Why the Bat flies by Night

A bush rat called Oyot was a great friend of Emiong, the bat; they always fed together, but the bat was jealous of the bush rat. When the bat cooked the food it was always very good, and the bush rat said, "How is it that when you make the soup it is so tasty?"

オヨットという藪鼠は、蝙蝠のエミオンの大の仲よしだった。二匹はいつもいっしょに食事をしていたが、蝙蝠は藪鼠をねたんでいた。蝙蝠が料理をすると、いつもとてもおいしくできたので、藪鼠は言った。「きみがスープを作ると、どうしてあんなにおいしいんだい?」

The bat replied, "I always boil myself in the water, and my flesh is so sweet, that the soup is good."

蝙蝠は答えた。「ぼくはいつも自分を湯で煮るんだ。ぼくの肉はとても甘いから、スープがおいしくなるのさ」

He then told the bush rat that he would show him how it was done; so he got a pot of warm water, which he told the bush rat was boiling water, and jumped into it, and very shortly afterwards came out again. When the soup was brought it was as strong and good as usual, as the bat had prepared it beforehand.

それから蝙蝠は、どうやるのか見せてあげようと藪鼠に言った。そこで蝙蝠はぬるま湯を入れた鍋を用意して、藪鼠には煮えたぎった湯だと言い、その中に跳び込むと、すぐにまた出てきた。スープが運ばれてくると、いつものように濃くておいしかった。蝙蝠が前もって作っておいたからである。

The bush rat then went home and told his wife that he was going to make good soup like the bat's. He therefore told her to boil some water, which she did. Then, when his wife was not looking, he jumped into the pot, and was very soon dead.

藪鼠は家に帰ると妻に、自分も蝙蝠のようなおいしいスープを作るつもりだと言った。そこで妻に湯を沸かさせ、妻が見ていないすきに鍋へ跳び込んで、たちまち死んでしまった。

When his wife looked into the pot and saw the dead body of her husband boiling she was very angry, and reported the matter to the king, who gave orders that the bat should be made a prisoner. Every one turned out to catch the bat, but as he expected trouble he flew away into the bush and hid himself. All day long the people tried to catch him, so he had to change his habits, and only came out to feed when it was dark, and that is why you never see a bat in the daytime.

妻が鍋をのぞき込んで、夫の死骸が煮えているのを見ると、たいそう怒って王に訴え出た。王は蝙蝠を捕らえるよう命じた。みんなが総出で蝙蝠をつかまえに出かけたが、蝙蝠はまずいことになると思っていたので、藪へ飛んでいって身を隠した。一日じゅう人々が蝙蝠をつかまえようとしたので、蝙蝠は暮らし方を変えなければならなくなり、暗くなってから餌をあさりに出てくるだけになった。昼間に蝙蝠を見かけることがないのは、そのためである。