Manoel Littlebean

The Story of How He Helped His Father

豆つぶのマノエルが父さんを助けた話

Long ago there lived a man and his wife who had no children.

むかし、子どものいない夫婦が住んでいた。

"I wish I had a little boy," said the man.

「男の子がいたらなあ」と夫は言った。

"I'd like a son of my own even if he were not any larger than a little bean," said the woman.

「小さな豆つぶより大きくなくたって、自分の息子がほしいわ」と妻は言った。

Time passed and a son was born to this worthy couple. He was no larger than a little bean and as the years went by he never grew any bigger. His name was Manoel Littlebean. He caused his mother endless trouble by constantly getting lost. Sometimes she'd nearly step on him. Other times he'd fall into the food and she would almost swallow him.

時がたって、この立派な夫婦に息子が生まれた。その子は小さな豆つぶより大きくなく、年がたっても少しも大きくならなかった。名前は豆つぶのマノエルといった。マノエルはしょっちゅう迷子になって、母親にきりのない苦労をかけた。ときには母親があやうくマノエルを踏みつけそうになった。またあるときは食べ物のなかに落ちて、母親があやうく飲み込みそうになった。

One day his mother couldn't find him.

ある日、母親はマノエルを見つけられなかった。

"Manoel Littlebean! Manoel Littlebean!" she called.

「豆つぶのマノエル! 豆つぶのマノエル!」と母親は呼んだ。

There was no answer.

返事はなかった。

She went outside the house and called his name anxiously. There was no reply. She asked all the neighbors if they had seen the child, but there was nobody who had noticed him that day. His poor mother was nearly wild with anxiety.

母親は家の外に出て、心配そうにマノエルの名を呼んだ。返事はなかった。近所の人みんなに子どもを見なかったかと尋ねたが、その日マノエルに気づいた人は誰もいなかった。かわいそうな母親は心配でほとんど気がふれそうだった。

"I'm afraid I'll never see the dear child again," she mourned. "I'm sure I have either stepped on him or swallowed him!"

「もうあのかわいい子に二度と会えないんじゃないかしら」と母親は嘆いた。「きっと踏みつけてしまったか、飲み込んでしまったんだわ!」

"You never stepped on him or swallowed him yet," comforted her husband. However, he added anxiously, "I can't see what has become of my Manoel."

「これまで一度だって踏みつけたことも飲み込んだこともないじゃないか」と夫は慰めた。けれども心配そうにつけ加えた。「マノエルがどうなってしまったのか、わからないな」

The truth of the matter was that Manoel Littlebean had been swallowed by the goat. He was a most active youngster in spite of his small size and he caused the goat a terrible attack of indigestion.

ほんとうのところは、豆つぶのマノエルは山羊に飲み込まれていたのである。マノエルは小さいわりにたいそう元気のいい子だったので、山羊にひどい消化不良を起こさせた。

The goat did not know what was the matter and he tore around so wildly and caused so much destruction that his master decided to kill him.

山羊はどうしたのかわからずに、あまりに荒々しく暴れまわってあまりにたくさんのものを壊したので、主人は山羊を殺すことにした。

"I simply can't be bothered with that goat any longer," he said. "I have quite enough to worry about already with Manoel Littlebean lost and my poor wife nearly sick with anxiety because of it."

「もうあの山羊にかまってはいられない」と主人は言った。「豆つぶのマノエルがいなくなって、かわいそうな女房はそのせいで心配のあまり病気になりかけている。心配ごとはもう十分なんだ」

He never dreamed that it was his son who was making the goat so wild with misery. When the goat was dead he threw it out into the street.

山羊を苦しさで暴れさせているのが自分の息子だとは、主人は夢にも思わなかった。山羊が死ぬと、主人はそれを通りに放り出した。

That night a wolf came and ate the goat. He swallowed the goat's stomach so greedily that Manoel Littlebean had no time to escape. However he jumped about just as actively inside the wolf as he had done when the goat had swallowed him. The wolf was just as uncomfortable as the goat had been.

その夜、狼がやって来て山羊を食べた。狼があまりにがつがつと山羊の胃袋を飲み込んだので、豆つぶのマノエルには逃げる暇がなかった。けれどもマノエルは、山羊に飲み込まれたときとまったく同じように、狼のお腹のなかでも元気よく跳ねまわった。狼も山羊と同じくらい苦しくなった。

"What is the matter with me?" thought the wolf. "Never in my life have I had such a stomachache. I believe I'm going to die."

「おれはどうしたんだろう」と狼は思った。「生まれてこのかた、こんなに腹が痛くなったことはない。死ぬんじゃないだろうか」

He ran away into the forest and crept into a cave to await his end. Inside the cave was a robbers' den. Three of the robbers were there counting over the gold they had just brought back.

狼は森へ逃げていき、最期を待とうと洞穴にもぐり込んだ。その洞穴のなかは泥棒たちの隠れ家だった。三人の泥棒が、持って帰ってきたばかりの金を数えていた。

When they saw the wolf they were so frightened that they dropped their bags of gold and ran away as fast as they could, leaving everything behind them.

泥棒たちは狼を見ると、あまりにおびえて金の袋を放り出し、何もかも置き去りにしてできるかぎりの速さで逃げていった。

Manoel Littlebean guessed that he was making the wolf sick.

豆つぶのマノエルは、自分が狼を具合悪くさせているのだと察した。

"If I can only make him so ill that he will spit me up!" said Manoel to himself as he jumped about his liveliest.

「こいつをうんと具合悪くさせて、ぼくを吐き出させられさえすればなあ!」とマノエルは独りごとを言いながら、いちばん元気よく跳ねまわった。

That is exactly what happened. The wolf spit Manoel Littlebean out.

まさにそのとおりのことが起こった。狼は豆つぶのマノエルを吐き出したのである。

He was decidedly dirty and unattractive, but he didn't mind in the least. He saw the quantities of gold in the robbers' cave and his eyes shone.

マノエルはすっかり汚れて見られたものではなかったが、少しも気にしなかった。泥棒の洞穴にどっさりある金を見て、マノエルの目は輝いた。

"If I can only find my way home to tell my father about it, he will be a rich man!" he cried.

「家に帰る道を見つけて父さんに知らせられさえすれば、父さんはお金持ちになれる!」とマノエルは叫んだ。

It was a long distance home and several times he thought that he had lost his way. Finally, however, he saw his own mother's light in the window. He ran toward it as fast as he could run.

家までは長い道のりで、何度も道に迷ったと思った。けれども、とうとう窓に母親の明かりが見えた。マノエルはできるかぎりの速さでそこへ走っていった。

"Manoel Littlebean, what have you been doing?" cried his mother when she saw him. "Where did you get so dirty? Come, let me give you a bath the first thing!"

「豆つぶのマノエル、いったい何をしていたの!」と母親はマノエルを見て叫んだ。「どこでそんなに汚れたの。さあ、何よりまずお風呂に入れてあげる!」

"Never mind about the bath, mother," said Manoel. "I have more important things to attend to. Where is father?"

「お風呂なんかいいよ、母さん」とマノエルは言った。「もっと大事な用があるんだ。父さんはどこ?」

His mother called her husband and they both forgot how dirty the child was when they heard his story.

母親が夫を呼ぶと、二人ともマノエルの話を聞いて、子どもがどんなに汚れているかを忘れてしまった。

"Let us hurry to the robbers' cave, father," he said. "We must get there before they return."

「泥棒の洞穴へ急ごうよ、父さん」とマノエルは言った。「泥棒たちが戻ってくる前に着かなくちゃ」

"What about the wolf?" asked his mother anxiously.

「狼はどうするの」と母親は心配そうに尋ねた。

Manoel Littlebean laughed.

豆つぶのマノエルは笑った。

"The wolf doesn't have any stomachache now," he said. "He went home long ago."

「狼はもうお腹なんか痛くないよ」とマノエルは言った。「とっくに家へ帰ったさ」

They went to the robbers' cave and brought home the huge sacks full of gold. It was enough to make them live like princes for a lifetime.

一家は泥棒の洞穴へ行って、金のいっぱい詰まった大きな袋を持って帰った。それは一生、王さまのように暮らせるだけの金だった。

"I have the best and cleverest son in the world," said the father.

「わたしは世界でいちばんよくて、いちばん賢い息子を持った」と父親は言った。

"Never in the world was there a son who was such a joy and comfort to his parents," said his mother.

「これほど親の喜びと慰めになった息子は、世界じゅうどこにもいなかったわ」と母親は言った。

Manoel Littlebean was treated by every one as politely as if he had been big.

豆つぶのマノエルは、まるで大きな人であるかのように、誰からも丁重に扱われた。