Maria-of-the-Forest

The Story of a King and His Fate

ある王とその運命の話

Once upon a time there was a young king who went into the deep forest on a hunting expedition. He and his favorite page became separated from the rest of the party and soon they realized that they were lost. As night approached they found the rude hut of a charcoal burner and begged for permission to pass the night there. They were received most hospitably.

むかしむかし、一人の若い王が深い森へ狩りに出かけた。王とお気に入りの小姓は一行からはぐれてしまい、まもなく道に迷ったことに気づいた。夜が近づくと、二人は炭焼きの粗末な小屋を見つけて、そこでひと晩過ごさせてほしいと頼んだ。二人はたいそう手厚くもてなされた。

Just at the hour of midnight the king was awakened from his sleep by a voice. This is what it said:

ちょうど真夜中に、王は声に眠りを覚まされた。声はこう言った。

"Here in this hut is born to-night The maiden of your fate: You can't escape your lot, young king; Your fate for you will wait.

「今宵この小屋に生まれるは そなたの運命の乙女。 若き王よ、定めからは逃れられぬ。 運命はそなたを待つであろう。

'Tis fate--'tis fate--'tis fate."

「それが運命——運命——運命」

The king turned over on his pillow and tried to sleep, but the strange voice kept ringing in his ears. He rose early.

王は枕の上で寝返りを打って眠ろうとしたが、不思議な声がいつまでも耳に鳴り響いた。王は早く起きた。

As soon as he saw the charcoal burner the man said: "A baby daughter was born to me last night."

王が顔を合わせるやいなや、炭焼きは言った。「ゆうべ、女の赤ん坊が生まれました」

"At what time?" asked the king.

「何時にだ」と王は尋ねた。

"It was just midnight," replied the charcoal burner.

「ちょうど真夜中でした」と炭焼きは答えた。

The king awakened his page and told him what had happened.

王は小姓を起こして、起こったことを話した。

"I refuse to wed any maid born in this poor hut," he said. "You must help me to escape this fate."

「こんな貧しい小屋で生まれた娘と結婚するのはごめんだ」と王は言った。「この運命から逃れるのを手伝え」

"What can I do about it?" asked the page, yawning.

「どうしろとおっしゃるので」と小姓はあくびをしながら尋ねた。

"You must steal this babe this very day and put it to death," said the king sternly.

「今日のうちにその赤ん坊を盗み出して殺すのだ」と王はきびしく言った。

The page did not dare refuse, and easily obtained possession of the baby when no one was looking. He carried her away into the deep forest, but he did not have the heart to put an innocent babe to death. He left her in a hollow tree, wrapped up in the bright red sash he wore.

小姓は断る勇気がなく、誰も見ていないすきにたやすく赤ん坊を手に入れた。小姓は赤ん坊を深い森の奥へ運んでいったが、罪のない赤ん坊を殺す気にはとてもなれなかった。小姓は自分の締めていた真っ赤な飾り帯で赤ん坊をくるみ、木のうろのなかに置いてきた。

When he had returned to the king he confessed that he had been too tender-hearted to slay the baby. The king was angry.

王のもとへ戻ると、小姓は、心がやさしすぎて赤ん坊を殺せなかったと打ち明けた。王は腹を立てた。

"Take me to the baby," he said. "I'll do the deed myself."

「赤ん坊のところへ連れていけ」と王は言った。「わたしが自分でやる」

Though they searched long and faithfully they were unable to find the hollow tree where the baby had been left. They, of course, did not wish to return to the hut of the charcoal burner, and at length they found their way out of the deep forest.

二人は長いあいだ懸命に探したが、赤ん坊を置いた木のうろはどうしても見つからなかった。もちろん炭焼きの小屋には戻りたくなかったので、二人はとうとう深い森から抜け出す道を見つけた。

"No one will ever discover that baby if I could not find it myself! She will soon die without food," said the page.

「わたしが自分で見つけられないのだから、あの赤ん坊は誰にも見つかりはしません! 食べ物がなければじきに死んでしまうでしょう」と小姓は言った。

The king agreed that it was quite impossible for the babe to escape death, but he could not forget the strange voice which had said:

王は、赤ん坊が死を逃れるのはまったく無理だと認めた。けれども、こう言ったあの不思議な声を忘れることはできなかった。

"Here in this hut is born to-night The maiden of your fate: You can't escape your lot, young king; Your fate for you will wait.

「今宵この小屋に生まれるは そなたの運命の乙女。 若き王よ、定めからは逃れられぬ。 運命はそなたを待つであろう。

'Tis fate--'tis fate--'tis fate."

「それが運命——運命——運命」

Now it happened that very day that a woodcutter was working in the forest. Suddenly he heard what sounded like the cry of a baby.

さて、ちょうどその日、一人の木こりが森で働いていた。突然、木こりは赤ん坊の泣き声のようなものを耳にした。

"There can't be a child here in the deep forest," he said to himself and went on with his work.

「こんな深い森のなかに子どもがいるはずがない」と木こりは独りごとを言って、仕事を続けた。

The cry continued, however, and it sounded very near, almost under the woodcutter's feet. He looked into the hollow log and there he found a dimpled baby girl wrapped in a bright red sash.

けれども泣き声はやまず、しかもすぐ近く、ほとんど木こりの足もとから聞こえるようだった。木こりがうろのある丸太をのぞき込むと、そこに、真っ赤な飾り帯にくるまった、えくぼのある女の赤ん坊がいた。

"Poor little thing! Her own mother has abandoned her. My good wife will be a mother to her," he said.

「かわいそうに! 実の母親に捨てられたんだな。うちのよい女房がこの子の母親になってくれるだろう」と木こりは言った。

The woodcutter's wife had no children of her own and received the baby gladly. She named her Maria-of-the-forest. As the days flew by and the babe thrived under her care, she could not have loved her more had she been her own child.

木こりの妻には自分の子どもがいなかったので、喜んで赤ん坊を迎えた。妻は赤ん坊を森のマリアと名づけた。日々が飛ぶように過ぎ、赤ん坊が妻の世話ですくすく育つにつれて、妻はたとえ自分の子であってもこれ以上は愛せないほど赤ん坊を愛した。

The weeks and months passed and soon the little Maria-of-the-forest had grown into a lovely little girl five years old. Her kind foster mother made a bonnet for her out of the bright red sash which she had found wrapped about her the first time she saw her. It made Maria's dark eyes look even brighter than before.

週が過ぎ月が過ぎ、じきに小さな森のマリアは五つの愛らしい女の子になった。親切な育ての母は、初めて見つけたときにマリアをくるんでいた真っ赤な飾り帯で、マリアに頭巾をこしらえてやった。それをかぶると、マリアの黒い瞳はいっそう輝いて見えた。

Now it happened that the king and his page were again hunting in the forest and passed by the house of the wood cutter. The page noticed the pretty little girl and the red bonnet she wore. He called her to him and examined it carefully.

さて、たまたま王と小姓がまた森で狩りをしていて、木こりの家のそばを通りかかった。小姓はかわいい女の子と、その子のかぶっている赤い頭巾に目を留めた。小姓は女の子を呼び寄せて、頭巾をよく調べた。

"There can be no doubt that material is from my own red sash," he confessed to the king. "This woodcutter's daughter could have such a bonnet as this in no other way."

「この布がわたしの赤い飾り帯のものなのはまちがいありません」と小姓は王に打ち明けた。「木こりの娘がこんな頭巾を持っているのは、ほかに考えようがありません」

The king bade him make inquiries about the child and soon the page found out that the little maid was in truth the baby he had left in the hollow tree. The king ordered him again to steal her. This time the king plotted her death by drowning. He had a box made for her, put her in it, and threw her into the sea with his own hand.

王は小姓にその子のことを調べるよう命じ、じきに小姓は、その小さな娘がまさしく自分が木のうろに置いてきた赤ん坊だと突き止めた。王はまた娘を盗み出すよう命じた。今度は、王は娘を溺れさせて殺そうとたくらんだ。王は娘のために箱をこしらえさせ、娘をそのなかに入れて、自分の手で海に投げ込んだ。

"I refuse to wed any girl brought up in a woodcutter's hut," he raged. "I'll escape that fate."

「木こりの小屋で育った娘と結婚するのはごめんだ」と王はいきり立った。「その運命から逃れてやる」

Nevertheless he could not escape the memory of the strange voice which had said:

それでも王は、こう言ったあの不思議な声の記憶から逃れることはできなかった。

"Here in this hut is born to-night The maiden of your fate: You can't escape your lot, young king; Your fate for you will wait.

「今宵この小屋に生まれるは そなたの運命の乙女。 若き王よ、定めからは逃れられぬ。 運命はそなたを待つであろう。

'Tis fate--'tis fate--'tis fate."

「それが運命——運命——運命」

It was most annoying to remember it.

それを思い出すのは、まったく腹立たしいことだった。

It happened soon after that a ship encountered the box floating upon the sea. The sailors rescued it and opened it with interest. Inside they were surprised to find a pretty little dark-eyed girl with a bright red bonnet on her head. She could not tell them where she had come from but she said her name was Maria-of-the-forest.

それからまもなく、一隻の船が海に漂う箱に行き当たった。水夫たちは箱を引き上げ、興味津々で開けてみた。なかには、驚いたことに、真っ赤な頭巾をかぶった黒い瞳のかわいい小さな女の子がいた。女の子はどこから来たのか話せなかったが、名前は森のマリアだと言った。

When the sailors arrived in their own country they told the story of finding the child and the king asked to see her. He and the queen were so pleased with her lovely face and gentle manners that they received her into the royal palace. She was brought up as a lady-of-waiting to their own little daughter of about the same age.

水夫たちは自分たちの国に着くと、子どもを見つけた話をした。するとその国の王が女の子に会いたいと言った。王と王妃は女の子の愛らしい顔とやさしい物腰がたいそう気に入って、女の子を王宮に迎え入れた。女の子は、ほぼ同じ年ごろの自分たちの小さな娘の侍女として育てられた。

When, after a dozen years, the princess was wedded, all the kings of near-by countries were invited to the marriage feast. The king who had been lost in the forest came with the others. At the feast there was no one more beautiful than Maria-of-the-forest. The king danced with her.

十二年ほどたって王女が結婚するとき、近隣の国々の王がみな婚礼の宴に招かれた。森で道に迷ったあの王も、ほかの王たちと一緒にやって来た。宴で、森のマリアほど美しい者はいなかった。王はマリアと踊った。

"Who is the girl?" was his eager question.

「あの娘は誰だ」と王は熱心に尋ねた。

"She has been reared in the royal palace as if she were in truth the sister of the bride," was the reply.

「王宮で、まことに花嫁の妹であるかのように育てられた娘です」という答えだった。

The king fell in love with the beautiful maid and gave her a ring. The page, however, was suspicious when he heard her name. He lost no time in making inquiries about her. What he found out made him very sure that she was in truth the daughter of the charcoal burner. He reported his suspicions to the king.

王は美しい娘に恋をして、指輪を贈った。けれども小姓は娘の名前を聞いて怪しんだ。小姓はすぐさま娘のことを調べた。調べてわかったことから、小姓は、娘がまさしく炭焼きの娘だと確信した。小姓は王に疑いを告げた。

"Never mind," said the king. "I'll wed the maid anyway. One can't escape from one's fate."

「かまわない」と王は言った。「それでもあの娘と結婚する。人は自分の運命から逃れられないのだ」