her and the girl up to different trees, and cut the queen's lower jaw off in the same way as they had her lover's. The Egbos then put out both the eyes of the servant, and left all three to die of starvation. The king then made an Egbo law that for the future no one belonging to Ituen's family was to go into the market on market day, and that no one was to pick up the rubbish in the market. The king made an exception to the law in favour of the vulture and the dog, who were not considered very fine people, and would not be likely to run off with one of the king's wives, and that is why you still find vultures and dogs doing scavenger in the market-places even at the present time.

王妃は恋人の運命を聞くとたいそう悲しみ、三日のあいだ泣いた。これに王は腹を立てて、エグボたちに、妻とその召使いを掟どおりに処置せよと言った。エグボたちは王妃と召使いの娘を藪へ連れていった。そこではイトゥエンがまだ木に縛りつけられて、ひどく苦しみながら死にかけていた。それから、王妃には何も言い分がなかったので、エグボたちは王妃と娘を別々の木に縛りつけ、恋人にしたのと同じように王妃の下あごを切り取った。それからエグボたちは召使いの両目をえぐり出し、三人とも飢えて死ぬまでそこに置き去りにした。それから王はエグボの法を定めて、これから先イトゥエンの一族の者は市の日に市場へ入ってはならず、誰も市場のごみを拾ってはならないとした。王はこの法にハゲワシと犬だけは例外とした。ハゲワシと犬はあまり立派な者とはみなされておらず、王の妻の一人を連れて逃げたりはしそうになかったからである。それが、今日でもハゲワシと犬が市場で掃除役をしているわけなのである。