The Story of Sayen

Tinguian

ティンギアン

In the depths of a dark forest where people seldom went, lived a wizened old Alan. [70] The skin on her wrinkled face was as tough as a carabao hide, and her long arms with fingers pointing back from the wrist were horrible to look at. Now this frightful creature had a son whose name was Sayen, and he was as handsome as his mother was ugly. He was a brave man, also, and often went far away alone to fight.

人がめったに行かない暗い森の奥に、しなびた年老いたアラン [70] が住んでいた。その皺だらけの顔の皮はカラバオの革のように固く、そして手首から後ろへ向いた指のついた長い腕は、見るのも恐ろしかった。さてこの恐ろしい者にはサイエンという名の息子がいて、その子は母が醜いのと同じだけ見目がよかった。また勇ましい男でもあって、たびたびひとりで遠くへ戦いに行った。

On these journeys Sayen sometimes met beautiful girls, and though he wanted to marry, he could not decide upon one. Hearing that one Danepan was more beautiful than any other, he determined to go and ask her to be his wife.

こうした旅でサイエンはときおり美しい娘たちに出会った。そして夫婦になりたいと思ったけれども、一人に決めることができなかった。ダネパンという娘が誰よりも美しいと聞いて、彼は行って妻になってくれと頼もうと決めた。

Now Danepan was very shy, and when she heard that Sayen was coming to her house she hid behind the door and sent her servant, Laey, out to meet him. And so it happened that Sayen, not seeing Danepan, married Laey, thinking that she was her beautiful mistress. He took her away to a house he had built at the edge of the forest, for though he wished to be near his old home, he dared not allow his bride to set eyes on his ugly mother.

さてダネパンはたいそう恥ずかしがりで、サイエンが自分の家へ来ると聞くと、戸の後ろに隠れて、召使のラエイを出て迎えに行かせた。そしてそれで、サイエンはダネパンを見ずに、これがあの美しい主人だと思ってラエイと夫婦になった。彼は妻を森の端に建てた家へ連れていった。古い自分の家の近くにいたかったけれども、醜い母を嫁の目に触れさせる勇気はなかったからである。

For some time they lived happily together here, and then one day when Sayen was making a plow under his house, he heard Laey singing softly to their baby in the room above, and this is what she sang:

しばらくのあいだ二人はここで幸せに暮らした。そしてそれからある日、サイエンが家の下で鋤を作っていると、ラエイが上の部屋で赤子にそっと歌っているのが聞こえた。そしてその歌はこうであった。

"Sayen thinks I am Danepan, but Laey I am. Sayen thinks I am Danepan, but Laey I am."

「サイエンはわたしをダネパンだと思っている、でもわたしはラエイ。サイエンはわたしをダネパンだと思っている、でもわたしはラエイ。」

When Sayen heard this he knew that he had been deceived, and he pondered long what he should do.

これを聞いたとき、サイエンは自分が騙されていたと知り、そしてどうしたものかと長く思い巡らした。

The next morning he went to the field to plow, for it was near the rice-planting time. Before he left the house he called to his wife:

次の朝、彼は鋤きに畑へ行った。稲を植える時が近かったからである。家を出る前に彼は妻に呼びかけた。

"When the sun is straight above, you and the baby bring food to me, for I shall be busy in the field."

「日が真上に来たら、おまえと赤子でわたしに食べ物を持ってきてくれ。畑で忙しくしているだろうから。」

Before he began to plow, however, he cut the bamboo supports of the bridge which led to the field, so that when Laey and the baby came with his food, they had no sooner stepped on the bridge than it went down with them and they were drowned. Sayen was again free. He took his spear and his shield and head-ax and went at once to the town of Danepan, and there he began killing the people on all sides.

けれども鋤き始める前に、彼は畑へ通じる橋の竹の支えを切った。それでラエイと赤子が食べ物を持って来たとき、橋に足を乗せたとたんに橋は二人とともに落ち、そして二人は溺れてしまった。サイエンはまた自由になった。彼は槍と盾と首斬り斧を取ってすぐにダネパンの村へ行き、そしてそこで四方の人々を殺し始めた。

Terror spread through the town. No one could stop his terrible work of destruction until Danepan came down out of her house, and begged him to spare part of the people that she might have some from whom to borrow fire. [71] Her great beauty amazed him and he ceased killing, and asked her to prepare some betel-nut for him to chew, as he was very tired. She did so, and when he had chewed the nut he spat on the people he had killed and they came to life again. Then he married Danepan and took her to his home.

恐れが村じゅうに広がった。誰もこの恐ろしい滅ぼしの働きを止められなかった。ダネパンが家から降りてきて、火を借りる相手がいるように人々の一部は助けてくれと頼むまでは。[71] その大きな美しさは彼を驚き呆れさせ、そこで彼は殺すのをやめて、たいそう疲れているので噛むビンロウの実を用意してくれと頼んだ。彼女はそうした。そして彼がその実を噛むと、殺した人々に唾を吐きかけ、すると人々は生き返った。それから彼はダネパンと夫婦になって、自分の家へ連れていった。

Now it happened about this time that the people of Magosang were in great trouble. At the end of a successful hunt, while they were dividing the meat among themselves, the Komow, [72] a murderous spirit that looks like a man, would come to them and ask how many they had caught. If they answered, "Two," then he would say that he had caught two also; and when they went home, they would find two people in the town dead. As often as they went to hunt the Komow did this, and many of the people of Magosang were dead and those living were in great fear. Finally they heard of the brave man, Sayen, and they begged him to help them. Sayen listened to all they told, and then said:

さてそのころ、マゴサンの人々が大きな困りごとを抱えていた。首尾よく狩りを終えて肉を分け合っているとき、コモウ、[72] すなわち人のように見える殺しをする霊が彼らのもとへ来て、何頭捕ったかと尋ねるのである。「二頭」と答えると、その霊は自分も二人捕ったと言う。そして家へ帰ると、村で二人が死んでいるのを見つけるのだった。狩りに行くたびにコモウはこうして、そしてマゴサンの人々の数多くが死に、生きている者は大きな恐れのうちにあった。とうとう彼らは勇ましい男サイエンのことを聞き、そして助けてくれと願った。サイエンは彼らの話をみな聞いて、それからこう言った。

"I will go with you to hunt, and while you are dividing the meat, I will hide behind the trees. When the Komow comes to ask how many deer you have, he will smell me, but you must say that you do not know where I am,"

「わたしはあなたがたと一緒に狩りに行こう。そしてあなたがたが肉を分けているあいだ、わたしは木の後ろに隠れていよう。コモウが来て鹿を何頭捕ったかと尋ねたら、そいつはわたしの匂いを嗅ぐだろう。けれどもあなたがたは、わたしがどこにいるか知らないと言わなければならない。」

So the people went to hunt, and when they had killed two deer, they singed them over a fire and began to divide them. Just then the Komow arrived and said:

そこで人々は狩りに行った。そして鹿を二頭捕ると、火で毛を焼いて分け始めた。まさにそのとき、コモウが着いてこう言った。

"How many have you?"

「何頭捕った。」

"We have two," replied the people.

「二頭です」と人々は答えた。

"I have two also," said the Komow, "but I smell Sayen."

「わたしも二人捕った」とコモウは言った。「だがサイエンの匂いがする。」

"We do not know where Sayen is," answered the people; and just then he sprang out and killed the Komow, and the people were greatly relieved.

「サイエンがどこにいるかは知りません」と人々は答えた。そしてまさにそのとき彼が跳び出してコモウを殺し、そして人々はたいそう安堵した。

Now when Kaboniyan, [73] a great spirit, heard what Sayen had done, he went to him and said:

さて大いなる霊カボニヤン [73] がサイエンのしたことを聞くと、彼のところへ行ってこう言った。

"Sayen you are a brave man because you have killed the Komow, Tomorrow I will fight with you. You must remain on the low ground by the river, and I will go to the hill above."

「サイエンよ、おまえはコモウを殺したから勇ましい男だ。明日わたしがおまえと戦おう。おまえは川のかたわらの低い地に留まれ。わたしはその上の丘へ行く。」

So the following day Sayen went to the low ground by the river. He had not waited long before he heard a great sound like a storm, and he knew that Kaboniyan was coming. He looked up, and there stood the great warrior, poising his spear which was as large as a big tree.

そこで次の日、サイエンは川のかたわらの低い地へ行った。長く待たないうちに嵐のような大きな音が聞こえ、そしてカボニヤンが来るのだと分かった。見上げると、そこにあの偉大な戦士が立って、大きな木ほどもある槍を構えていた。

"Are you brave, Sayen?" called he in a voice like thunder as he threw the weapon.

「おまえは勇ましいか、サイエン」と、雷のような声でその者は呼びかけ、武器を投げた。

"Yes," answered Sayen, and he caught the spear.

「そうだ」とサイエンは答えて、槍を受け止めた。

This surprised Kaboniyan, and he threw his head-ax which was as large as the roof of a house, and Sayen caught that also. Then Kaboniyan saw that this was indeed a brave man, and he went down to Sayen and they fought face to face until both were tired, but neither could overcome the other.

これはカボニヤンを驚かせた。そこで家の屋根ほどもある首斬り斧を投げ、そしてサイエンはそれも受け止めた。それからカボニヤンは、これはまことに勇ましい男だと見て取り、サイエンのところへ下りていって、二人は向かい合って双方が疲れるまで戦った。けれどもどちらも相手を打ち負かすことはできなかった。

When Kaboniyan saw that in Sayen he had found one as strong and brave even as himself, he proposed that they go together to fight the people of different towns. And they started out at once. Many people were killed by this strong pair, and why they themselves could never be captured was a great mystery. For it was not known that one was the spirit Kaboniyan, and the other the son of an Alan.

カボニヤンは、サイエンのうちに自分と同じだけ強く勇ましい者を見つけたと知ると、ともにそれぞれの村の人々と戦いに行こうと申し出た。そして二人はすぐに出かけた。数多くの人がこの強い二人に殺され、そして二人自身が決して捕らえられなかったのは大きな謎であった。一人が霊カボニヤンであり、もう一人がアランの息子であることは知られていなかったからである。

If he was surrounded in a river, Sayen would become a fish [74] and hide so that people could not find him. And if he was entrapped in a town, he would become a chicken and go under the house in a chicken-coop. In this way he escaped many times.

川で取り囲まれると、サイエンは魚になって [74] 隠れ、それで人々は見つけられなかった。そして村で罠にかけられると、鶏になって家の下の鶏小屋に入った。こうして彼は何度も逃れた。

Finally one night after he had killed many in one town, the people decided to watch him, and they saw him go to roost with the chickens. The next day they placed a fish trap under the house near the chicken-coop, and that night when Sayen went under the house he was caught in the trap and killed.

とうとうある夜、ある村で数多くを殺したあと、人々は彼を見張ることに決め、そして彼が鶏とともにねぐらに入るのを見た。次の日、人々は鶏小屋の近くの家の下に魚を捕る罠を置いた。そしてその夜、サイエンが家の下へ入ったとき、罠にかかって殺された。