Maui and Mahuika

“Listen, friend.

「聞きなさい、友よ。

Maui extinguished all fires in Hawaiki, and no fire was burning anywhere, and all was cold and dark. Then he called out: ‘Where are the lazy slaves? Maui is hungry; where are the slaves to cook his food?’ And all people were awakened by his noise, and they found all fires extinguished at Hawaiki.

マウイはハワイキの火をすべて消し、どこにも火が燃えておらず、すべてが冷えて暗くなった。そしてこう叫んだ。「怠け者の奴隷たちはどこだ。マウイは腹が減った。その食べ物を煮る奴隷たちはどこだ?」そしてその騒ぎで人々はみな目を覚まし、ハワイキの火がすべて消えているのを知った。

Ah.--

ああ。——

The ancestress of Maui, my listener, Mahuika, was now alone in all the world in the possession of fire, for she is the mother of fire, which is living in her finger. She was to be found at her great dwelling-place in the Lower World, but it was terrible to go near her; and fear entered into the hearts of the people of Hawaiki, for who could go near her in her terrible beauty? Ha! Maui alone, the great hero--ah, Maui, my tupuna! (ancestor).--Oh listen, my wanderer--Maui alone had the courage to go to Mahuika to ask her for one of her fingers! He wandered through the caves of the Lower World, and nearer and nearer he approached Mahuika, his heart full of courage and cunning; but, ha, when his eyes beheld his ancestress, he began to tremble so that he could not speak--ah, friend, Mahuika was beautiful to look upon in her dark cave surrounded by her children, who shone forth out of the darkness. At last Maui overcame his fear and he spoke: “Oh, old woman, Mahuika, will you give me some of your fire?”

聞き手よ、マウイの祖母マフイカは、いまや世界でただ一人火を持つ者だった。火の母であり、その火はその指に生きているからである。マフイカは下の世界の大いなる住まいにいたが、近づくのは恐ろしいことだった。そしてハワイキの人々の胸に恐れが入った。その恐ろしい美しさのうちにあるマフイカに、誰が近づけよう。ああ! マウイだけが、あの偉大な英雄だけが——ああ、マウイ、わたしのトゥプナ(祖先)よ。——おお聞きなさい、さすらい人よ——マウイだけが、指の一本をくれと頼みにマフイカのところへ行く勇気を持っていた。マウイは下の世界の洞をさすらい、胸を勇気と狡知で満たして、いよいよマフイカに近づいた。けれども、ああ、その目が祖母を見たとき、震え出して口もきけなくなった——ああ友よ、マフイカはその暗い洞の中で、闇から輝き出るその子らに囲まれて、見るに美しかった。とうとうマウイは恐れを抑えて、こう言った。「おお老いた女マフイカよ、あなたの火を少しわたしにくださらないか?」

Mahuika, surrounded by fire, was terrible to behold--ah, my listener, terrible. She cried: “Au-eh, who is there in the light of my children?”--and Maui answered: “It is Maui, your grandson.” Mahuika now asked him the four sacred questions, and he answered them as he had answered Taranga, when Mahuika knew that her grandchild was standing before her in the light of her fire, and she spoke: “Yes, my son, I will that you receive the fire you have asked for”--and she took one of her fingers and gave it to Maui.

火に囲まれたマフイカは、見るに恐ろしかった——ああ聞き手よ、恐ろしかった。マフイカは叫んだ。「アウエー、わたしの子らの光の中にいるのは誰だ?」——そしてマウイは答えた。「マウイです、あなたの孫です。」マフイカはいま四つの聖なる問いを立て、マウイはタランガに答えたとおりに答えた。そのときマフイカは、孫がその火の光の中で自分の前に立っていると分かり、こう言った。「そうだ、わが子よ、おまえが求めた火を受け取るがよい」——そして指の一本を取ってマウイに与えた。

With the fire he now wandered back, but, when he had travelled part of his way, his old cunning overmastered him, and he resolved to take all the fire of Mahuika. Ha, ha!

マウイはその火を持って戻ったが、道の半ばまで来たとき、いつもの狡知が勝ってしまい、マフイカの火をすべて取ろうと決めた。ははあ!

He killed the finger Mahuika had given him in a great water, and went back to his ancestress to ask for another finger, telling her that he had lost the first one.

マウイはマフイカがくれた指を大きな水で殺し、それから祖母のところへ戻って、もう一本の指を求めた。最初のものを失ったと告げてである。

And Mahuika gave him another finger--ha, ha.

そしてマフイカはもう一本の指を与えた——ははあ。

He killed the second finger, too, in the great water, and came back to ask for more; and his ancestress gave him another finger--ha, ha--ah! Maui came again and again, and Mahuika gave him all her fingers till she had only one left--ha, ha! Maui killed them all in the great water; but, when he again came back and asked for the last finger, then Mahuika knew that he wished to deceive her and kill her, and a frightful anger took hold upon her! Ha, she took her last child, her last finger, and threw it upon the world, and the world filled with fire--ha!

マウイは二本目の指も大きな水で殺し、また求めに戻った。そして祖母はまた指を与えた——ははあ——ああ! マウイは何度も何度も来て、マフイカは指をすべて与え、とうとう一本だけ残った——ははあ! マウイはそれをみな大きな水で殺した。けれどもまた戻って来て最後の指を求めたとき、マフイカは、マウイが自分を欺いて殺そうとしているのだと分かり、恐ろしい怒りに取りつかれた! ああ、マフイカは最後の子、最後の指を取って世界に投げつけ、世界は火で満たされた——ああ!

Ah, then Maui began to run!

ああ、そのときマウイは走り始めた!

The flames grew larger and larger, and followed him; he ran into the forests, and the forests caught fire--ah, Maui, my ancestor--ah, he ran into the river, but the river began to boil--ah! He took the form of an eagle, but the flames pursued him high into the air. Ha!--he sang great incantations to Tawhiri-matea and the gods, and they sent clouds of rain. The clouds wandered forth from the end of heaven and burst into rain, and long rain fell upon the fire, and heavy rain, and lasting rain. Through the rain flew Maui, and threw himself into the sea, to save himself from the terrible wrath of his ancestress Mahuika--ah!

炎はいよいよ大きくなって追って来た。マウイは森へ走り込んだが、森が燃え上がった——ああ、マウイ、わたしの祖先よ——ああ、マウイは川へ走り込んだが、川は煮え立ち始めた——ああ! 鷲の姿をとったが、炎は空高くまで追って来た。ああ!——マウイはタウィリ・マテアと神々へ大いなる呪を歌い、神々は雨雲を送った。雲は天の果てからさすらい出て雨となり、長い雨が火の上に降り、激しい雨が、降りやまぬ雨が降った。マウイはその雨を抜けて飛び、海へ身を投げた。祖母マフイカの恐ろしい怒りから自らを救うために——ああ!

Ah, my listener, Maui had almost perished through the terrible fire that filled the world, but Mahuika, ah, Mahuika, she had to perish in the endless floods which fell down upon the world. She knew that she had to die, and she filled the world with terrible cries. With her great swiftness--for is she not the mother of the fire?--she ran and ran to save her child, the flame; and she ran and ran but the flood of the rain always followed her. At last, knowing that she must die, she took her last child, her last finger, and hid it in the Kai-Komaki tree--and then, my listener, the rain has slain the mother of the fire--ah!

ああ聞き手よ、マウイは世界を満たしたあの恐ろしい火でほとんど滅びかけた。けれどもマフイカは、ああマフイカは、世界に降り落ちた果てしない洪水の中で滅びねばならなかった。マフイカは自分が死なねばならないと知り、世界を恐ろしい叫びで満たした。その大いなる速さで——火の母ではないか——走りに走って我が子である炎を救おうとした。走りに走ったが、雨の洪水はいつも追って来た。とうとう死なねばならないと知って、最後の子、最後の指を取って、カイ・コマキの木に隠した——そしてそれから、聞き手よ、雨が火の母を打ち殺したのだ——ああ!

But the Kai-Komaki tree has sheltered up to this day the child of the fire, so that men take its dry wood and rub it together till the flame which once lived in the finger of Mahuika bursts forth to new life again.

けれどもカイ・コマキの木は今日まで火の子をかくまっており、それで人はその乾いた木を取って擦り合わせる。すると、かつてマフイカの指に生きていた炎が、また新しい命に躍り出るのである。

You have heard how Maui cheated his ancestress Mahuika, and nearly perished in the flames. Listen now to the song of his great strength and braveness, that you may know how he once fought and conquered Te Ra, the Sun, himself.

あなたはマウイがどうやって祖母マフイカを欺き、炎の中でほとんど滅びかけたかを聞いた。いまはその大いなる力と勇ましさの歌を聞きなさい。かつてどうやって太陽テ・ラーそのものと戦い、これを打ち負かしたかを知れるように。

These are my words:

これがわたしの言葉である。

They were the days when our ancestors were still living at Tawhiti-nui, the Great Distance.

それは、われらの祖先がまだタウィティ・ヌイ、すなわち大いなる遠方に住んでいたころのことである。

The days were short, and Te Ra, the Sun, wandered through the heavens and through the Lower World; but the days became shorter and shorter, and faster and faster wandered the Sun through the heavens.

昼は短く、太陽テ・ラーは天と下の世界をさすらっていた。けれども昼はいよいよ短くなり、太陽はいよいよ速く天をさすらった。

Ah, the nights grew longer and longer, and in the long nights grew the longing for longer days in the heart of Maui, and out of the longing was born his great cunning plan to fight the Sun and to compel him to create longer days.

ああ、夜はいよいよ長くなり、その長い夜のうちに、もっと長い昼を求める憧れがマウイの胸に育った。そしてその憧れから、太陽と戦ってもっと長い昼を作らせるという、あの大いなる狡知の企てが生まれたのだ。

Ah, listen how he persuades his brothers in Tawhiti-nui to aid him in his work! Frightened were his brothers at first, but, when he showed them his art of making sacred ropes out of the long hair of women, and of forming the ropes into nooses, then the hearts of the brothers lost their fear, and they began to burn with eagerness for the fight.

ああ、タウィティ・ヌイでマウイが兄たちを説いて仕事を助けさせるさまを聞け! 兄たちははじめ怯えていたが、女の長い髪から聖なる縄を作り、その縄を輪縄に仕立てる術を見せられると、兄たちの胸から恐れが去り、戦いへの意気に燃え始めた。

Yes, Maui taught his brothers the art of making ropes, and from him descended his wisdom to my people.

そう、マウイは兄たちに縄を作る術を教え、そしてその知恵はマウイからわたしの民へ伝わった。

At last, my listener, all ropes and nooses were ready, and the brothers burdened themselves with them, and they together started on their distant journey.

とうとう、聞き手よ、縄と輪縄がすべて整い、兄たちはそれを担いで、ともに遠い旅に出た。

Maui took his sacred fish-hook, Muri-Rangi-whenua, the End of Heaven and Land, and showed his brothers the way. They wandered by night, and, as soon as the sacred red broke forth at Mahiku-rangi, they hid themselves under the rocks, that Te Ra might not see them. And again they wandered forth by night till they had wandered many, many nights; and they at last reached the cliffs of the caves out of which Te Ra ascended in the mornings.

マウイは聖なる釣り針ムリ・ランギ・フェヌア、すなわち天と地の果てを取って、兄たちに道を示した。一同は夜にさすらい、マヒク・ランギに聖なる赤が躍り出るとすぐ岩の下に身を隠した。テ・ラーに見られないためである。そしてまた夜にさすらい出て、幾夜も幾夜もさすらい続け、とうとう朝にテ・ラーが昇って来る洞の崖に着いた。

Ha, here they looked for shelter, and Maui warned his brothers not to expose themselves to the arrows of the Sun, that they might not be killed in the battle.

ああ、ここで一同は身を隠す場所を探し、マウイは兄たちに、太陽の矢に身をさらすなと戒めた。戦いで殺されないためである。

Ah, Maui, the hero, he spoke to his brothers till all fear had left their hearts, and the desire filled them to fall upon their enemy; and then Maui showed them how they could catch Te Ra in their ropes; and he showed them how to hold the ropes--tight, tight, and tight, so that the Sun would be powerless and he could kill him with his sacred weapon.

ああ、英雄マウイは、兄たちの胸から恐れがすっかり去り、敵に襲いかかりたい望みが満ちるまで語りかけた。それからテ・ラーを縄で捕らえる仕方を示し、縄をどう握るかを示した——きつく、きつく、きつく。そうすれば太陽は力を失い、自分の聖なる武器で殺せるのだ。

Ha, let the eyes of your mind perceive how Te Ra ascends out of the Lower World--see how he slowly appears in the precipice; see, oh see, how he entangles himself in the strong ropes--how the brothers throw the nooses--Look, ah, the Sun is caught!

ああ、心の目で、テ・ラーが下の世界から昇って来るさまを見て取れ——断崖にゆっくり現れるさまを見よ。見よ、おお見よ、その身を丈夫な縄に絡ませるさまを——兄たちが輪縄を投げるさまを——見よ、ああ、太陽が捕らえられた!

Ha, the brothers hold; they hold tight. Oh, see Maui!--Maui springs forward with his sacred weapon--Te Ra cries!--Ah, Maui beats him; look, he bleeds!--ha, again he beats the Sun; again--again--Te Ra cries wildly!--ah, ah--Maui has broken his wing--O Maui, the hero!--Ha, that is a terrible battle! Oh, see the eyes on Maui’s fish-hook flashing light--see the carvings; ha, see the adornment of sacred dog’s-hair--Ah, his weapon is superbly beautiful! Ha, did you see the arrows of the Sun? Do you see the flashing of his arrows?--Ha, Maui, the brave!--Now, the Sun cries!--friend, she trembles!--she tears--she pulls!--Her blood is covering the whole East of the heaven!--Ha, Maui--Maui----my ancestor! Ha, oh--ha, Te Ra has torn himself free! Ha, beaten by his enemies, bleeding from terrible wounds, with broken wings, with cries of pain he goes his way--slowly--slowly----Oh, Maui!--

ああ、兄たちが握る。きつく握る。おお、マウイを見よ!——マウイが聖なる武器を手に躍り出る——テ・ラーが叫ぶ!——ああ、マウイが打つ。見よ、血を流している!——ああ、また太陽を打つ。また——また——テ・ラーが荒々しく叫ぶ!——ああ、ああ——マウイがその翼を折った——おお英雄マウイ!——ああ、これは恐ろしい戦いだ! おお、マウイの釣り針の目が光を閃かせるのを見よ——彫りを見よ。ああ、聖なる犬の毛の飾りを見よ——ああ、その武器は見事に美しい! ああ、太陽の矢を見たか。その矢の閃きが見えるか。——ああ、勇ましきマウイ!——いま太陽が叫ぶ!——友よ、震えている!——引き裂く——引く!——その血が天の東じゅうを覆っている!——ああ、マウイ——マウイ————わたしの祖先よ! ああ、おお——ああ、テ・ラーが身を振りほどいた! ああ、敵に打たれ、恐ろしい傷から血を流し、翼を折られ、痛みの叫びをあげて、その道を行く——ゆっくり——ゆっくり————おお、マウイ!——

Can you hear Te Ra wailing? Ah, he cries!--What is he crying? Ah, he cries: “Ah, why has man wounded me so terribly?--ah man, do you know that you have wounded Tama-nui-ki-te-Ra? Why would you kill Tama-nui-ki-te-Ra?”

テ・ラーが嘆くのが聞こえるか。ああ、叫んでいる!——何と叫んでいる? ああ、こう叫んでいる。「ああ、なぜ人はわたしをこれほど恐ろしく傷つけたのか。——ああ人よ、おまえはタマ・ヌイ・キ・テ・ラーを傷つけたのだと知っているか。なぜタマ・ヌイ・キ・テ・ラーを殺そうとするのか?」

Ah, my listener--

ああ、聞き手よ——

That was the first time that the great name of the Sun was made known in Hawaiki--Tama-nui-ki-te Ra!--

それが、太陽の偉大な名がハワイキで明かされた最初の時であった——タマ・ヌイ・キ・テ・ラー!——

When Maui heard that great name, his heart glowed in pride, for he knew then that he had fought the greatest battle a hero can fight, that he had conquered the Great Son of the Heaven.

マウイがその偉大な名を聞いたとき、その胸は誇りに輝いた。英雄が戦いうる最も大いなる戦いを戦い、天の偉大な子を打ち負かしたのだと、そのとき分かったからである。

From that time the Sun went slowly over the heavens, so that the days became long again and full of happiness for the people at Hawaiki.

その時から、太陽はゆっくり天を渡るようになり、昼はまた長くなって、ハワイキの人々にとって幸せに満ちたものとなった。

Go, my friend, and remember the words of the old man who is your friend!”

行きなさい、友よ。そしてあなたの友である老人の言葉を覚えておきなさい!」