The Tale of the Silver Saucer and the Crystal Apple

Once a peasant lived with his wife, and they had three daughters: two were finely dressed and clever, but the third was a simple girl; the sisters and the father and mother as well called her the Little Fool. They hustled the Little Fool, thrust her about this way and that and forced her to work. She never said a word and was always ready to weed the grass, break off lamp-splinters, feed the cows and ducks, and whatever anybody asked for the Little Fool would bring. They had only to say, “Fool, go and fetch this!” or “Fool, come and look here!”

あるところに一人の百姓が妻と暮らしていて、三人の娘があった。上の二人は身なりもよく利口だったが、三人めは素朴な娘で、姉たちも父も母も、その娘を「おばかさん」と呼んでいた。みなはおばかさんをこづき回し、あちらへこちらへと押しやって、働かせた。娘はひとことも言わず、いつでも草を取り、灯りの木片を折り、牛や鴨に餌をやる支度ができていた。誰が何を頼んでも、おばかさんは持ってきてくれた。「ばか、これを取っておいで!」とか「ばか、こっちへ来て見ておくれ!」と言いさえすればよかった。

One day the peasant went with his hay to the fair, and he asked his daughters, “What shall I bring you as your fairing?”

ある日、百姓は干し草を持って市へ行くことになり、娘たちに尋ねた。「土産に何を買ってきてやろうか」

One daughter asked, “Buy me some red cloth for a sarafan.” The other asked, “Buy me some scarlet nankin.” But the Fool sat still and said nothing.

一人の娘が頼んだ。「サラファンにする赤い布を買ってきて」。もう一人が頼んだ。「緋色の南京木綿を買ってきて」。だがおばかさんはじっと坐って何も言わなかった。

Well, after all, the Fool was his daughter, and her father felt sorry for her, so he asked her, “What would you like to have, Fool?”

とはいえ、おばかさんもやはり自分の娘であり、父は不憫に思って尋ねた。「おまえは何がほしい、おばかさん」

So the Fool smiled and said, “Buy me, my own father, a silver saucer and a crystal apple.”

するとおばかさんは微笑んで言った。「お父さん、銀の小皿と水晶の林檎を買ってきてちょうだい」

“What do you mean?” asked the sisters.

「どういうつもりなの」と姉たちは尋ねた。

“I should then roll the apple on the saucer, and should speak words which an old woman taught me in return for my giving her a loaf of white bread.” So the peasant promised, and went away.

「そうしたら小皿の上で林檎を転がして、おばあさんに教わった言葉を唱えるの。白いパンを一つあげたお礼に教えてくれたのよ」。そこで百姓は約束して出かけた。

Whether he went far or near, whether he took long or short, anyhow he went to the fair, sold his hay, bought the fairings, gave his one daughter the scarlet nankin, the other the red cloth for a sarafan and the Fool a silver saucer and a crystal apple. He came back home and he showed them. Both sisters were overjoyed, sewed sarafans, and mocked the Fool, and waited to see what she would do with her silver saucer and crystal apple. But the Fool did not eat the apple, but sat in a corner and whispered, “Roll, roll, roll, little apple, on the silver saucer, and show me all the cities and the fields, all the woods and the seas, and the heights of the hills and the fairness of heaven.”

遠くへ行ったのか近くへ行ったのか、長くかかったのか短かったのか、とにかく百姓は市へ行き、干し草を売り、土産を買い、一人の娘には緋の南京木綿、もう一人にはサラファンの赤い布、そしておばかさんには銀の小皿と水晶の林檎をやった。家へ帰って土産を見せた。姉二人は大喜びでサラファンを縫い、おばかさんをからかいながら、銀の小皿と水晶の林檎で何をするのか見てやろうと待っていた。だがおばかさんは林檎を食べず、隅に坐ってささやいた。「転がれ、転がれ、転がれ、小さな林檎よ、銀の小皿の上を。すべての都とすべての野、すべての森とすべての海、山々の高さと天の麗しさをわたしに見せておくれ」

Then the apple rolled about on the saucer; a transparency came over the silver; and, on the saucer, all the cities, one after the other, became visible, all the ships on the seas, and the regiments in the fields, and the heights of the mountains, and the beauties of the sky. Sunset appeared after sunset and the stars gathered in their nocturnal dances: it was all so beautiful and so lovely as no tale can tell and no pen can write.

すると林檎が小皿の上を転がりはじめた。銀に透明さが差してきて、小皿の上に、都という都が次々に現れ、海の船という船、野の連隊という連隊、山々の高さ、空の美しさが見えた。日の入りが日の入りに続いて現れ、星々が夜の踊りに集った。それはあまりに美しく、あまりに愛らしく、どんな話も語り尽くせず、どんな筆も書き尽くせぬほどだった。

Then the sisters looked on and they became envious and wanted to take the saucer away from their sister, but she would not exchange her saucer for anything else in the world. So the evil sisters walked about, called out and began to talk. “Oh, my darling sisters, let us go into the wood and pick berries and look for wild strawberries!” So the Fool gave her saucer to her father and herself went into the wood. She wandered about with her sisters, plucked the strawberries, and saw a spade lying on the grass; then the other sisters took the spade and began beating the Fool with it, slew the Fool, buried her under a silver birch, and came back to their father late at night, saying, “The Little Fool ran away from us, we could not find her, we went all over the wood searching for her. We suppose the wolves must have eaten her up.” But the father was sorry. She was a Fool, but she was his daughter after all, and so the peasant wept for his daughter, took the silver saucer and the apple, put them into a coffer and locked them up. And the sisters also wept for her.

それを見て姉たちは妬み、妹から小皿を取り上げようとしたが、妹はこの世の何とも小皿を換えようとしなかった。そこで邪な姉たちはうろうろ歩き回り、声をかけ、話しはじめた。「ねえ、かわいい妹よ、森へ行って木の実を摘み、野いちごを探しましょうよ!」。そこでおばかさんは小皿を父に預け、自分は森へ行った。姉たちとさまよい歩き、野いちごを摘んでいると、草の上に鋤が一本落ちているのが見えた。すると姉たちはその鋤を取っておばかさんを打ちはじめ、おばかさんを殺し、白樺の下に埋め、夜遅く父のところへ帰ってきて言った。「おばかさんはわたしたちから逃げてしまって、見つかりませんでした。森じゅう探し回ったのですけれど。きっと狼に食べられてしまったのでしょう」。だが父は悲しんだ。おばかさんではあっても、やはり自分の娘だったのだ。そこで百姓は娘のために泣き、銀の小皿と林檎を取って箱に入れ、錠を下ろした。姉たちもまた妹のために泣いてみせた。

Soon a herd came by and the trumpet sounded at dawn. But the shepherd was taking his flock, and at dawn he sounded his trumpet and went into the wood to look for a little lamb. He saw a little hummock beside a silver birch, and on it all around ruby-red and azure flowers, and bulrushes standing above the flowers. So the young shepherd broke a bulrush, made a pipe of it, and a wonderful wonder happened, a marvellous marvel: the pipe began of itself to sing and to speak. “Play on, play on, my little pipe. Console my father, console my guiding light, my father, and tell my mother of me, and my sisters, the little doves. For they killed me, the poor one, and for a silver saucer have severed me from light, all for my enchanted apple.”

まもなく家畜の群れが通りかかり、夜明けに角笛が鳴った。その羊飼いは群れを連れていて、夜明けに角笛を吹き、迷った仔羊を探しに森へ入った。すると白樺のそばに小さな塚があり、その上いちめんに紅玉色と空色の花が咲き、花の上に蒲が立っているのが見えた。そこで若い羊飼いは蒲を一本折って笛を作った。すると驚くべき驚き、奇しき奇しきことが起こった。笛がひとりでに歌い、語りはじめたのである。「吹いておくれ、吹いておくれ、わたしの小さな笛よ。わたしの父を慰めておくれ、わたしを導く光であるわたしの父を。そして母に、姉たちに、鳩のような姉たちに、わたしのことを伝えておくれ。あの人たちが哀れなわたしを殺して、銀の小皿のために、魔法の林檎のために、わたしを光から引き離したのだから」

People heard and ran together, the entire village thronged round the shepherd, asked him who had been slain. There was no end to the question. “Good folks all,” said the shepherd, “I do not know anything about it. I was looking for a little sheep in the wood, and I saw a knoll, on the knoll flowers, and a bulrush over the knoll. I broke off a bulrush, carved myself a pipe out of it, and the pipe began singing and speaking of itself.”

人々はそれを聞いて駆け集まり、村じゅうが羊飼いを取り巻いて、誰が殺されたのかと尋ねた。問いは尽きなかった。「善き衆よ」と羊飼いは言った。「わたしは何も知りません。森で迷った羊を探していたら塚があり、塚の上に花が咲き、塚の上に蒲が立っていた。蒲を一本折って笛を削ったら、笛がひとりでに歌い、語りはじめたのです」

Now it so happened that the father of the Little Fool was there, heard the words of the shepherd, wanted to lay hold of the pipe, when the pipe began singing, “Play on, play on, little pipe: this is my father; console him with my mother. My poor little self they slew, they withdrew from the white world, all for the sake of my silver vessel and crystal apple.”

ところで、そこにはおばかさんの父がいて、羊飼いの言葉を聞き、笛に手をかけようとした。すると笛が歌いはじめた。「吹いておくれ、吹いておくれ、小さな笛よ。この人がわたしの父です。母のことで慰めてあげて。哀れなわたしを殺して、白い世から引き離したのは、みな銀の器と水晶の林檎のためでした」

“Lead us, shepherd,” said the father, “where you broke off the bulrush.” So they followed the shepherd into the wood and to the knoll, and they were amazed at the beautiful flowers, ruby-red, sky-blue, that grew there.

「案内しておくれ、羊飼いよ」と父は言った。「その蒲を折ったところへ」。そこで一同は羊飼いについて森へ入り、塚のところまで来て、そこに咲く紅玉色と空色の美しい花に目をみはった。

Then they began to dig up the knoll and discovered the dead body. The father clasped his hands, groaned as he recognised his unfortunate daughter, saw her lying there slain, not knowing by whom she had been buried. And all the good folks asked who had been the slayers, who had been the murderers. Then the pipe began playing and speaking of itself. “O my light, my father, my sisters called me to the wood: they killed me here to get my saucer, my silver saucer, and my crystal apple. You cannot raise me from my heavy sleep till you get water from the Tsar’s well.”

それから塚を掘りはじめると、亡骸が出てきた。父は両手を握り合わせ、不運な娘だと気づいて呻いた。殺されて横たわる娘を見たが、誰に埋められたのかはわからなかった。そして善き衆はみな、殺したのは誰か、下手人は誰かと尋ねた。すると笛がひとりでに鳴り、語りはじめた。「おお、わたしの光、わたしの父よ。姉さんたちがわたしを森へ誘ったのです。わたしの小皿を、銀の小皿と水晶の林檎を取るために、ここでわたしを殺したのです。ツァーリの井戸の水を汲んでこなければ、わたしをこの重い眠りから起こすことはできません」

The two envious sisters trembled, paled, and their soul was in flames. They acknowledged their guilt. They were seized, bound, locked up in a dark vault at the Tsar’s pleasure. But the father set out on his way to the capital city. The road was long or short. At last he reached the town and came up to the palace. The Tsar, the little sun, was coming down the golden staircase. The old man bowed down to the earth and asked for the Tsar’s mercy. Then the Tsar, the hope, said, “Take the water of life from the Tsar’s well. When your daughter revives, bring her here with the saucer, the apple, and the evil-doing sisters.”

妬み深い二人の姉は震え、青ざめ、その魂は炎に包まれた。二人は罪を認めた。二人は捕らえられ、縛られ、ツァーリの裁きを待って暗い地下牢に閉じ込められた。そして父は都へ向けて旅立った。道は長かったのか短かったのか。とうとう町に着き、宮殿に近づいた。ツァーリ、小さな太陽が黄金の階段を下りてくるところだった。老人は地に額づいて、ツァーリの慈悲を乞うた。するとツァーリ、望みの主はこう言われた。「ツァーリの井戸から生命の水を汲むがよい。娘が生き返ったら、小皿と林檎と、悪事を働いた姉たちを連れてここへ参れ」

The old man was overjoyed, bowed down to earth and took the phial with the living water, ran into the wood to the flowery knoll, and took up the body. As soon as ever he sprinkled it with the water his daughter sprang up in front of him alive, and hung like a dove upon her father’s neck. All the people gathered together and wept. The old man went to the capital city. He was taken into the Tsar’s rooms. The Tsar, the little sun, appeared, saw the old man with his three daughters, two tied by the hands, and the third daughter like a spring flower, the light of Paradise in her eyes, with the dawn on her face, tears flowing in her eyes, falling like pearls.

老人は大喜びで地に額づき、生ける水の入った小瓶を受け取って、森の花咲く塚へ駆け戻り、亡骸を抱き上げた。その水を振りかけるやいなや、娘は生きたまま目の前に跳ね起き、鳩のように父の首にすがりついた。人々はみな集まって泣いた。老人は都へ行った。ツァーリの部屋へ通された。ツァーリ、小さな太陽が現れ、三人の娘を連れた老人を見た。二人は手を縛られ、三人めの娘は春の花のようで、その目には楽園の光、その顔には暁があり、涙が目からあふれて真珠のように落ちていた。

The Tsar looked and was amazed, and was wroth with the wicked sisters. He asked the fair maiden, “Where are your saucer and the crystal apple?”

ツァーリは見て驚き、邪な姉たちに怒った。そして美しい乙女に尋ねた。「そなたの小皿と水晶の林檎はどこにある」

Then she took the little coffer out of her father’s hands, took out the apple and the saucer, and herself asked the Tsar, “What do you want to see, O Tsar my Emperor? Would you like to see your powerful cities, your valorous hosts, your ships on the sea, or the wonderful stars of the sky?” And she let the crystal apple roll about on the silver saucer, and on the saucer one after the other all the towns appeared in their shape; all the regiments with their banners and their arquebuses standing in warlike array, the leaders in front of the lines and the colonels in front of the platoons and the sergeants in front of their companies. And the guns fired and the shots flew, and the smoke wreathed and writhed: it was all visible to the eye. Then again the apple rolled about on the saucer, the crystal on the silver, and the sea could be seen billowing on the shore, and the ships swimming like swans, flags flying, issuing from the stern, and the noise of guns and cannon-smoke arriving like wreaths, all visible to the eye. Then again the apple rolled on the saucer, the crystal on the silver, and the sky was red on the saucer, and little sun after little sun made its round, and the stars gathered on their dance. The Tsar was amazed at this wonder.

そこで乙女は父の手から小箱を受け取り、林檎と小皿を取り出して、自分からツァーリに尋ねた。「何をご覧になりたいですか、わが帝、ツァーリよ。強大な都をご覧になりますか、勇ましい軍勢をご覧になりますか、海の船をご覧になりますか、それとも空の不思議な星々をご覧になりますか」。そして水晶の林檎を銀の小皿の上で転がした。すると小皿の上に、町という町がその姿のまま次々に現れた。連隊という連隊が旗と火縄銃を掲げて戦の備えに並び、隊列の前には将が、小隊の前には大佐が、中隊の前には軍曹が立っていた。そして銃が火を吹き、弾が飛び、煙が渦を巻いてうねった。何もかも目に見えるのだった。それからまた林檎が小皿の上を、水晶が銀の上を転がった。すると海が岸に打ち寄せ、船が白鳥のように泳ぎ、旗が翻り、艫から流れ出て、砲の轟きと大砲の煙が輪をなして届くのが、何もかも目に見えた。それからまた林檎が小皿の上を、水晶が銀の上を転がった。すると小皿の上で空が赤らみ、小さな太陽が次々にめぐり、星々が踊りに集った。ツァーリはこの不思議に目をみはった。

But the fair maiden was lost in tears and fell down at the Tsar’s feet and begged for mercy, saying, “Tsar, your Majesty,” she said, “take my silver saucer and crystal apple if you will only forgive my sisters, and do not destroy them for my sake.”

だが美しい乙女は涙にくれてツァーリの足もとに身を投げ、慈悲を乞うて言った。「ツァーリ、陛下」と乙女は言った。「わたしの銀の小皿と水晶の林檎をお納めください。ただ、姉たちをお赦しくださいますなら。わたしのために姉たちを滅ぼさないでください」

And the Tsar was melted by her tears and pardoned them at her request. She for sheer joy shouted out and fell upon her sisters. The Tsar looked round, was amazed, took the fair maiden by the hand, said to her in a kindly voice, “I must for your goodness love your beauty: will you be my wife and the Tsarítsa of my fair realm?”

ツァーリはその涙にほだされ、乞われるままに二人を赦した。乙女はうれしさのあまり声をあげて、姉たちに飛びついた。ツァーリはそれを見て驚き、美しい乙女の手を取って、優しい声でこう言った。「そなたの善さゆえに、そなたの美しさを愛さずにはいられぬ。わが妻となり、わが麗しき国のツァリーツァとなってくれるか」

“Tsar, your Majesty,” answered the fair maiden, “it is your imperial will, but it is the father’s will which is law amongst the daughters, and the blessing of their mother. If my father will, if my mother will bless me, I will.”

「ツァーリ、陛下」と美しい乙女は答えた。「それは帝のご意志でございます。けれど娘のあいだで掟となるのは父の意志、そして母の祝福でございます。父が望み、母が祝福してくれますなら、そういたします」

Then the father bowed down to earth, and he sent for the mother, and the mother blessed her.

そこで父は地に額づき、母を呼びにやった。そして母は娘を祝福した。

“Yet I have one word more for you,” said the fair maiden to the Tsar: “Do not separate my kin from me, let my mother and my father and my sisters remain with me.”

「けれど、もうひとつ申し上げたいことがございます」と美しい乙女はツァーリに言った。「わたしの身内をわたしから引き離さないでください。母も父も姉たちも、わたしといっしょにいさせてください」

Then the sisters bowed down to her feet, and said, “We are not worthy!”

すると姉たちは妹の足もとに額づいて言った。「わたしたちにはその値打ちがありません!」

“It has all been forgotten, my beloved sisters,” she said to them; “ye are my kin, ye are not strangers. He who bears in mind an ill bygone has lost his sight.” And as she said this, she smiled and raised her sisters up.

「何もかも忘れてしまいました、いとしい姉さんたち」と乙女は言った。「あなたたちはわたしの身内、他人ではありません。過ぎた悪を心に留める者は、目を失った者です」。そう言って乙女は微笑み、姉たちを助け起こした。

And her sisters wept from sheer emotion, as the rivers flow, and would not rise from the ground.

姉たちは胸いっぱいになって、川の流れるように泣き、地から立ち上がろうとしなかった。

Then the Tsar bade them rise and looked on them kindly, bidding them remain in the city.

そこでツァーリは二人に立つように命じ、優しく二人を見て、都に留まるように言いつけた。

There was a feast in the palace: the front steps glittered and glowed as though with flame, like the sun enwreathed in his beams. The Tsar and the Tsarítsa sat on a chariot, and the earth trembled, and the people ran up crying out, “Long live the Tsar and Tsarítsa!”

宮殿では宴が開かれた。正面の階段は炎のように、光に包まれた太陽のようにきらめき燃えた。ツァーリとツァリーツァは車に乗り、大地は震え、人々は駆け寄って叫んだ。「ツァーリとツァリーツァに栄えあれ!」