The Poor Boy

Once upon a time something happened. If it hadn't happened, it wouldn't be told.

むかしむかし、あることが起こった。それが起こらなかったなら、こうして語られることもなかっただろう。

There was once a poor widow, so poor that even the flies would not stay in her house, and this widow had two children, a boy and a girl. The boy was such a brave fellow that he would have torn the snakes' tongues out of their mouths, and the girl was so beautiful that the emperor's sons and handsome princes of every land were waiting impatiently for her to grow up, that they might go and court her. But when the girl had reached her sixteenth year, the same thing befell her that happens to all beautiful maidens--a dragon came, stole her, and carried her far away to the shore of another country. From that day the widow loved her son hundreds and thousands of times better than before, because he was now her only child and the sole joy she had in the world. She watched him like the apple of her eye and would not let him go a single step away from her. But much as she loved him she was cheerless and sad, for, dear me! a boy is only a boy, but a girl is a girl, especially when she is beautiful.

むかし、貧しい後家がいた。あまりに貧しくて、蠅さえその家にとどまらないほどだった。この後家には男の子と女の子の二人の子どもがあった。男の子は、蛇の口から舌を引き抜いてしまいそうなほど勇ましく、女の子はあまりに美しかったので、あらゆる国の皇帝の息子や美しい王子たちが、求婚しに行けるようになるのを待ちきれずにいたほどだった。けれども娘が十六の年になると、美しい娘みなに起こることが娘にも起こった——竜が来て娘を盗み、よその国の岸へはるばる連れ去ってしまったのである。その日から後家は、息子を前の何百倍、何千倍も愛した。今では唯一の子であり、この世で持つただひとつの喜びだったからである。後家は息子を目に入れても痛くないほど大事にして、ひと足も自分から離れさせなかった。けれども、どれほど息子を愛していても、後家の心は晴れず悲しかった。なにしろ、男の子は男の子でしかなく、女の子は女の子なのだ。とりわけ美しい娘であればなおさらである。

The boy, seeing his mother so melancholy, tried to grow stronger and stronger, and counted the days before he should be large enough to go out into the world and seek his sister, little Rosy Cheeks, along untrodden paths filled with thorns. When he had reached his eighteenth year he made himself a pair of calf-skin sandals with steel soles, went to his mother, and said:--

男の子は母がこんなに沈んでいるのを見て、ますます強くなろうとつとめ、世の中へ出て、いばらの生い茂る人跡未踏の道を通って妹、小さなばら色の頬を探しに行けるだけの大きさになる日を指折り数えていた。十八の年になると、男の子は鋼の底をつけた子牛の革のサンダルをこしらえて、母のところへ行って言った。

"Mother, I have neither rest nor peace here so long as I see you so sick and sorrowful from constantly thinking of my sister; I have determined to go out into the wide world and not return till I can bring news of her. I don't know whether I shall find her, but at least I hope so, and that hope I leave with you for your consolation."

「母さん、妹のことをたえず思って、母さんがそんなに病んで悲しんでいるのを見ているかぎり、ぼくにはここで休みも安らぎもありません。ぼくは広い世界へ出ていって、妹の消息を持って帰れるまで戻らないと決めました。見つけられるかどうかはわかりませんが、少なくともそう望んでいます。そしてその望みを、母さんの慰めに残していきます。」

When the widow heard these words she was forced to struggle with her feelings ere she answered: "Well, my son, my child! Do what you can not help doing; when you return I shall see you again, and if you don't come back I shall not weep for you, because the journey you have in view is a long one; therefore if you are absent a long time there will always be the hope of your return."

後家はこの言葉を聞くと、答える前に自分の気持ちと闘わなければならなかった。「そうかい、息子よ、わたしの子よ! しなければならないことをおし。帰ってくればまた会えるし、帰ってこなくてもおまえのために泣きはしない。おまえがこれからする旅は長いのだから、長く留守にしていても、いつも帰ってくる望みがあるのだからね。」

After saying this she mixed three loaves for him with her own milk, one of meal, the second of bran, and the third of ashes from the hearth. The lad put the loaves into his knapsack, bade his mother farewell, and went out into the world like a poor boy to whom all roads are equally long, all bridges equally wide, and who does not know what direction to take. At the gate he stood still, cast one glance to the east, one to the west, one to the north, and one to the south, then took a handful of dust from under the threshold of the door, scattered it on the wind, and turned his steps in the direction that it was carried by the breeze.

そう言うと、後家は自分の乳を混ぜてパンを三つこねた。ひとつは麦の粉で、二つ目はふすまで、三つ目は炉の灰でこしらえた。若者はそのパンを背嚢に入れ、母に別れを告げて、どの道も同じように長く、どの橋も同じように広く、どちらへ行けばいいかわからない貧しい少年として、世の中へ出ていった。門のところで若者は立ち止まり、東へひとめ、西へひとめ、北へひとめ、南へひとめやってから、戸口の敷居の下の土をひとつかみ取って風に散らし、そよ風がそれを運んでいった方角へ足を向けた。

The Poor Boy walked and walked, further and further, through many a rich country, till he came to a moor on which no grass grew and no water flowed. Here he stopped and pulled out his three loaves. He began with the one made of meal, because it was the handsomest, and as he ate it his strength increased and his thirst was quenched. Again the Poor Boy walked on, journeying across the wide moor a whole long summer day until nightfall, when he reached a vast forest as extensive as the heath he had passed, but which was dense, gloomy, and forsaken even by the winds. When he entered the wood, he saw by the trunk of a tree an old woman with a bent figure and a wrinkled face. The Poor Boy, who for so long a time had seen no human countenance and heard no human speech, was greatly delighted and said merrily:--

貧しい少年は歩いて歩いて、ますます遠くへ、いくつもの豊かな国を抜けていき、とうとう草も生えず水も流れない荒れ野に出た。ここで若者は立ち止まって三つのパンを取り出した。まず麦の粉のパンから始めた。それがいちばん立派だったからである。そしてそれを食べると力が増し、のどの渇きも癒えた。貧しい少年はまた歩きだして、夏の長い一日じゅう広い荒れ野を渡り、日が暮れるころ、通り抜けてきた荒れ野と同じくらい広く、深く暗く、風にさえ見捨てられた大森林に着いた。森に入ると、木の幹のそばに、腰の曲がったしわだらけの顔の年とった女がいるのが見えた。貧しい少年は長いあいだ人の顔を見ず、人の言葉を聞いていなかったので、たいそう喜んで陽気に言った。

"Good luck, mother! But how do you happen to come here, and what are you doing in this wilderness of a forest?"

「ご機嫌よう、おばあさん! でも、どうしてこんなところに来たのですか。この荒れ野のような森で何をしているのです。」

"Your words are kind!" replied the old woman sighing. "Alas, age has brought me down to this; I wanted to walk a little distance and can go no further because my feet will no longer carry me."

「やさしい言葉だね!」と年とった女はため息をついて答えた。「ああ、年のせいでこんな有様になってしまった。少し歩きたかったのに、足がもう言うことを聞かないので、これ以上行けないのだよ。」

When the Poor Boy heard this he pitied the old woman, went up to her, and asked whence she came, where she was going, and on what business she was bent. The luckless fellow did not know that this person was no other than the Wood Witch, who waits on the edge of forests and meets those who wander in these desolate regions, in order to delude them with fair words and then lead them to destruction. When he saw her so feeble, the boy remembered his three loaves, and, as if he were going home the very next day, thought he would share his provisions with her that she might get a little strength.

貧しい少年はこれを聞いて年とった女を気の毒に思い、そばへ行って、どこから来てどこへ行くのか、何の用なのかと尋ねた。この不運な若者は、この人がほかならぬ森の魔女だとは知らなかった。森の魔女は森のはずれで待ち構えて、この荒れ果てた地をさまよう者に出会い、甘い言葉でたぶらかして破滅へ導くのである。若者は女がひどく弱っているのを見ると、三つのパンのことを思い出し、まるで次の日にでも家に帰るかのように、少しでも力がつくよう食べ物を分けてやろうと思った。

"I thank you," replied the Wood Witch, who had other designs upon him in her mind; "but see, I have no teeth to chew your dry bread. If you want to do any thing to help me, take me on your back and carry me, I live close by."

「ありがとう」と、心のなかでは別のたくらみを抱いていた森の魔女は答えた。「でもね、わたしにはおまえの乾いたパンを噛む歯がないのだよ。何かしてくれる気があるなら、わたしを背負って運んでおくれ。すぐ近くに住んでいるのだから。」

"But just taste it," said the boy, who in his kindness of heart wanted to do her some good. "It is only hunger that has made you so weak, and if this doesn't help you I'll carry you as you wish."

「でも、ちょっと食べてみてください」とやさしい心から何か助けになりたかった少年は言った。「あなたをそんなに弱らせているのは空腹だけです。もしこれで力がつかなければ、望みどおりに背負ってあげます。」

When the Wood Witch saw the loaf made of meal she gazed at it with delight; there was something about it--I don't know what--that made even the Wood Witch long for a morsel. And as she bit into it her heart grew softer. After she had eaten three mouthfuls she felt as if she were a human being, like the rest of us, with her heart in the right place and a gentle temper.

森の魔女は麦の粉のパンを見ると、うれしそうにそれを見つめた。そのパンには何か——何とは言えないが——森の魔女にさえひと口食べたいと思わせるものがあった。そしてかじると、その心はやわらいだ。三口食べると、魔女は自分がわたしたちのようなふつうの人間になったように感じ、心が正しい場所に戻ってやさしい気性になった。

"Learn, my son," she said to him, "that I am the Wood Witch, and know very well who you are, whence you come, and where you are going. It is a great task you have before you, for your sister is in the other world, which inhabitants of this earth can reach only in one way."

「よくお聞き、坊や」と魔女は少年に言った。「わたしは森の魔女で、おまえが誰で、どこから来て、どこへ行くのかもよく知っている。おまえの前には大きな務めがある。妹はあの世にいて、この地上の住人がそこへ行く道はひとつしかないからだ。」

"And what is that?" asked the Poor Boy impatiently.

「それはどんな道です」と貧しい少年は待ちきれずに尋ねた。

The Wood Witch looked doubtfully at him.

森の魔女は迷うように少年を見た。

"I don't advise you to take it," she said, "it would be a pity to lose your young life. But who knows, perhaps you'll have good luck; I see that you have a tender heart, and whoever has that can bring many things to pass; besides, I know you--you will have no rest till you have found her. So learn--far away from here, after you have crossed six moors and six forests, you will meet on the edge of the seventh forest, which extends to the frontiers of the next world, an old witch; this witch has a drove of horses, and among them is an enchanted horse which can carry you to the other shore. But this steed can be obtained only by the person who knows how to choose it from the whole drove, after he has served the old witch for a year."

「その道を行くのはすすめないよ」と魔女は言った。「若い命を落とすのは惜しい。でも、誰にわかろう、うまくいくかもしれない。おまえには優しい心があるとわかるし、それを持つ者は多くのことを成し遂げられる。それに、わたしにはわかる——おまえは妹を見つけるまで休まないだろう。ではお聞き——ここからはるか遠く、六つの荒れ野と六つの森を越えると、あの世の境まで広がる七番目の森のはずれで、年とった魔女に出会う。この魔女は馬の群れを持っていて、そのなかに、おまえを向こう岸へ運べる魔法の馬がいる。けれどもこの馬は、一年のあいだ年とった魔女に仕えたあとで、群れのなかからそれを選び出せる者にしか手に入らないのだよ。」

This was what the Poor Boy had wanted to know. He lost no more time, thanked the Wood Witch for her explanations, and set off, keeping straight through the dense forest, because his road was long and he was in a hurry. The Poor Boy walked like one who goes on a good errand, and hurried like a person who wants to get home early. How far he walked and how much he hurried any one can imagine, who remembers how long a time he himself required to cross a single moor and a single forest. But, when his strength failed, he bit off a piece of his loaf and instantly revived again.

これこそ貧しい少年が知りたかったことだった。若者はもう時を無駄にせず、森の魔女に説明の礼を言って出発し、まっすぐ深い森を抜けていった。道は長く、急いでいたからである。貧しい少年は、よい用事で出かける者のように歩き、早く家に帰りたい者のように急いだ。どれほど歩き、どれほど急いだかは、自分が荒れ野ひとつ、森ひとつを越えるのにどれだけの時がかかったかを思い出す者なら想像がつくだろう。けれども力が尽きると、パンをひと口かじって、たちまち元気を取り戻した。

As he came out of the sixth forest and passed near the clear waves of a brook, he saw a wasp struggling in the water and pitied the insect. So he took a dry branch and held out one end of it to the wasp, that it might crawl up on it and then use its wings. But this wasp happened to be the queen of all the wasps in the woods, and when she found herself saved by the boy's kindness she flew upon his shoulder and said:

六番目の森を出て、澄んだ小川の流れのそばを通ったとき、若者は水のなかでもがいている蜂を見て気の毒に思った。そこで乾いた枝を取ってその一端を蜂に差し出し、蜂が這い上がって羽を使えるようにしてやった。ところがこの蜂は、森じゅうの蜂の女王だった。そして少年のやさしさに救われたと知ると、その肩に飛び乗って言った。

"Wherever you go, may good-luck be your companion. Please pull out a hair from under my right wing and take good care of it, for who knows whether it will not prove useful to you some day. If you need me, shake this hair and I'll come to you, in whatever part of the world you may be."

「どこへ行かれるにせよ、幸運がお供しますように。どうかわたしの右の羽の下から毛を一本抜いて、大事に持っていてください。いつか役に立つかもしれませんから。わたしが必要になったら、この毛を振ってください。世界のどこにいらしても、参ります。」

The Poor Boy pulled out the hair, put it carefully away, and journeyed on. Who knows how far he walked before he came to a great lake, on whose shore he saw a fish flapping on the dry land. He pitied the poor creature, which had scarcely a breath of life left, so he picked it up and tossed it into the water. But this fish was king of all the fishes, and had jeweled scales and golden fins. It swam once around the lake, breathed two or three times to recover its strength, and then came back to the boy and said:

貧しい少年は毛を抜いて大事にしまい、旅を続けた。どれほど歩いたか知らないが、若者は大きな湖に着き、その岸で、乾いた地面でぱたぱたはねている魚を見た。若者はその哀れな生き物を気の毒に思い——もう息もほとんど残っていなかった——拾い上げて水に投げ込んだ。ところがこの魚は魚たちの王で、宝石の鱗と金の鰭を持っていた。魚は湖をひとめぐりして、二度三度息をして力を取り戻すと、少年のところへ戻ってきて言った。

"Wherever you go, may good-luck be your companion. Please pull off a scale from under my right fin and keep it carefully, who knows whether it may not be useful to you some day. If you ever need me, rub this scale and I'll come to you wherever you may be, as far as the water extends around the earth."

「どこへ行かれるにせよ、幸運がお供しますように。どうかわたしの右の鰭の下から鱗を一枚取って、大事に持っていてください。いつか役に立つかもしれませんから。わたしが必要になったら、この鱗をこすってください。地上に水のあるかぎり、どこにいらしても参ります。」

The Poor Boy took the scale, put it carefully away, and journeyed on. Who knows how far he walked ere he reached the seventh moor, where no grass grew and no water flowed. There he found in his path a mole which had been surprised above ground by the daylight, and was now groping piteously about in its blindness, unable to find its burrow where its children were starving, though it was only one jump away. The youth pitied the mole, too, took it and carried it to its hill.

貧しい少年は鱗を取って大事にしまい、旅を続けた。どれほど歩いたか知らないが、若者は七番目の荒れ野に着いた。そこには草も生えず水も流れていなかった。そこで若者は道に一匹のもぐらを見つけた。もぐらは日の光のなかで地上に出てしまい、目が見えないために哀れにもあちこち手さぐりしていた。子どもたちが飢えている巣穴は、ほんのひと跳びのところにあるのに、それが見つからないのである。若者はもぐらも気の毒に思い、拾い上げてその塚へ運んでやった。

"Wherever you go," said the mole, "may good-luck be your companion. Please take a claw from my right paw and keep it carefully; who knows whether it may not be useful to you some day. But if you need me, scratch on the ground with this claw and I will come to you in whatever part of the earth you may be."

「どこへ行かれるにせよ」ともぐらは言った。「幸運がお供しますように。どうかわたしの右の前足から爪を一本取って、大事に持っていてください。いつか役に立つかもしれませんから。わたしが必要になったら、この爪で地面を引っかいてください。地のどこにいらしても参ります。」

The Poor Boy took the claw, put it carefully away, and went on again over the endless moor toward the invisible forest that lay on the frontiers of the other world. How many days and nights he journeyed over this moor heaven only knows; but one morning, when he woke, he saw in the distance, as far off as if it were in the other world, a streak of light like the fire shepherds build at the entrance of the fold. This was the home of the witch who had the enchanted horse.

貧しい少年は爪を取って大事にしまい、あの世の境にある見えない森をめざして、また果てしない荒れ野を歩いていった。この荒れ野を何日も何夜も旅したのか、それは天のみぞ知る。けれどもある朝目を覚ますと、遠く、まるであの世にあるかのように遠くに、羊飼いが囲いの入口でおこす火のような光の筋が見えた。それが、魔法の馬を持つ魔女の住まいだった。

The Poor Boy was greatly delighted when he found himself so near the end of the world, and his joy increased till, on the evening of the third day, he reached the enchantress's house. Oh, dear! there he was, in the midst of the moor, just at the edge of the forest, which stretched far beyond his sight in the dusk of twilight, upon a wide plain covered with green grass, through which flowed streams of clear water, but in the middle of this plain rose a number of tall poles, on each of which was a human skull. The witch's hut stood in the midst of these poles, with a tall poplar in front of it, and on the right and left a willow tree. This proved that the Wood Witch was right--life here was by no means merry. The Poor Boy plucked up his courage and approached to enter the hut, which stood as if deserted in the middle of the moor.

貧しい少年は世界の果てのこんな近くまで来たことを大いに喜び、その喜びは増していって、三日目の夕方、魔法使いの家にたどり着いた。おやおや! そこは荒れ野のまんなか、ちょうど森のはずれで、森は夕闇のなか目の届かない彼方まで広がり、緑の草に覆われた広い野には澄んだ水の流れがいくつも流れていた。けれどもこの野のまんなかに高い杭が何本も立っていて、その一本一本に人の頭蓋骨が載っていた。魔女の小屋はこの杭のまんなかに立っていて、その前に高いポプラが、右と左に柳の木が立っていた。これで森の魔女の言葉が正しかったとわかった——ここの暮らしはけっして楽しいものではなかった。貧しい少年は勇気をふるって、荒れ野のまんなかに打ち捨てられたように立つ小屋に入ろうと近づいた。

The old witch sat on a high three-legged chair in the entry, but before her stood a huge kettle on a big tripod, over a fire that burned without smoke. In one hand she held the shin-bone of a giant, which she used to stir the herbs stewing in the caldron. When the Poor Boy bade her good evening, she eyed him from top to toe.

年とった魔女は入口の三本脚の高い椅子に座っていたが、その前には煙の出ない火にかけた大きな五徳の上に巨大な大鍋が置かれていた。片手には巨人のすねの骨を持っていて、それで大鍋のなかで煮える草をかきまぜていた。貧しい少年がこんばんはと言うと、魔女は頭のてっぺんからつま先まで少年を眺めた。

"Welcome, my hero! I've expected you a long time, for this caldron has long been rattling and telling me continually that you were on the way."

「ようこそ、わたしの勇者よ! 長いこと待っていたよ。この大鍋がずっとがたがた鳴って、おまえが来る途中だとたえず教えてくれていたからね。」

The lad was much pleased with this kind reception, for the old woman did not seem to him at all peevish, as she looked kindly at him and spoke in a gentle voice. She, too, was glad, because she had again laid hands on a man, for the poles bearing human skulls protected her from the malicious elves, who could not pass through them; and there was still one piece of ground large enough for three heads, where poles had not yet been put.

若者はこの親切な迎えにたいそう喜んだ。年とった女はまったく気難しそうに見えず、やさしく少年を見て穏やかな声で話したからである。女のほうも喜んでいた。また人間を手に入れたからである。人の頭蓋骨をのせた杭は、悪意ある妖精たちがそこを通れないようにして女を守っていた。そして頭三つ分の杭がまだ立っていない場所が残っていたのである。

They now agreed that the Poor Boy should watch the drove a whole year, and in payment receive the horse he himself should choose; but if he should lose the drove he was to give up his head to the witch. The old woman instantly stuck a pole in the ground and put the hero's hat on it. Then the youth ate something, that he might not go with the drove to the pasture hungry. While the boy was eating, the witch led the mares behind the hut and began to beat them with the giant's shin bone, telling them not to drink any water during the night, nor allow the others to do so, because the water from the springs in the plain would put them to sleep, and the old woman wanted the herd to graze all night. The boy knew nothing about this.

そこで二人は、貧しい少年がまる一年群れの番をして、その代わりに自分で選んだ馬をもらうこと、けれども群れを失ったら魔女に首を差し出すことを取り決めた。年とった女はすぐに地面に杭を立てて、その上に勇者の帽子をのせた。それから若者は、腹をすかせたまま群れを牧草地へ連れていかずにすむよう、何か食べた。少年が食べているあいだに、魔女は牝馬たちを小屋のうしろへ連れていって、巨人のすねの骨で打ちはじめ、夜のあいだ水を飲むな、ほかの馬にも飲ませるなと言いつけた。野の泉の水は眠りを誘うもので、年とった女は群れにひと晩じゅう草を食べさせたかったのである。少年はこれを何も知らなかった。

When he came to the pasture with the drove he was attacked by so great a thirst, that he would have walked from morning till night to find a drop of water; so to quench it he lay down by a spring and drank, and even while drinking he fell asleep.

少年が群れを連れて牧草地に来ると、ひどいのどの渇きに襲われて、ひとしずくの水を見つけるためなら朝から晩まで歩いてもいいと思うほどだった。そこで渇きを癒そうと泉のそばに横になって飲み、飲んでいるうちに眠り込んでしまった。

When in the first gray dawn of the next morning he woke from his slumber, the drove had vanished, leaving no trace anywhere! It is only necessary to remember that the lad's cap was already hanging on the pole to understand how great was his despair. But he gazed around him in every direction without discovering even a sign of a horse; the morning twilight was fast vanishing, and he stood utterly forsaken, not knowing which way to turn. Then he recollected the service he had once rendered the wasp, and thought that a wasp flies so fast that it might discover the drove and bring him news of their hiding-place, so he took the hair he had pulled from under the wasp's right wing and shook it. Quick as thought a buzzing noise was heard from every direction--it grew louder and louder, till one might have thought the world was going to ruin. Good gracious! There came one wasp after another, one swarm behind another, whole ranks, great clouds of wasps of all sizes, all ready to circle the earth and obey the Poor Boy's commands.

次の朝の薄明かりのなかで眠りから覚めると、群れは消えていて、どこにも跡ひとつなかった! 少年の帽子がもう杭に掛かっていることを思い出せば、その絶望がどれほど大きかったかがわかるだろう。けれども四方を見まわしても馬のかげも見えず、朝の薄明かりは急速に消えかけていて、少年はどちらへ向かえばいいのかもわからず、すっかり見捨てられて立ちつくした。そのとき、かつて蜂に施した親切を思い出し、蜂は速く飛ぶから群れを見つけて隠れ場所を知らせてくれるかもしれないと考え、蜂の右の羽の下から抜いた毛を取り出して振った。思いの速さで四方八方からぶんぶんいう音が聞こえてきて——それはますます大きくなり、世界が滅びるのかと思うほどになった。おやまあ! 蜂が次から次へ、群れまた群れ、隊また隊、大小さまざまな蜂の大きな雲がやって来て、みな地をめぐって貧しい少年の言いつけに従う支度ができていた。

"Have no anxiety," said the Wasp Queen; "if the drove still remains on the earth, we'll bring the horses back to you ere sunrise."

「ご心配なく」と蜂の女王は言った。「もし群れがまだ地上にいるのなら、日の出前に馬たちを連れ戻してさしあげます。」

Then every thing became quiet, because the wasps flew off to every quarter of the globe and scattered all over the world. Ere long a cloud of dust appeared in the distance, swept with mad haste over the wide plain in the midst of the moor, and the drove of horses, urged by the wasps' stings, dashed up so swiftly that the earth fairly groaned under their hoofs. The Poor Boy thanked the wasps for their help, and then went to the hut as if nothing had happened.

それからあたりは静まりかえった。蜂たちが四方八方へ飛んでいって、世界じゅうに散らばったからである。まもなく遠くに土ぼこりの雲が現れ、荒れ野のまんなかの広い野を狂ったような速さで駆け抜けてきた。蜂に刺されてせきたてられた馬の群れが、大地がひづめの下でうめくほどの速さで駆けてきたのである。貧しい少年は蜂たちに助けの礼を言い、それから何事もなかったかのように小屋へ帰った。

The old woman looked askance at him, said he had done well, and then beat the mares again, ordering them to hide carefully at night. That evening the lad would eat nothing, because he thought the witch's food had caused his terrible thirst the night before; but when he went with the drove to the pasture, a burning, consuming thirst seized upon him as soon as he saw the clear water, and wherever he went springs bubbled from under his feet. At last he could no longer control himself, and relying upon the aid of the wasps, lay down beside a spring and had scarcely drunk when he instantly fell asleep. This time he woke later than on the night before, because he had gone to sleep later, so he was later in shaking the hair he had pulled out from under the wasp's wing, and the swarms of wasps were later in coming to seek and drive the horses home.

年とった女は横目で少年を見て、よくやったと言い、それからまた牝馬たちを打って、夜には念入りに隠れろと命じた。その晩、少年は何も食べようとしなかった。前の晩のひどい渇きは魔女の食べ物のせいだと思ったからである。けれども群れを連れて牧草地へ行くと、澄んだ水を見るやいなや、焼けつくような、身を焦がす渇きに襲われ、どこへ行っても足の下から泉がわいた。とうとう少年はこらえきれなくなり、蜂の助けを当てにして泉のそばに横になった。そして飲むやいなや、たちまち眠り込んでしまった。今度は前の晩より遅くに眠ったので、目覚めるのも遅く、蜂の羽の下から抜いた毛を振るのも遅くなり、蜂の群れが馬を探して追い立てて帰るのも遅くなった。

But what did the youth see? Ere long one swarm after another returned, each bringing news that the drove could not be found on the surface of the earth and must have hidden somewhere in the sea.

けれども若者は何を見ただろう。まもなく群れが次々に戻ってきて、どれも、群れは地上には見つからない、どこか海のなかに隠れたにちがいないという知らせを持ってきたのである。

The sun was about to rise. The Poor Boy took the fish-scale, rubbed it, and suddenly there appeared in the springs at his feet a school of tiny fish, that filled every channel, and asked what were his wishes and commands. He told them what he desired and instantly all the waters on the earth, rivers, lakes, and seas, began to swell and dash, while the wasps flew off to be ready to pounce upon the drove as soon as the fish forced the horses to appear.

太陽が今にも昇ろうとしていた。貧しい少年は魚の鱗を取ってこすった。すると突然、足もとの泉に小さな魚の群れが現れて、あらゆる水路を満たし、何を望み何を命じるのかと尋ねた。少年が望みを告げると、たちまち地上のあらゆる水、川も湖も海もふくれ上がって波立ちはじめた。そのあいだ蜂たちは、魚が馬を追い出したらすぐに襲いかかれるように飛んでいった。

The Poor Boy had scarcely time to collect his horses and take them home when the sun rose.

貧しい少年は、やっと馬を集めて家へ連れ帰る時間しかなく、そのとき太陽が昇った。

The old woman looked angrily at him, but said again that he had done well, and gave the mares a still more terrible beating; for the year consisted of three days, and if they did not hide successfully that night the hero might demand his wages.

年とった女は腹立たしげに少年を見たが、またしてもよくやったと言い、牝馬たちをもっとひどく打ちすえた。一年は三日だったので、その夜うまく隠れられなければ、勇者が報酬を求められるからである。

The Poor Boy knew this too. So he began to eat his meal-loaf as he went with the drove to the pasture, and whenever he bit off a piece his strength increased and his thirst was quenched. Yet, whenever he saw the springs or heard the water rippling over the pebbles, he grew thirsty again, and so devoured the whole of the meal-loaf. He ought now to have taken the bran loaf, but did not venture to do so because he still had a long journey before him, and was afraid of being without food. Therefore he again relied on the aid of the wasps and fishes, lay down by a spring, and as soon as he had drunk fell asleep.

貧しい少年もこれを知っていた。そこで群れを連れて牧草地へ行く道々、麦の粉のパンを食べはじめ、ひと口かじるたびに力が増して渇きが癒えた。それでも泉を見たり、小石の上を流れる水の音を聞いたりするたびにまた渇きを覚えたので、とうとう麦の粉のパンをすっかり食べてしまった。今度はふすまのパンを食べるべきだったが、まだ長い旅が残っているのに食べ物がなくなるのを恐れて、それには手を出さなかった。そこでまた蜂と魚の助けを当てにして泉のそばに横になり、水を飲むやいなや眠り込んでしまった。

When he awoke it was broad daylight, though the sun had not yet risen. He shook the hair, but the wasps came with the tidings that the drove was not on the surface of the earth, he rubbed the fish-scale, but the fishes said the horses were not under the water either; so, in his despair, he seized the mole's claw and scratched on the ground with it.

目を覚ますとすっかり明るくなっていたが、太陽はまだ昇っていなかった。少年は毛を振ったが、蜂たちは群れは地上にいないという知らせを持ってきた。魚の鱗をこすったが、魚たちも馬は水の下にもいないと言った。そこで絶望して、少年はもぐらの爪をつかんで地面を引っかいた。

Then you should have seen the wonder! The wasps buzzed, the fish searched all the water in the world, and the moles began to rummage the earth, furrowing it in every direction as if they meant to make it into pap. When the first sunbeams touched the top of the poplar before the hut, the drove dashed like hunted ghosts to the Poor Boy; if the horses tried to go into the water the fish scared them back, if they tried to hide themselves in the ground the claws of the moles drove them out, and so they were forced to go wherever the wasps guided them.

すると、その不思議をお見せしたかった! 蜂はぶんぶん飛び、魚は世界じゅうの水を探し、もぐらたちは大地をかき回しはじめて、まるで粥にでもしてしまうかのように四方八方を掘り返した。最初の日ざしが小屋の前のポプラのてっぺんに触れると、群れは追われた亡霊のように貧しい少年のもとへ駆けてきた。馬が水に入ろうとすれば魚が追い返し、地に隠れようとすればもぐらの爪が追い出したので、蜂の導くところへ行くほかなかったのである。

The Poor Boy thanked his friends for their help, and returned home just as the sun shone upon the hut. The old woman looked angrily at him, but said nothing.

貧しい少年は友たちに助けの礼を言い、ちょうど日が小屋を照らすころ家に帰った。年とった女は腹立たしげに少年を見たが、何も言わなかった。

But now trouble came. The year was over, and the Poor Boy began to rack his brains because he did not know which horse in the drove he ought to choose. That's the way with over-hasty people. The Wood Witch could probably have told him this, too, if he had not left her so quickly. Now he went to work hap-hazard. Still, he thought, whatever he might hit upon he should not fare badly, for on a long journey it was better at any rate to be on horseback than on foot. Besides, he had seen the old witch's horses run and knew that they were fine animals, no worthless jades. So he went through the drove, and as he walked noticed a sick filly, which he pitied because it looked so neglected, but he did not think of choosing it. But, no matter how much he turned and twisted, he always stopped beside this animal, for he was very kind-hearted and told himself that, even if he could not make much use of it, he could at least do the poor creature some service.

けれども今度は困ったことになった。一年は終わったのに、貧しい少年は群れのどの馬を選ぶべきかわからず、頭を悩ませはじめた。せっかちな人はこうなるのである。もしあんなに早く別れていなければ、森の魔女がこれも教えてくれただろうに。今や少年は当てずっぽうでやるほかなかった。それでも、どれに当たってもひどいことにはなるまいと思った。長い旅では、とにかく歩くより馬に乗るほうがいい。それに年とった魔女の馬が走るのを見て、どれも立派な馬で、役立たずの駄馬などではないと知っていた。そこで少年は群れのあいだを歩いていった。すると歩きながら、病気の子馬に目がとまった。あまりにみすぼらしいので気の毒に思ったが、それを選ぼうとは考えなかった。けれども、どれほどあちこち歩きまわっても、いつもこの馬のそばで足が止まった。少年はとても心がやさしかったので、たとえたいして役に立たなくても、せめてこのかわいそうな生き物のために何かしてやれると思ったのである。

"Who knows," he said, "if I should comb, brush, and curry it, perhaps it may yet make a good horse!"

「誰にわかるものか」と少年は言った。「毛をすいて、ブラシをかけて、手入れしてやれば、いい馬になるかもしれない!」

So he chose it, and resolved to take with him the pouch containing the comb, brush, and curry-comb, in order to carefully tend his horse.

そこで少年はその馬を選び、大事に世話をしようと、櫛とブラシと馬櫛の入った袋を持っていくことにした。

The old witch turned green with spite when she heard that the youth had chosen this steed, for it was the very one. But what could she do? She was obliged to keep her promise. She merely advised him to select another, better animal, telling him that he would soon be without a horse, and that good work deserved good wages, but at last she gave it to him.

年とった魔女は、若者がこの馬を選んだと聞いて、悔しさに顔を青くした。それこそまさにあの馬だったからである。けれどもどうしようもなかった。約束は守らなければならない。魔女はただ、別のもっとよい馬を選べと勧め、すぐに馬なしになってしまうぞ、よい働きにはよい報酬がふさわしいのだからと言ったが、とうとうその馬を与えた。

Still, a witch always remains a witch, and when the Poor Boy had mounted, taken leave of her, and ridden off, she went to the big caldron, took it off and mounted the tripod, then she changed herself in face and figure and hurried after with the speed of curses, to catch him, kill him, and get her horse back. The Poor Boy felt that something terrible was pursuing him, and set spurs to his steed.

それでも魔女はいつまでも魔女である。貧しい少年が馬に乗り、別れを告げて走り去ると、魔女は大鍋のところへ行ってそれを下ろし、五徳にまたがって、姿かたちを変え、のろいの速さであとを追った。少年を捕らえて殺し、馬を取り戻すためである。貧しい少年は何か恐ろしいものが追ってくるのを感じて、馬に拍車をかけた。

"It's no use to spur me," said the horse, "we can't outrun her, so long as we are on her lands. But throw the comb behind you, to put an obstacle in her way."

「拍車をかけてもむだです」と馬は言った。「あの女の領地にいるかぎり、逃げ切れません。でも、うしろへ櫛を投げて、行く手をふさいでください。」

Now the Poor Boy knew that he had chosen wisely when he took the sick filly. So he drew the comb out of the bag, flung it behind him, and it instantly became a long, high fence, which the witch could not climb over, so she was obliged to go a long way round, and he thus gained a start.

そこで貧しい少年は、病気の子馬を選んだのが賢い選択だったと知った。少年は袋から櫛を取り出してうしろへ投げた。するとそれはたちまち長く高い柵になって、魔女は乗り越えられず、ずいぶん遠回りしなければならなくなったので、少年は先を稼いだ。

"Throw down the brush," said the horse, when it again heard the trampling of the tripod near them.

「ブラシを投げてください」と、また五徳の音が近づいてくるのを聞いて馬は言った。

The rider threw the brush, which turned into a dense growth of reeds, through which the old hag forced her way with much difficulty and many a groan.

乗り手がブラシを投げると、それは葦の密生した茂みに変わり、年とった鬼婆はさんざんうめきながら、やっとのことでそこを押し分けて進んだ。

"Throw the curry-comb," cried the horse for the third time. When he had flung that down, the Poor Boy looked back and saw a whole forest of knives and swords, and among them the witch trying to get through and being cut into mince-meat.

「馬櫛を投げてください」と馬は三度目に叫んだ。少年がそれを投げてうしろを振り返ると、小刀と剣の森がまるごと現れ、そのなかで魔女が通り抜けようとして、こま切れに切り刻まれているのが見えた。

When they reached the seventh forest, where the witch's kingdom ended, the sick horse shook itself and became a handsome, winged steed, whose like was never seen before or since.

魔女の国が終わる七番目の森に着くと、病気の馬は身を震わせて、後にも先にも見たことのない美しい翼のある馬になった。

"Now hold fast," said the horse, "I am going to carry you as never hero went from this world to the other, for I, too, have a sister there whom I seek."

「さあ、しっかりつかまって」と馬は言った。「これまでどんな勇者もこの世からあの世へ行ったことのないような運び方をします。わたしにも、向こうに探している妹がいるのです。」

The Poor Boy was dazed by the swiftness with which the horse flew over the forest and alighted in the other world through a large opening in another part of the woods. When he recovered his senses, he found himself on the shore of the other world with the horse, which now shook itself a second time, changed into a handsome prince with long, curling locks, and said:

貧しい少年は、馬が森の上を飛んで、森の別の場所にある大きな口からあの世へ降り立つその速さに、呆然としていた。正気に返ると、少年は馬とともにあの世の岸にいた。馬はそこでもう一度身を震わせ、長く巻いた髪の美しい王子に変わって言った。

"Wherever you go, may good luck be your companion, for you have released me from the spell the Wood Witch laid upon me. Learn that I am the son of the Red Emperor and set out to seek my sister, but on the edge of the forest I met the Wood Witch, who complained that she could walk no further and begged me to carry her on my back; but when, out of pity, I let her get on my shoulders, she changed me into a horse and condemned me to retain that form until a hero took pity on me and mounted me, that I might carry him to the other world, there I was to regain my human form."

「どこへ行かれるにせよ、幸運がお供しますように。あなたは森の魔女がわたしにかけた呪いを解いてくださったのです。わたしは赤の皇帝の息子で、妹を探しに出かけたのですが、森のはずれで森の魔女に会いました。魔女はもう歩けないと訴えて、背負ってくれと頼みました。けれども憐れに思って肩に乗せると、魔女はわたしを馬に変えて、誰か勇者が憐れんで乗り、あの世へ運ぶまでその姿でいるよう呪ったのです。そこでわたしは人の姿を取り戻すことになっていました。」

The Poor Boy was greatly overjoyed to find himself no longer alone. He took the bran loaf, broke it in halves, and gave one portion to the prince, that they might be brothers till death. The prince tasted the bread, and as he ate his strength and his love increased. They told each other their experiences, and then went on their way.

貧しい少年は、もう一人ではなくなったことをたいそう喜んだ。少年はふすまのパンを取って二つに割り、その半分を王子に与えて、死ぬまで兄弟であろうとした。王子はパンを味わい、食べるにつれてその力と愛が増した。二人は互いの身の上を語り合って、それから道を進んだ。

Far, far off, just at the end of the coast-line, rose shining buildings, which must be the dragons' palaces. The country here was so beautiful, that one would have gladly traveled through it forever, it was so radiant with light, so green, so rich in flowers, birds of beautiful plumage, and tame, sportive animals. And in this country men never grew old, but remained exactly the same age as when they entered it, for here there were no days, the sun neither rose nor set, but the light came of itself, as if from a clear sky. The dragons, however, were nowhere to be seen, and the two brothers for life continued their way. After they had walked as far as a three-days' march, they reached the beautiful palaces and paused before them, because they were so marvelously lovely, with high towers, and walls built of stones as soft as velvet, covered with plates of snow that had been dried in the sun. But they seemed empty and deserted.

はるか遠く、海岸線の果てに輝く建物が立っていた。それが竜の宮殿にちがいなかった。ここの国はあまりに美しくて、いつまでも旅していたいほどだった。光にあふれ、緑にあふれ、花も、美しい羽根の鳥も、人になれた遊び好きの獣も豊かだった。そしてこの国では人が年をとらず、ここに入ったときとまったく同じ年のままでいた。ここには日というものがなく、太陽は昇りも沈みもせず、澄んだ空からのように光がおのずと射してくるからである。けれども竜はどこにも見えず、生涯の兄弟となった二人は道を進んだ。三日の行程ほど歩くと、二人は美しい宮殿にたどり着き、その前で足を止めた。宮殿はあまりに見事に美しく、高い塔と、ビロードのようにやわらかな石を積んだ壁があり、その壁は日に干した雪の板で覆われていた。けれども宮殿は空っぽで打ち捨てられているようだった。

The Poor Boy and the prince entered, went through all the rooms filled with costly ornaments, and, seeing no one, thought that the dragon must surely have gone hunting and determined to wait for him. But they were surprised that they did not find their sisters here. Each stretched himself on one of the beautiful divans and was going to rest, when suddenly both started up, amazed by what they heard.

貧しい少年と王子は中に入り、高価な飾りでいっぱいの部屋という部屋を見てまわったが、誰にも会わなかったので、竜はきっと狩りに出かけているのだろうと思い、待つことにした。けれども妹たちがここにいないのを不思議に思った。二人はそれぞれ美しい長いすに身を横たえて休もうとしたが、突然、聞こえてきたものに驚いて跳び起きた。

Dear me! It was a song, so touching that it would have softened the very stones; it made those who listened feel as if they were in heaven, and the notes were in a woman's voice. The two companions did not listen long, but hurried off in the direction from which the sound came.

なんとまあ! それは歌だった。石さえもやわらげそうなほど心を打つ歌で、聞く者を天にいるような気持ちにさせ、その調べは女の声だった。二人の連れは長く聞いてはいられず、声のするほうへ急いだ。

This is what they saw--in one part of the palace was a glass tower, and in this tower sat a girl spinning, singing, and weeping, but her tears, in falling, were instantly changed to pearls. This maiden was so beautiful that, if she had been in the world, two men would have killed each other for her sake. When the heroes beheld her, they stood motionless and gazed longingly at her, but the girl stopped spinning, and neither sang nor wept, but looked at them in amazement.

二人が見たのはこうだった——宮殿の一角にガラスの塔があって、この塔のなかに一人の娘が座って糸を紡ぎ、歌い、泣いていた。けれどもその涙は、落ちるやいなや真珠に変わった。この娘はあまりに美しくて、もしこの世にいたら、二人の男がその娘のために殺し合ったことだろう。勇者たちは娘を見ると身じろぎもせず、恋しげに見つめた。けれども娘は紡ぐのをやめて、歌いも泣きもせず、驚いて二人を見つめた。

She was not the sister of either youth, but as usually happens in such cases, the Poor Boy supposed she was the prince's sister, and the prince thought she was the sister of the Poor Boy.

娘はどちらの若者の妹でもなかったが、こういう場合によくあるように、貧しい少年はこの娘が王子の妹だと思い、王子はこの娘が貧しい少年の妹だと思った。

"I'll stay here," said the Poor Boy, "and you can go on, deliver my sister, and marry her."

「ぼくはここに残る」と貧しい少年は言った。「きみは先へ行って、ぼくの妹を救い出して、結婚するといい。」

"No, I'll stay here," replied the prince, "you can go on and release my sister, for this maiden shall be my wife."

「いや、ぼくがここに残る」と王子は答えた。「きみが先へ行ってぼくの妹を救い出してくれ。この娘はぼくの妻になる人だ。」

Now came trouble! When they understood that the lovely girl was the sister of neither, the handsome heroes seized their swords and were on the point of fighting as men do fight when they are obliged to divide any thing.

さあ困った! この美しい娘がどちらの妹でもないとわかると、美しい勇者たちは剣をつかんで、何かを分けなければならなくなった男たちがするように、まさに戦おうとした。

"Stop," said the fair girl, "don't attack each other. It is better first to discover whether I am really what I seem to you, or, after all, only a shadow! I am the Bodiless Maiden, who will not obtain form in this world until the dragon has stolen me from the other shore. I shall then be as you see me now, shall spin, sing, and weep, because I shall think of my mother who is spinning, singing, and weeping; and your sisters, who were stolen by the two older brothers of the dragon who rules this palace spin, sing, and weep, too."

「おやめなさい」と美しい娘は言った。「互いに斬り合わないでください。まず、わたしがほんとうにあなたがたに見えているとおりの者なのか、それともやはりただの影にすぎないのかを確かめるほうがいいでしょう! わたしは体を持たぬ乙女で、竜が向こう岸からわたしを盗むまで、この世で形を得ることはないのです。そのときにはわたしは今ごらんのとおりの姿になって、紡ぎ、歌い、泣くでしょう。母が紡ぎ、歌い、泣いているのを思うからです。そしてこの宮殿を治める竜の二人の兄に盗まれたあなたがたの妹たちも、紡ぎ、歌い、泣いているのです。」

On hearing this, the two heroes wanted to set off at once, in order to lose no more time on the way.

これを聞くと、二人の勇者は道でこれ以上時を失うまいと、すぐに出発しようとした。

"Stop, don't be over hasty," said the Bodiless Maiden. "You probably think that you will conquer the dragons by mere will? Great deeds await you. The old she-dragon put me here, that I might constantly spur on her youngest son, because it is written that all three brothers are to be married at the same time. The two older brothers keep your sisters prisoners, but can not wed them till the youngest son has stolen me. Whenever he comes home from hunting, he stops there where you are standing, gazes longingly at me, then arranges his weapons and feeds his horse with red-hot coals, but can't set out yet because my hour has not come. So stay and conquer him here, that he may not steal me while you are on your way, for you would then be too late in reaching your sisters. Yet mind one thing; you can not conquer him outside of his court-yard, because he is invisible. So, when he comes home, he throws his club at the gate with so much force that the earth quakes, the walls fall down, and any mortals who might be inside are buried alive. If you feel that you have strength enough to hold the gates on their hinges, so that they can not give way when he hurls the club against them, stay, otherwise go, in God's name, for it would be a pity to lose your young lives."

「お待ちなさい、急ぎすぎてはいけません」と体を持たぬ乙女は言った。「あなたがたは、ただ意気込みだけで竜に勝てるとお思いでしょう。大きな務めが待っているのです。年とった雌竜がわたしをここに置いたのは、末の息子をたえずせきたてるためでした。三人兄弟は同じときに結婚することになると書かれているからです。上の二人の兄はあなたがたの妹を捕らえていますが、末の息子がわたしを盗むまでは結婚できません。末の息子は狩りから帰ってくるたびに、今あなたがたが立っているところで立ち止まって、恋しげにわたしを見つめ、それから武具を整えて、馬に真っ赤に焼けた炭を食べさせるのですが、わたしの時がまだ来ないので出発できないのです。ですからここにとどまって、あの竜をここで打ち負かしてください。あなたがたが道を行くあいだにわたしを盗まれたら、妹さんたちのところへ着くのが遅すぎることになりますから。けれどもひとつ気をつけてください。あの竜は中庭の外では打ち負かせません。姿が見えないからです。それに家に帰ってくると、竜はあまりの力で門に棍棒を投げつけるので、大地が震え、壁が崩れ落ち、なかにいる人間は生き埋めになってしまいます。もし竜が棍棒を投げつけても門が蝶番から外れないように支えられる力があるとお思いなら、とどまってください。そうでなければ、神の名において行ってください。若い命を落とすのは惜しいですから。」

The Poor Boy and the prince looked at each other, understood that the deed must be done, and resolved to stay. While the Poor Boy went to the gates to hold them, the prince drew his sword and awaited the dragon in the middle of the court-yard. You can perceive that this was no joke.

貧しい少年と王子は顔を見合わせ、この仕事はやり遂げなければならないと悟って、とどまることに決めた。貧しい少年が門を支えに行き、王子は剣を抜いて中庭のまんなかで竜を待った。これが冗談ではなかったことはおわかりだろう。

Very little time passed, when suddenly, crash! the club struck against the iron-barred gates so that one might have believed the world was falling to pieces. The Poor Boy thought the muscles of his heart would crack in two under the terrible strain, and the walls would crumble to their foundations--but he held the gates on their hinges. When the dragon saw that the palace did not fall down, he stood still in surprise.

いくらもたたないうちに、突然、がしゃん! 棍棒が鉄格子の門に打ちつけられて、世界が砕け散るのかと思うほどだった。貧しい少年は、この恐ろしい力に心臓の筋が二つに裂けそうで、壁は土台から崩れると思った——けれども門を蝶番の上に支えきった。竜は宮殿が崩れないのを見て、驚いて立ちつくした。

"What does this mean?" he said. "I must have grown very weak since yesterday." He did not suspect what awaited him.

「これはどういうことだ」と竜は言った。「きのうからずいぶん弱ってしまったにちがいない。」竜は自分を待ち受けているものに気づいていなかった。

When, with some difficulty, he opened the gate, he did not notice the Poor Boy, but went straight toward the prince, who stood in mortal terror in the middle of the court-yard, for, after all, what would you expect? A dragon is a dragon, and not a girl in woman's clothes.

やっとのことで門を開けると、竜は貧しい少年に気づかず、まっすぐ王子のほうへ向かった。王子は中庭のまんなかで死ぬほど怯えて立っていた。なにしろ、当たり前ではないか。竜は竜であって、女の服を着た娘ではないのだから。

We won't linger over the story any longer, we know what always happens when dragons and princes meet. They began the battle. The prince was a hero, but the dragon was the youngest of three brothers! They fought with swords, who knows how long? then, when they saw that neither could conquer the other in that way, they fought hand to hand, while the Poor Boy held up the palace, that it might not fall down on their heads.

この話をこれ以上長引かせるのはよそう。竜と王子が出会えばいつもどうなるかは、わたしたちも知っている。二人は戦いを始めた。王子は勇者だったが、竜は三人兄弟の末っ子だった! 二人は剣で戦い、それがどれほど続いたかは誰も知らない。それから、そのやり方ではどちらも相手に勝てないと見ると、二人は素手で組み合った。そのあいだ貧しい少年は、二人の頭の上に落ちてこないように宮殿を支えていた。

When the Poor Boy saw that his strength was failing and neither was conquering the other, he called loudly: "Seize him and throw him on the ground, I can hold out no longer."

貧しい少年は、自分の力が尽きかけているのに、どちらも勝てずにいるのを見て、大声で叫んだ。「そいつをつかんで地面に投げつけろ、もう持ちこたえられない。」

The prince grasped the dragon, summoned up all his strength, and hurled him on the ground so that his bones cracked and he lay senseless; then he hastily took to flight, ran through the half-open gate, and pulled the Poor Boy after him; the walls fell, the huge splendid palaces toppled down, and, as it were, buried the dragon alive. Nothing remained standing except the glass tower, now empty and deserted. The Bodiless Maiden had vanished from it the very moment that there was no longer any one who could have stolen her from the other world.

王子は竜をつかんで力をふりしぼり、骨が砕けて気を失うほど強く地面に投げつけた。それから急いで逃げ出して、半分開いた門を駆け抜け、貧しい少年を引っぱっていった。壁は崩れ、巨大な壮麗な宮殿は倒れて、いわば竜を生き埋めにした。立ったまま残ったのはガラスの塔だけで、それも今では空っぽで打ち捨てられていた。体を持たぬ乙女は、自分をあの世から盗める者がいなくなったまさにその瞬間に、そこから消えていたのである。

The two comrades thanked the Lord that they had been able to accomplish their task so far, and journeyed on, walking and walking, till they reached the palace of the second dragon. Already in the distance they saw the glass tower and heard the wailing song; but the Poor Boy's heart beat higher, because the nearer he approached the more distinctly he recognized his sister's voice. When they reached the beautiful great palace and saw the girl in the glass tower, both rushed up to break into the turret and clasp her in their arms.

二人の仲間は、ここまで務めを果たせたことを主に感謝して、歩きに歩いて旅を続け、とうとう二番目の竜の宮殿に着いた。もう遠くからガラスの塔が見え、嘆きの歌が聞こえた。けれども貧しい少年の胸は高鳴った。近づくほどに、妹の声だとはっきりわかったからである。二人が美しい大きな宮殿に着いて、ガラスの塔の娘を見ると、どちらも塔を破って娘を腕に抱こうと駆け寄った。

But affairs could not be managed so easily. The girl in the glass tower, who was really the Poor Boy's sister, looked at them in surprise; but when he told her that he had come to rescue her from the dragon's claws, she replied that she did not know him, and that neither in face nor form did he bear any resemblance to her brother. Great was the Poor Boy's grief when he saw that his sister wanted to have nothing to do with him, though for her sake he had crossed so many moors and encountered so many dangers, but his sorrow became still greater when she began to complain that she was dying of love for the dragon. Every day, she said, he came and gazed ardently at her, yet day after day kept her a prisoner and did not marry her. Still, this was endurable to the Poor Boy, because she was only his sister; but when the prince saw the girl, heard her voice, and perceived her love for the dragon, he became perfectly frantic.

けれども事はそう簡単にはいかなかった。ガラスの塔の娘、それはまさに貧しい少年の妹だったが、娘は驚いて二人を見た。そして少年が、竜の爪からあなたを救いに来たのだと言うと、娘は、あなたを知らない、顔も姿も自分の兄には似ていないと答えた。妹のためにあれほど多くの荒れ野を越え、あれほど多くの危険に出会ってきたのに、妹が自分と関わりを持ちたがらないのを見て、貧しい少年の嘆きは大きかった。けれども、妹が竜への恋に死にそうだと訴えはじめると、その悲しみはいっそう大きくなった。妹の言うには、竜は毎日やって来て熱い目で自分を見つめるのに、来る日も来る日も自分を閉じ込めたまま結婚しないのだという。それでも貧しい少年にはまだ耐えられた。相手はただの妹だったからである。けれども王子は、娘を見て、その声を聞き、竜への恋を知ると、まったく気も狂わんばかりになった。

"Well then, if you won't come, we'll carry you off by force!" he said, ready to take the whole palace on his back and fly with it to the other shore.

「それなら、来ないというなら、力ずくで連れ去るまでだ!」と王子は言い、宮殿をまるごと背負って向こう岸へ飛んでいきかねない勢いだった。

"Gently, gently," said the girl; "if it came to that, I need only pull a nail out of this glass wall to bring the whole palace toppling down upon your heads. But I pity your youth, and advise you not to stay here long, because my betrothed husband might catch you, and you will have no one to mourn for you."

「お静かに、お静かに」と娘は言った。「そんなことになったら、わたしはこのガラスの壁から釘を一本抜くだけで、宮殿をまるごとあなたがたの頭の上に崩せるのです。でもあなたがたの若さが気の毒ですから、長くここにいないほうがいいと忠告しておきます。わたしのいいなずけの夫に見つかったら、あなたがたのために嘆いてくれる人も誰もいないのですから。」

The Poor Boy now took his ash-cake from his knapsack and said: "Sister, just taste this bread, and then say that I am not your brother."

そこで貧しい少年は背嚢から灰のパンを取り出して言った。「妹よ、このパンをちょっと味わってみてくれ。それから、ぼくがきみの兄ではないと言うがいい。」

She held out her hand and the glass walls opened; but after she had taken the bread and tasted it she felt that it had been mixed with her own mother's milk, and was seized with such terrible homesickness that one might have wept for pity. "Forward!" she said hastily, "let us fly, for if he finds us here, woe betide you."

娘が手を差し出すとガラスの壁が開いた。けれどもパンを取って味わうと、それが自分の母の乳を混ぜてこねられたものだとわかり、憐れを誘うほどのひどい郷愁に襲われた。「さあ!」と娘は急いで言った。「逃げましょう。ここで見つかったら、あなたがたはひどい目にあいます。」

The Poor Boy took her in his arms and kissed her, because she was his sister, but the prince embraced and kissed her, too, because--because he was the Poor Boy's sworn brother.

貧しい少年は娘を腕に抱いて口づけした。妹だったからである。けれども王子も娘を抱きしめて口づけした。なぜなら——なぜなら貧しい少年の誓いの兄弟だったからである。

Then they agreed to serve this dragon as they had served his brother, so they waited awhile, received the dragon as he deserved, conquered him, and after thanking God that they had overcome this peril too, journeyed on again to deliver the emperor's daughter.

それから三人は、この竜にも兄と同じ手を使うことに決め、しばらく待って、ふさわしいやり方で竜を迎え、打ち負かした。そしてこの危険も乗り越えられたことを神に感謝してから、皇帝の娘を救い出すためにまた旅を続けた。

But now came fresh trouble. The princess did not want to be rescued, and the prince had no token with him by which she might have recognized him as her brother. In vain the Poor Boy told her that if she did not come willingly, he would carry her off by force; she kept her hand on the dangerous nail and it was impossible to coax her.

けれども今度は新たな困難が起こった。王女は救われたがらず、王子は、自分が兄だと娘に分からせるしるしを何も持っていなかったのである。自分から来ないなら力ずくで連れていくと貧しい少年が言ってもむだで、娘はあの危険な釘に手をかけたまま、どうしてもなだめられなかった。

I must mention that it would go hard with them if they waited for the dragon; for there were only two champions, and if one held up the palace by keeping the gates on their hinges and the other waited for the dragon in the middle of the court-yard, there was no one who could protect them from the nail.

言っておかなければならないが、竜を待つのは二人には危うかった。勇者は二人しかおらず、一人が門を蝶番の上に支えて宮殿を持ちこたえ、もう一人が中庭のまんなかで竜を待てば、釘から二人を守る者が誰もいなくなるからである。

"Let me attend to it," said the Poor Boy, who, since he had seen the princess, had grown fairly frantic. "Either his life or mine!"

「ぼくに任せてくれ」と、王女を見てからすっかり我を忘れていた貧しい少年は言った。「あいつの命か、ぼくの命かだ!」

As we perceive, he had determined to fight the dragon in the open ground, where he could not see him,--a thing never heard of since fairy princes first began to fight the dragon's brood; for if it is hard to conquer a dragon at all, it is doubly difficult to vanquish one when he is invisible, and no one had ever thought of such an exploit.

おわかりのとおり、少年は、相手の姿が見えない開けた場所で竜と戦おうと決めたのである——おとぎ話の王子たちが竜の一族と戦いはじめて以来、聞いたこともないことだった。竜を打ち負かすことさえ難しいのに、姿の見えない竜を倒すのは二倍難しく、そんな離れ業を思いついた者は一人もいなかったのである。

The prince and the Poor Boy's sister hid themselves in a ditch near the palace, that the dragon might not see them; but the Poor Boy stationed himself a little behind the gate and waited for the dragon to hurl his club, in order to get near him, for when he no longer had a club he would be obliged to fight either with his sword or with his fists.

王子と貧しい少年の妹は、竜に見つからないよう宮殿の近くの溝に隠れた。けれども貧しい少年は門の少しうしろに陣取って、竜が棍棒を投げるのを待った。そばに寄るためである。棍棒がなくなれば、竜は剣か拳で戦うほかなくなるからだ。

Ere long, crash! the club struck the iron-barred gate, but the Poor Boy was not slow, he opened the other gate and ran out with it, leaving the palace to fall in ruins behind him.

まもなく、がしゃん! 棍棒が鉄格子の門に当たったが、貧しい少年はぐずぐずしていなかった。少年はもう一方の門を開けてそれを持って駆け出し、宮殿はうしろで崩れ落ちるにまかせた。

"Come on, if you have the courage to show yourself," he shouted, believing that the dragon would make some reply and thus betray himself.

「来い、姿を見せる勇気があるならな」と少年は叫んだ。竜が何か答えて、それで自分の居所を明かすだろうと思ったのである。

But the dragon felt that he had found his match, and did not think of speaking, but, invisible to the youth, approached, drew his sword, and aimed straight at his enemy's head to hack it off, but the blow only broke the lad's jaw. The wound hurt the Poor Boy, but it pleased him, too, because he now knew where to look for his foe; so he rushed in the direction from which the blow had come, struck out, and felt that he hit flesh, struck again, and again felt that he had hit, and so continued to deal short, swift thrusts, with, which he drove the dragon before the point of his sword. Suddenly he perceived that he no longer hit any thing and the dragon had escaped, so he stood cowering, like a person who does not know from whence the next blow will come.

けれども竜は、手ごわい相手に出会ったと感じて、口をきこうとは思わず、若者には見えないまま近づいて剣を抜き、敵の頭をめがけて切り落とそうとした。けれどもその一撃は若者の顎を砕いただけだった。傷は貧しい少年を痛めつけたが、同時に喜ばせもした。どこに敵を探せばいいかわかったからである。そこで少年は一撃の来たほうへ突進して斬りつけ、肉を打った手ごたえを感じ、また斬りつけ、また当たった手ごたえを感じて、こうして短く速い突きを繰り出しながら、剣の先で竜を追いつめていった。突然、もう何にも当たらなくなり、竜が逃げたのに気づいたので、少年は次の一撃がどこから来るかわからない者のように身をかがめて立った。

The dragon again aimed straight at the Poor Boy's head, and as he hacked, struck off his right ear.

竜はまた貧しい少年の頭をめがけて斬りつけ、その右の耳を切り落とした。

"I'll pay you for that," shouted the youth, rushing upon him again. But his strength was now greatly diminished, and he only hit the dragon twice before he lost him from the point of his saber.

「その借りは返してやる」と若者は叫んで、また突進した。けれども少年の力は今やひどく衰えていて、竜を剣先から見失うまでに二度当てただけだった。

The princess was watching their battle from her tower, which had remained standing, and as she watched wondered at the Poor Boy's heroic courage; but when she saw the dragon aiming a third blow at the youth's head, she called: "Dear hero, turn to the right and spit three times, then you can see your foe."

王女は、崩れずに残った塔から二人の戦いを見ていて、見ながら貧しい少年の勇ましさに驚嘆していた。けれども竜が三度目に若者の頭をめがけて振りかぶるのを見ると、こう叫んだ。「勇者さま、右を向いて三度唾を吐いてください。そうすれば敵が見えます。」

When the Poor Boy heard this, he felt a hundred thousand times stronger than he had been before, and as he turned to the right, spit, and saw the dragon, he rushed upon him, seized him in his arms, and squeezed him so that he crushed all his bones and flung him on the ground as dead as a mouse.

貧しい少年はこれを聞くと、前よりも十万倍も強くなった気がした。そして右を向いて唾を吐き、竜を見ると、竜に突進して腕に抱きしめ、骨をみな砕くほど締めつけて、ねずみのように死んだ竜を地面に投げ出した。

The prince and the Poor Boy lost no time, but prepared to journey home. The princess kissed the Poor Boy and his ear and his chin instantly healed, so that he looked even handsomer than before. Then the two comrades went to the dragon's stables, which were hidden under the foundations of the fallen palace. Each took an enchanted horse, mounted, lifted his betrothed bride upon it, and hurried homeward.

王子と貧しい少年は時を無駄にせず、家へ帰る支度をした。王女が貧しい少年に口づけすると、耳も顎もたちまち治って、前よりも美しく見えるほどになった。それから二人の仲間は、崩れた宮殿の土台の下に隠れていた竜の厩へ行った。めいめい魔法の馬を選んで乗り、いいなずけの花嫁を乗せて、急いで家路についた。

If the Red Emperor had been only an ordinary mortal he would have rejoiced, but he was a sovereign to boot! He divided his empire between his son and his daughter's husband; the Poor Boy went to his poor mother's house to bring her to court and, when she had arrived, a wedding was celebrated, dear me! a wedding that will be talked about as long as the world stands.

赤の皇帝がただの人間だったなら喜んだだろうが、そのうえ君主でもあった! 皇帝は自分の国を息子と娘の夫とで分けた。貧しい少年は貧しい母を宮廷へ連れてこようと家へ行き、母が着くと婚礼が催された。なんとまあ! 世界が続くかぎり語り草になるような婚礼だった。

Into the saddle then I sprung, This tale to tell to old and young.

それから馬にまたがって、老いも若きもこの話を聞かせにまいろう。