A Tale of the Dead

One day a peasant was going by night with pots on his head. He journeyed on and on, and his horse became tired and came to a spot in front of God’s acre. The peasant ungirded the horse, set it to graze, but he could not get any sleep. He lay down and lay down, suddenly the grave began opening under him, and he felt it and leaped to his feet. Then the grave opened and the corpse with the coffin lid got out, with his white shroud on; got out and ran up to the church door, laid the coffin lid at the gate and himself went into the village.

ある日、一人の百姓が壺を頭に載せて夜道を行った。行けども行けども馬は疲れ、やがて神の畑——墓地の前まで来た。百姓は馬の腹帯を解いて草を食ませたが、自分はどうにも眠れない。横になっても横になっても眠れずにいると、突然、体の下で墓が開きはじめた。それを感じて百姓は跳び起きた。すると墓が開いて、棺の蓋を持った死人が白い経帷子を着たまま出てきた。出てくると教会の戸口へ駆けていき、棺の蓋を門のところへ置いて、自分は村へ入っていった。

Now this peasant was a bold fellow: so he took the coffin lid and set it by his teléga, and went to see what would come of it. Very soon the corpse came back, looked about him and could not find the coffin lid anywhere, and began to hunt for it. And at last he came up to the peasant, and said, “Give me my coffin lid, or else I will smash you to atoms.”

ところでこの百姓は肝の据わった男だったので、その棺の蓋を取ってきて自分のテレガのそばに置き、どうなるか見届けることにした。まもなく死人が戻ってきて、あたりを見回したが棺の蓋がどこにも見つからず、探しはじめた。そしてとうとう百姓のところへ来て言った。「おれの棺の蓋を返せ。さもないと粉々に打ち砕くぞ」

“What are you bragging for?” answered the peasant, “I will break you up into little bits.”

「何を威張っている」と百姓は答えた。「こっちがおまえを細切れにしてやる」

“Do, please, give it me, dear good man,” asked the corpse.

「どうか、どうか返してくれ、親切な旦那」と死人は頼んだ。

“Well, I will give it you if you will tell me where you have been and what you have done.”

「よし、おまえがどこへ行って何をしてきたか話すなら返してやる」

“Oh, I have been in the village, and I there slew two young lads!”

「ああ、おれは村へ行って、そこで若い者を二人殺してきた!」

“Well, tell me how to revive them.”

「では、どうすれば生き返らせられるか言え」

The corpse had no choice, so he answered, “Cut off the left lappet from my shroud and take it with you. When you come to the house where the lads have died, scatter hot sparks into a pot and put the piece of my shirt there, then close the door and at the breath of it they will revive at once.”

死人にはほかに手がなかったので、こう答えた。「おれの経帷子の左の裾を切り取って持っていけ。若い者が死んだ家へ行ったら、壺のなかに熱い火の粉を撒き散らして、そこへおれの着物の切れ端を入れ、それから戸を閉めろ。その息にあたればすぐに生き返る」

So the peasant cut off the left lappet from the shroud and gave him back the coffin lid. Then the dead man went back into the grave and laid himself down in it. Then the cocks crowed and he could not lock it down properly: one corner of the coffin lid would perk upwards. The peasant noticed all this. Day was breaking, so he yoked his horse and went into the village.

そこで百姓は経帷子の左の裾を切り取り、棺の蓋を返してやった。すると死人は墓に戻って身を横たえた。そのとき鶏が鳴いて、死人はうまく蓋を閉めることができなかった。棺の蓋の隅が一つ、上へ跳ね上がったままになった。百姓はそれをすっかり見ていた。夜が明けたので、百姓は馬をつないで村へ入っていった。

In a certain house he could hear the sound of lamentation and cries of grief: he went in there, and two youths lay dead. “Do not weep: I can revive them.”

ある家から嘆きの声と悲しみの叫びが聞こえてきた。入ってみると、二人の若者が死んで横たわっていた。「泣きなさるな。わしが生き返らせてやれる」

“Do revive them, kinsman: half of our goods we will give you,” said the relations.

「どうか生き返らせてくだされ。わしらの身代の半分を差し上げます」と身内の者たちは言った。

So the peasant did as the corpse had told him, and the lads revived. The parents were delighted, and they seized hold of the peasant, and they pinioned him with ropes. “Now, doctor, we are going to take you up to the authorities: if you can revive them it must be you who killed them!”

そこで百姓が死人に言われたとおりにすると、若者たちは生き返った。両親は大喜びしたが、そのあと百姓をつかまえて縄で縛り上げた。「さあ、医者どの、お上へ突き出してやる。生き返らせられるからには、殺したのもおまえに違いない!」

“What, good Christians! Have some fear for God!” the peasant shrieked: and he told what he had seen at night.

「何を言う、善きキリスト者たちよ! 少しは神を恐れなされ!」と百姓は悲鳴をあげ、夜のあいだに見たことを話した。

Soon the news spread through the village, and the people assembled and rushed up to the cemetery, looked at the grave out of which the corpse had come, tore it up and dug into the dead man’s heart an oaken stake, so that he should never rise up and kill folks. And they rewarded the peasant greatly and led him home with honour.

やがてその知らせは村じゅうに広まり、人々は集まって墓地へ押しかけ、死人が出てきた墓を見て、それを掘り返し、死人の心臓に樫の杭を打ち込んだ。二度と起き上がって人を殺さぬようにである。そして百姓に手厚い礼をして、敬意をもって家まで送り届けた。