The Lad and the Deil

Once on a time there was a lad who was walking along a road cracking nuts, so he found one that was worm-eaten, and just at that very moment he met the Deil.

むかしむかし、胡桃を割りながら道を歩いていた若者がいた。すると虫食いの胡桃が一つ見つかった。ちょうどそのとき、若者は悪魔に出会った。

“Is it true, now”, said the lad, “what they say, that the Deil can make himself as small as he chooses, and thrust himself in through a pinhole?”

「本当かい」と若者は言った。「悪魔は好きなだけ小さくなれて、針の穴からだって入り込めるって話は。」

“Yes it is”, said the Deil.

「本当だとも」と悪魔は言った。

“Oh! it is, is it? then let me see you do it, and just creep into this nut”, said the lad.

「へえ、本当なのかい。じゃあやってみせてくれよ。この胡桃の中にもぐり込んでみな」と若者は言った。

So the Deil did it.

そこで悪魔はそうしてみせた。

Now, when he had crept well in through the worm’s hole, the lad stopped it up with a pin.

悪魔が虫の穴からすっかり中へもぐり込むと、若者はその穴を針でふさいだ。

“Now, I’ve got you safe”, he said, and put the nut into his pocket.

「さあ、しっかり捕まえたぞ」と若者は言い、胡桃を懐に入れた。

So when he had walked on a bit, he came to a smithy, and he turned in and asked the smith if he’d be good enough to crack that nut for him.

少し歩くと鍛冶屋に着いたので、若者は中へ入り、この胡桃を割ってもらえまいかと鍛冶屋に頼んだ。

“Aye, that’ll be an easy job”, said the smith, and took his smallest hammer, laid the nut on the anvil, and gave it a blow, but it wouldn’t break.

「ああ、そんなのはお安い御用だ」と鍛冶屋は言い、いちばん小さな金槌を取り、胡桃を金床に載せて一打ちしたが、割れなかった。

So he took another hammer a little bigger, but that wasn’t heavy enough either.

そこで少し大きな金槌を取ったが、それでもまだ重さが足りなかった。

Then he took one bigger still, but it was still the same story; and so the smith got wroth, and grasped his great sledge-hammer.

さらに大きなものを取ったが、やはり同じことであった。そこで鍛冶屋は腹を立て、大きな大槌を掴んだ。

“Now, I’ll crack you to bits”, he said, and let drive at the nut with all his might and main. And so the nut flew to pieces with a bang that blew off half the roof of the smithy, and the whole house creaked and groaned as though it were ready to fall.

「さあ、粉々にしてやるぞ」と言って、力のかぎり胡桃に打ちおろした。すると胡桃は、鍛冶場の屋根を半分吹き飛ばすほどの轟音とともに砕け散り、家じゅうがいまにも崩れそうにきしみ、うなった。

“Why! if I don’t think the Deil must have been in that nut”, said the smith.

「なんとまあ! あの胡桃には悪魔が入っていたにちがいないぞ」と鍛冶屋は言った。

“So he was; you’re quite right”, said the lad, as he went away laughing.

「そのとおり、ご明察だよ」と若者は言い、笑いながら立ち去った。