Maui and Irawaru: a Tradition

The Sun is setting, and our canoe is gliding, slowly, with the tide, up the river. Hupene, sitting in the prow, is staring to the west, and mutters lowly to himself; Ngawai plays lazily with the paddle, and is listening to what the old man is muttering, while the sandhills slowly pass by.

太陽が沈みかけ、われらの舟は潮に乗ってゆっくり川を上って滑っている。舳先に座るフペネは西を見つめ、低く独りごちている。ンガワイは櫂でのんびり遊びながら、老人が呟くことに耳を澄ませ、そのあいだ砂丘がゆっくり過ぎていく。

Hupene is staring into the broad reflexion of the Sun over the sea, but he has to close his eyes; and, bending his head, he commences a low-toned chant. Of Maui he sings, yes, of Maui, the hero of his people.

フペネは海の上に広がる太陽の照り返しを見つめているが、目を閉じねばならない。そして頭を垂れて、低い調子の唱えを始める。マウイのことを歌うのだ。そう、マウイ、その民の英雄のことを。

He sings how Maui and Irawaru once went together out to catch fish, and how Maui could not catch any, and Irawaru caught many.

かつてマウイとイラワルが一緒に魚を捕りに出て、マウイは一匹も捕れず、イラワルは多く捕ったことを歌う。

Lower sinks the Sun whilst Hupene is murmuring, and the mighty spectacle of the sunset illustrates his chant. There is the Sun God Maui ready to steer his Sun-canoe into the Lower Worlds again, singing his song of farewell to his sister Hinauri, the earth.

フペネが呟くあいだ、太陽はいよいよ低く沈み、日没の壮大な眺めがその唱えを絵にしていく。あそこに太陽の神マウイがいて、その太陽の舟をまた下の世界へ操ろうとしながら、妹ヒナウリ、すなわち大地への別れの歌を歌っている。

Irawaru, the husband of Hinauri, had followed Maui in the morning upon the sea, to catch fish--Irawaru is the reflexion of the sun over the sea, wandering forth with the sun in the mornings to catch fish--what else could a man do on the sea?

ヒナウリの夫イラワルは、朝にマウイに従って海へ出て魚を捕っていた——イラワルは海の上の太陽の照り返しであり、朝に太陽とともにさすらい出て魚を捕るのだ——海の上で人がほかに何をしよう。

Maui’s fish-lines are the rays, shining through and between the clouds, and his sharp-pointed fish-lines may enter deep into the sea among the fish, but, having no barbs, they are not able to hold and land the fish in his canoe. But Irawaru’s fishing-lines have many barbs, which you may see in the ripple of the water, and you may see too, the fish caught, and playing among Irawaru’s fish-lines.

マウイの釣り糸は光の筋で、雲を抜け、雲のあいだから射している。その鋭く尖った釣り糸は海の奥深く魚のあいだへ入ってゆけるが、返しが無いので、魚を留めて舟に上げることはできない。けれどもイラワルの釣り糸には多くの返しがあり、それは水の小波の中に見える。そして捕らえられた魚が、イラワルの釣り糸のあいだで戯れているのも見えるだろう。

“Ah” (sings Hupene) “Irawaru caught many fish, a great many, and therefore Maui, who had not caught a single one became very angry, and in his wrath he entangled the fish-lines! Irawaru’s line had caught a fish, and Maui, feeling it tear and try to free itself, hauled up the lines with all his might. Ha, when he lifts the fish now out of the water, he sees that it is caught by Irawaru, but he also sees the secret of the barbs on Irawaru’s fish-hook.”

「ああ」(とフペネは歌う)「イラワルは多くの魚を捕った、たいそう多くを。それで一匹も捕れなかったマウイはたいそう腹を立て、その怒りのうちに釣り糸を絡ませた! イラワルの糸が魚を捕らえており、マウイはそれが引いて逃れようとするのを感じて、力いっぱい糸を引き上げた。ああ、いま魚を水から持ち上げると、それがイラワルに捕らえられたものだと分かる。けれども同時に、イラワルの釣り針の返しの秘密も分かってしまう。」

The Sun is nearly touching the sea; Hupene is smiling cunningly to himself, and the canoe is gliding noiseless in the broad Reflexion of the Sun.

太陽はほとんど海に触れている。フペネは狡そうに自らに微笑み、舟は太陽の広い照り返しの中を音もなく滑っていく。

“Yes, Maui wanted to kill Irawaru, because he had deceived him with his barbs. His face becomes red with rage, and he asks Irawaru to help him land his Sun-canoe upon the shores of the Lower World, for he had reached Mahiku-rangi, the End of Heaven. Maui is cunning, and Irawaru, not knowing Maui’s wrath, crawls under the Sun-canoe to help him lift it upon the shores of the Lower World, when Maui, with all his mighty strength, began to jump in the canoe, pressing it down, and nearly killing Irawaru. Then, springing out of his canoe, he jumped and danced upon Irawaru till his body grew longer and longer and took the form of a tail; and then with incantations Maui changed Irawaru into a dog.”

「そう、マウイはイラワルを殺したかった。返しで自分を欺いたからである。その顔は怒りで赤くなり、イラワルに、太陽の舟を下の世界の岸へ引き上げるのを手伝ってくれと頼む。マヒク・ランギ、天の果てに着いていたからである。マウイは狡く、イラワルはマウイの怒りを知らずに、下の世界の岸へ舟を持ち上げるのを手伝おうと舟の下へ這い込む。そのときマウイはその力あるかぎりの強さで舟の中で跳び始め、舟を押し下げて、イラワルをほとんど殺してしまう。それから舟から躍り出て、イラワルの上で跳び踊り、とうとうその体はいよいよ長くなって尾の形をとった。そしてそれからマウイは呪でイラワルを犬に変えたのだ。」

So sings Hupene. The blood-red Sun seems to tremble and dance, before he sinks below the sea: he changes Irawaru into a dog which is now running as the last shade of light upon the mountains, whilst the Sun is entering the Lower World.

フペネはこう歌う。血のように赤い太陽は、海の下に沈む前に震え踊るように見える。太陽はイラワルを犬に変え、その犬がいま光の最後の影として山の上を走っている。そのあいだ太陽は下の世界へ入っていく。

Our canoe is putting ashore to leave Hupene behind; but his sing-song is not ended yet, and he is standing on the shore before the golden evening-sky, and finishes his song, which Ngawai in the noiselessly on-gliding canoe is listening to and translating:

われらの舟はフペネを降ろすために岸に着けようとしている。けれどもその歌はまだ終わっていない。フペネは黄金の夕空を背に岸に立って歌を終え、それを音もなく滑り続ける舟の中でンガワイが聞き、訳している。

“Hinauri asked the parting Maui what he had done to her husband, for she did not see him coming back with him, and Maui answered that Irawaru had crawled among the bushes on the mountain; that she must go and call out to him: mo-i-mo-i, Irawaru, mo-i-mo-i. Hinauri did as she was told, and called and called, till at last a dog came running towards her, and she knew it was Irawaru, her husband, whom Maui had so cruelly changed into a dog. She broke out in a great lament, and at last she cast herself into the sea.”

「ヒナウリは去りゆくマウイに、わたしの夫に何をしたのかと問うた。マウイと一緒に戻って来るのが見えなかったからである。そしてマウイは、イラワルは山の茂みのあいだに這い込んだ、行ってこう呼びかけよと答えた。モイ・モイ、イラワル、モイ・モイ、と。ヒナウリは言われたとおりにして、呼びに呼び、とうとう一匹の犬が走って来た。そしてそれが夫イラワル、マウイがあれほど無情にも犬に変えてしまった夫だと分かった。ヒナウリは大きな嘆きに崩れ、そしてとうとう海へ身を投げた。」

The earth follows the parting sun into the darkness.

大地は去りゆく太陽を追って闇へ入っていく。