Concerning the Leopard, the Squirrel, and the Tortoise

Many years ago there was a great famine throughout the land, and all the people were starving. The yam crop had failed entirely, the plantains did not bear any fruit, the ground-nuts were all shrivelled up, and the corn never came to a head; even the palm-oil nuts did not ripen, and the peppers and ocros also gave out.

何年も昔、国じゅうに大きな飢饉があって、人々はみな飢えていた。ヤムイモの作物はすっかりだめになり、バナナは実をつけず、落花生はみなしなび、トウモロコシは穂を出さなかった。椰子油の実さえ熟さず、唐辛子もオクラも尽きてしまった。

The leopard, however, who lived entirely on "beef," did not care for any of these things; and although some of the animals who lived on corn and the growing crops began to get rather skinny, he did not mind very much. In order to save himself trouble, as everybody was complaining of the famine, he called a meeting of all the animals and told them that, as they all knew, he was very powerful and must have food, that the famine did not affect him, as he only lived on flesh, and as there were plenty of animals about he did not intend to starve. He then told all the animals present at the meeting that if they did not wish to be killed themselves they must bring their grandmothers to him for food, and when they were finished he would feed off their mothers. The animals might bring their grandmothers in succession, and he would take them in their turn; so that, as there were many different animals, it would probably be some time before their mothers were eaten, by which time it was possible that the famine would be over. But in any case, he warned them that he was determined to have sufficient food for himself, and that if the grandmothers or mothers were not forthcoming he would turn upon the young people themselves and kill and eat them.

けれども、もっぱら「肉」を食べて生きている豹は、こんなことを少しも気にしなかった。トウモロコシや育ちかけの作物を食べて暮らす獣たちのなかには、いくらか痩せてくる者もいたけれど、豹はたいして気にしなかった。誰もが飢饉を嘆いていたので、豹は手間を省くために獣たちをみな集めて言った。自分がたいそう力が強いのはみなも知っているとおりで、食べ物がなければならない。自分は肉しか食べないから飢饉は関係ないし、獣はたくさんいるのだから飢えるつもりはない、と。それから豹は、集まったすべての獣に、自分が殺されたくなければ、祖母を食べ物として連れてこなければならない、祖母が尽きたら母親を食べる、と告げた。獣たちは順番に祖母を連れてくればよい、自分は順に受け取ろう。いろいろな獣がたくさんいるのだから、母親が食べられるまでにはおそらくしばらくかかるだろうし、そのころには飢饉も終わっているかもしれない、と。けれどもいずれにせよ、自分は十分な食べ物を得ると心に決めている、もし祖母や母親が差し出されないなら、若い者たちのほうに向かって殺して食べる、と豹は警告した。

This, of course, the young generation, who had attended the meeting, did not appreciate, and in order to save their own skins, agreed to supply the leopard with his daily meal.

もちろん、集まりに出ていた若い世代はこれをありがたいとは思わなかったが、自分たちの身を守るために、豹に日々の食事を差し出すことに同意した。

The first to appear with his aged grandmother was the squirrel. The grandmother was a poor decrepit old thing, with a mangy tail, and the leopard swallowed her at one gulp, and then looked round for more. In an angry voice he growled out: "This is not the proper food for me; I must have more at once."

最初に年老いた祖母を連れて現れたのはリスだった。祖母は哀れによぼよぼで、尻尾は毛が抜けていた。豹はそれをひと口で呑み込んで、それからもっとないかとあたりを見まわした。そして怒った声でうなった。「これはわしにふさわしい食べ物ではない。すぐにもっと持ってこい」

Then a bush cat pushed his old grandmother in front of the leopard, but he snarled at her and said, "Take the nasty old thing away; I want some sweet food."

それから藪猫が年老いた祖母を豹の前へ押し出したが、豹はうなって言った。「そんな汚らしい年寄りは連れていけ。わしは甘い食べ物が欲しいのだ」

It was then the turn of a bush buck, and after a great deal of hesitation a wretchedly poor and thin old doe tottered and fell in front of the leopard, who immediately despatched her, and although the meal was very unsatisfactory, declared that his appetite was appeased for that day.

次はブッシュバックの番だった。さんざんためらったあげく、哀れに痩せこけた年老いた雌が、よろめいて豹の前に倒れた。豹はたちまちそれを片づけ、食事はたいそう物足りなかったけれど、その日は食欲が満たされたと宣した。

The next day a few more animals brought their old grandmothers, until at last it became the tortoise's turn; but being very cunning, he produced witnesses to prove that his grandmother was dead, so the leopard excused him.

次の日、もう何頭かの獣が年老いた祖母を連れてきて、とうとう亀の番になった。けれども亀はたいそうずる賢く、自分の祖母は死んだという証人を立てたので、豹は亀を免じた。

After a few days all the animals' grandmothers were exhausted, and it became the turn of the mothers to supply food for the ravenous leopard. Now although most of the young animals did not mind getting rid of their grandmothers, whom they had scarcely even known, many of them had very strong objections to providing their mothers, of whom they were very fond, as food for the leopard. Amongst the strongest objectors were the squirrel and the tortoise. The tortoise, who had thought the whole thing out, was aware that, as every one knew that his mother was alive (she being rather an amiable old person and friendly with all-comers), the same excuse would not avail him a second time. He therefore told his mother to climb up a palm tree, and that he would provide her with food until the famine was over. He instructed her to let down a basket every day, and said that he would place food in it for her. The tortoise made the basket for his mother, and attached it to a long string of tie-tie. The string was so strong that she could haul her son up whenever he wished to visit her.

何日かたつと、獣たちの祖母はみな尽きて、今度は母親たちが、貪欲な豹に食べ物を差し出す番になった。さて、若い獣たちのほとんどは、ほとんど知りもしない祖母を差し出すのは気にしなかったけれど、たいそう慕っている母親を豹の食べ物として差し出すことには、強く反対する者が多かった。いちばん強く反対した者のなかに、リスと亀がいた。事のすべてを考え抜いた亀は、自分の母親が生きていることは誰もが知っている(母親はかなり気立てのよい人で、誰とでも親しかった)ので、二度目は同じ言い訳が通じないとわかっていた。そこで亀は母親に、椰子の木に登るよう言い、飢饉が終わるまで食べ物を運んでやると言った。亀は母親に、毎日籠を下ろすよう言いつけ、自分がそこに食べ物を入れると言った。亀は母親のために籠をこしらえ、それを長く丈夫なタイタイ(蔓の綱)に結びつけた。綱はたいそう丈夫だったので、母親は会いたいときにはいつでも息子を引き上げることができた。

All went well for some days, as the tortoise used to go at daylight to the bottom of the tree where his mother lived and place her food in the basket; then the old lady would pull the basket up and have her food, and the tortoise would depart on his daily round in his usual leisurely manner.

何日かは万事うまくいった。亀は毎日夜明けに母親の住む木のふもとへ行って、籠に食べ物を入れた。すると年老いた母親は籠を引き上げて食事をし、亀はいつもの悠長な足どりで日々の巡回に出かけていった。

In the meantime the leopard had to have his daily food, and the squirrel's turn came first after the grandmothers had been finished, so he was forced to produce his mother for the leopard to eat, as he was a poor, weak thing and not possessed of any cunning. The squirrel was, however, very fond of his mother, and when she had been eaten he remembered that the tortoise had not produced his grandmother for the leopard's food. He therefore determined to set a watch on the movements of the tortoise.

そのあいだにも豹は日々の食べ物を得ねばならず、祖母が尽きたあと最初に来たのはリスの番だった。そこでリスは、豹に食べられるために母親を差し出すほかなかった。リスは弱い者で、ずる賢さも持ち合わせていなかったからである。けれどもリスは母親をたいそう慕っていたので、母親が食べられてしまうと、亀が豹の食べ物として祖母を差し出さなかったことを思い出した。そこでリスは亀の動きを見張ることに決めた。

The very next morning, while he was gathering nuts, he saw the tortoise walking very slowly through the bush, and being high up in the trees and able to travel very fast, had no difficulty in keeping the tortoise in sight without being noticed. When the tortoise arrived at the foot of the tree where his mother lived, he placed the food in the basket which his mother had let down already by the tie-tie, and having got into the basket and given a pull at the string to signify that everything was right, was hauled up, and after a time was let down again in the basket. The squirrel was watching all the time, and directly the tortoise had gone, jumped from branch to branch of the trees, and very soon arrived at the place where the leopard was snoozing.

まさに次の朝、木の実を集めていると、リスは亀がたいそうゆっくり藪を歩いていくのを見た。リスは木の高いところにいてたいそう速く移動できたので、気づかれずに亀を見失わずにいるのは造作もなかった。亀は母親の住む木のふもとに着くと、母親がタイタイで下ろしておいた籠に食べ物を入れ、それから籠に乗って、大丈夫だという合図に綱を引くと引き上げられ、しばらくしてまた籠で下ろされた。リスはずっと見ていて、亀が行ってしまうとすぐに木の枝から枝へ跳んで、まもなく豹がうたた寝している場所に着いた。

When he woke up, the squirrel said:

豹が目を覚ますと、リスは言った。

"You have eaten my grandmother and my mother, but the tortoise has not provided any food for you. It is now his turn, and he has hidden his mother away in a tree."

「あなたはわたしの祖母と母を食べたけれど、亀はあなたに食べ物を差し出していません。今度は亀の番なのに、亀は母親を木に隠しているのです」

At this the leopard was very angry, and told the squirrel to lead him at once to the tree where the tortoise's mother lived. But the squirrel said:

これに豹はたいそう腹を立てて、亀の母親が住んでいる木のところへすぐ案内しろとリスに言った。けれどもリスは言った。

"The tortoise only goes at daylight, when his mother lets down a basket; so if you go in the morning early, she will pull you up, and you can then kill her."

「亀は夜明けにしか行きません。そのとき母親が籠を下ろすのです。だから朝早く行けば、母親があなたを引き上げるでしょう。そうしたら殺せます」

To this the leopard agreed, and the next morning the squirrel came at cockcrow and led the leopard to the tree where the tortoise's mother was hidden. The old lady had already let down the basket for her daily supply of food, and the leopard got into it and gave the line a pull; but except a few small jerks nothing happened, as the old mother tortoise was not strong enough to pull a heavy leopard off the ground. When the leopard saw that he was not going to be pulled up, being an expert climber, he scrambled up the tree, and when he got to the top he found the poor old tortoise, whose shell was so tough that he thought she was not worth eating, so he threw her down on to the ground in a violent temper, and then came down himself and went home.

これに豹は承知して、次の朝、リスが一番鶏の刻に来て、亀の母親が隠れている木へ豹を案内した。年老いた母親はもう、日々の食べ物のために籠を下ろしていた。豹は籠に乗って綱を引いたが、少しがくがく揺れるほかは何も起こらなかった。年老いた母亀には、重い豹を地面から引き上げる力がなかったのである。豹は自分が引き上げてもらえないとわかると、木登りは得意だったのでよじ登った。てっぺんまで来ると、かわいそうな年老いた亀がいたが、その甲羅はあまりに硬くて食べる値打ちもないと思ったので、豹はひどく腹を立てて亀を地面に投げ落とし、それから自分も降りて帰っていった。

Shortly after this the tortoise arrived at the tree, and finding the basket on the ground gave his usual tug at it, but there was no answer. He then looked about, and after a little time came upon the broken shell of his poor old mother, who by this time was quite dead. The tortoise knew at once that the leopard had killed his mother, and made up his mind that for the future he would live alone and have nothing to do with the other animals.

それからまもなく亀が木のところに着いて、籠が地面にあるのを見ていつものように引いてみたが、返事はなかった。それからあたりを見まわして、しばらくして、かわいそうな年老いた母親の割れた甲羅を見つけた。母親はもうすっかり死んでいた。亀は、豹が母親を殺したのだとすぐにわかり、これから先は一人で暮らし、ほかの獣とはいっさいかかわらないと心に決めたのである。