Magbangal

Bukidnon (Mindanao)

ブキドノン(ミンダナオ)

Magbangal was a good hunter, and he often went to a certain hill where he killed wild pigs for food. One night as it was nearing the planting season, he sat in his house thinking, and after a long time he called to his wife. She came to him, and he said:

マグバンガルは良い狩人で、たびたびある丘へ行って食べるための猪を殺した。植えつけの季節が近づいたある夜、彼は自分の家に座って考え、そして長いあいだのあと妻に呼びかけた。妻が来ると、彼は言った。

"Tomorrow I shall go to the hill and clear the land for our planting, but I wish you to stay here."

「明日わたしは丘へ行って、植えつけのために土地を開く。けれどもおまえはここに留まってほしい。」

"Oh, let me go with you," begged his wife, "for you have no other companion."

「ああ、一緒に行かせてください」と妻は願った。「ほかに連れがいないのですから。」

"No," said Magbangal, "I wish to go alone, and you must stay at home."

「いや」とマグバンガルは言った。「ひとりで行きたいのだ。そしておまえは家にいなければならない。」

So finally his wife agreed, and in the morning she arose early to prepare food for him. When the rice was cooked and the fish ready she called him to come and eat, but he said:

そこでとうとう妻は承知し、そして朝には食べ物を用意するために早く起きた。米が炊けて魚の支度ができると、来て食べてくれと呼んだけれども、彼は言った。

"No, I do not want to eat now, but I will return this afternoon and you must have it ready for me."

「いや、いまは食べたくない。だが午後に帰るから、そのときに用意しておいてくれ。」

Then he gathered up his ten hatchets and bolos, [118] a sharpening stone, and a bamboo tube for water, and started for the hill. Upon reaching his land he cut some small trees to make a bench. When it was finished, he sat down on it and said to the bolos, "You bolos must sharpen yourselves on the stone." And the bolos went to the stone and were sharpened. Then to the hatchets he said, "You hatchets must be sharpened," and they also sharpened themselves.

それから彼は十の手斧と刃物、[118] 研ぎ石、そして水を入れる竹の筒を集めて、丘へ向かった。自分の土地に着くと、腰掛けを作るために小さな木を何本か切った。でき上がるとそれに腰を下ろして、刃物に言った。「刃物よ、おまえたちは自分で石で研げ。」すると刃物は石のところへ行って研がれた。それから手斧にこう言った。「手斧よ、おまえたちは研がれなければならない。」すると手斧も自分で研がれた。

When all were ready, he said: "Now you bolos cut all the small brush under the trees, and you hatchets must cut the large trees." So the bolos and the hatchets went to work, and from his place on the bench Magbangal could see the land being cleared.

みな支度ができると、彼は言った。「さて刃物よ、おまえたちは木の下の小さな茂みをすべて刈れ。そして手斧よ、おまえたちは大きな木を切らなければならない。」そこで刃物と手斧は仕事に取りかかり、そして腰掛けの自分の場所からマグバンガルは土地が開かれていくのを見ることができた。

Magbangal's wife was at work in their house weaving a skirt, but when she heard the trees continually falling she stopped to listen and thought to herself, "My husband must have found many people to help him clear our land. When he left here, he was alone, but surely he cannot cut down the trees so fast. I will see who is helping him."

マグバンガルの妻は家で腰布を織って働いていた。けれども木が絶えず倒れる音を聞いて、手を止めて耳を澄ませ、そしてひとりでこう思った。「夫は土地を開くのを助けてくれる人を数多く見つけたのだろう。ここを出たときはひとりだったけれど、あんなに速く木を切り倒せるはずがない。誰が助けているのか見に行こう。」

She left the house and walked rapidly toward the field, but as she drew nearer she proceeded more slowly, and finally stopped behind a tree. From her hiding-place, she could see her husband asleep on the bench, and she could also see that the bolos and hatchets were cutting the trees with no hands to guide them.

彼女は家を出て畑へ足早に歩いた。けれども近づくにつれてゆっくり進み、そしてとうとう木の後ろで立ち止まった。隠れた場所から、夫が腰掛けで眠っているのが見え、そしてまた、刃物と手斧が導く手もなく木を切っているのも見えた。

"Oh," said she, "Magbangal is very powerful. Never before have I seen bolos and hatchets working without hands, and he never told me of his power."

「ああ」と彼女は言った。「マグバンガルはたいそう力がある。刃物と手斧が手もなく働いているのを見たことなど一度もない。それにわたしにその力のことを一度も告げてくれなかった。」

Suddenly she saw her husband jump up, and, seizing a bolo, he cut off one of his own arms. He awoke and sat up and said:

不意に彼女は、夫が跳び上がり、そして刃物を摑んで自分の腕の一本を切り落とすのを見た。彼は目を覚まして身を起こし、こう言った。

"Someone must be looking at me, for one of my arms is cut off."

「誰かがわたしを見ていたのだろう。腕の一本が切り落とされているのだから。」

When he saw his wife he knew that she was the cause of his losing his arm, and as they went home together, he exclaimed:

妻を見たとき、彼は妻が自分の腕を失った原因だと知り、そしてともに家へ帰りながらこう言い放った。

"Now I am going away. It is better for me to go to the sky where I can give the sign to the people when it is time to plant; and you must go to the water and become a fish."

「いまわたしは去ろう。天へ行って、植えつけの時が来たときに人々に兆しを与えるほうがよい。そしておまえは水へ行って魚になるがよい。」

Soon after he went to the sky and became the constellation Magbangal; and ever since, when the people see these stars appear in the sky, they know that it is time to plant their rice.

ほどなく彼は天へ行ってマグバンガルの星座になった。そしてそれからずっと、人々はこの星が天に現れるのを見ると、稲を植える時が来たと知るのである。