The Creation

Igorot

イゴロット

In the beginning there were no people on the earth. Lumawig, [93] the Great Spirit, came down from the sky and cut many reeds. [94] He divided these into pairs which he placed in different parts of the world, and then he said to them, "You must speak." Immediately the reeds became people, and in each place was a man and a woman who could talk, but the language of each couple differed from that of the others.

初めのころ、地には人がいなかった。大いなる霊ルマウィグ [93] が天から下りてきて、数多くの葦を切った。[94] それを二本ずつに分けて世のそれぞれのところに置き、そしてそれからこう言った。「おまえたちは話さなければならない。」たちまち葦は人になり、そしてそれぞれの場所に話すことのできる男と女がいた。けれどもそれぞれの二人の言葉は、ほかの二人のものとは違っていた。

Then Lumawig commanded each man and woman to marry, which they did. By and by there were many children, all speaking the same language as their parents. These, in turn, married and had many children. In this way there came to be many people on the earth.

それからルマウィグはそれぞれの男と女に夫婦になるよう命じ、そして二人はそうした。やがて数多くの子ができ、みなその親と同じ言葉を話した。この子たちも順に夫婦になって数多くの子を持った。こうして地には数多くの人がいるようになった。

Now Lumawig saw that there were several things which the people on the earth needed to use, so he set to work to supply them. He created salt, and told the inhabitants of one place to boil it down and sell it to their neighbors. But these people could not understand the directions of the Great Spirit, and the next time he visited them, they had not touched the salt.

さてルマウィグは、地の人々が使う必要のあるものがいくつかあるのを見て、それを与える仕事に取りかかった。彼は塩を創り、ある場所に住む者たちに、それを煮詰めて隣人に売るようにと告げた。けれどもこの人々は大いなる霊の指図を解することができず、そして次に霊が訪ねたとき、彼らは塩に手をつけていなかった。

Then he took it away from them and gave it to the people of a place called Mayinit. [95] These did as he directed, and because of this he told them that they should always be owners of the salt, and that the other peoples must buy of them.

それから霊は彼らから塩を取り上げて、マイニット [95] という場所の人々に与えた。この人々は指図されたとおりにした。そしてそのため霊は彼らに、おまえたちはいつまでも塩の持ち主であり、ほかの民はおまえたちから買わなければならないと告げた。

Then Lumawig went to the people of Bontoc and told them to get clay and make pots. They got the clay, but they did not understand the moulding, and the jars were not well shaped. Because of their failure, Lumawig told them that they would always have to buy their jars, and he removed the pottery to Samoki. [96] When he told the people there what to do, they did just as he said, and their jars were well shaped and beautiful. Then the Great Spirit saw that they were fit owners of the pottery, and he told them that they should always make many jars to sell.

それからルマウィグはボントクの人々のところへ行って、粘土を取って壺を作るようにと告げた。人々は粘土を取ったけれども、形づくり方を解さず、そして甕はうまく形が整わなかった。うまくいかなかったので、ルマウィグは彼らに、いつまでも甕を買わなければならないだろうと告げ、そして焼き物をサモキ [96] へ移した。そこの人々に何をすべきかを告げると、彼らは言われたとおりにし、そしてその甕はよく形が整って美しかった。それから大いなる霊は、彼らが焼き物のふさわしい持ち主だと見て取り、そして売るための甕をいつまでも数多く作るようにと告げた。

In this way Lumawig taught the people and brought to them all the things which they now have.

こうしてルマウィグは人々に教え、いまその手にあるものすべてをもたらした。