The Battle of the Crabs

Visayan

ビサヤ

One day the land crabs had a meeting and one of them said:

ある日、陸の蟹たちが集まり、そしてその一匹が言った。

"What shall we do with the waves? They sing so loudly all the time that we cannot possibly sleep."

「あの波をどうしよう。いつでもあんなに高く歌うので、われらはとても眠れない。」

"Well," answered one of the oldest of the crabs, "I think we should make war on them."

「そうだな」と、蟹のうちで最も年老いた一匹が答えた。「あれに戦を仕掛けるべきだと思う。」

The others agreed to this, and it was decided that the next day all the male crabs should get ready to fight the waves. They started for the sea, as agreed, when they met a shrimp.

ほかの者もこれに承知し、そして次の日に雄の蟹がみな波と戦う支度をすることに決まった。取り決めどおりに海へ向かうと、一匹の海老に出会った。

"Where are you going, my friends?" asked the shrimp.

「どこへ行くのだ、友たちよ」と海老は尋ねた。

"We are going to fight the waves," answered the crabs, "for they make so much noise at night that we cannot sleep."

「われらは波と戦いに行くのだ」と蟹たちは答えた。「あれが夜にあまりにうるさいので、われらは眠れないのだ。」

"I do not think you will succeed," said the shrimp, "for the waves are very strong and your legs are so weak that even your bodies bend almost to the ground when you walk." Wherewith he laughed loudly.

「うまくいくとは思えない」と海老は言った。「波はたいそう強く、そしておまえたちの脚はあまりに弱くて、歩くときには体まで地面にほとんど曲がってしまうのだから。」そう言って大声で笑った。

This made the crabs very angry, and they pinched the shrimp until he promised to help them win the battle.

これは蟹たちをたいそう腹立たせ、そして海老が戦いに勝つ助けをすると約束するまで挟んだ。

Then they all went to the shore. But the crabs noticed that the eyes of the shrimp were set unlike their own, so they thought his must be wrong and they laughed at him and said:

それからみなは岸へ行った。けれども蟹たちは、海老の目が自分たちのとは違うふうについているのに気づいた。そこでそれが間違っているのだろうと思って、海老を笑ってこう言った。

"Friend shrimp, your face is turned the wrong way. What weapon have you to fight with the waves?"

「海老の友よ、おまえの顔は逆さまに向いている。波と戦うためにどんな武器を持っているのだ。」

"My weapon is a spear on my head," replied the shrimp, and just then he saw a big wave coming and ran away. The crabs did not see it, however, for they were all looking toward the shore, and they were covered with water and drowned.

「わたしの武器は頭の上の槍だ」と海老は答え、そしてまさにそのとき大きな波が来るのを見て走り去った。けれども蟹たちはそれを見なかった。みな岸のほうを見ていたからである。そして蟹たちは水に覆われて溺れた。

By and by the wives of the crabs became worried because their husbands did not return, and they went down to the shore to see if they could help in the battle. No sooner had they reached the water, however, than the waves rushed over them and killed them.

やがて蟹たちの妻は、夫が帰らないので心配になり、戦いで助けられるかどうか見るために岸へ下りていった。けれども水に着くとすぐに、波が押し寄せて妻たちを殺した。

Some time after this thousands of little crabs appeared near the shore, and the shrimp often visited them and told them of the sad fate of their parents. Even today these little crabs can be seen on the shore, continually running back and forth. They seem to rush down to fight the waves, and then, as their courage fails, they run back to the land where their forefathers lived. They neither live on dry land, as their ancestors did, nor in the sea where the other crabs are, but on the beach where the waves wash over them at high tide and try to dash them to pieces.

それからしばらくして、幾千もの小さな蟹が岸の近くに現れ、そして海老はたびたびそこを訪ねて、その親の悲しい運命を語った。今日でもこの小さな蟹は岸で見ることができ、絶えず行き来している。波と戦うために駆け下りていくように見え、そしてそれから、その勇気が尽きると、先祖が住んでいた陸へ駆け戻る。その先祖のように乾いた陸に住むのでもなく、ほかの蟹がいる海に住むのでもなく、潮が満ちると波が上を洗って砕こうとする浜に住んでいるのである。