Mark the Rich

In a country, in a kingdom far away, once upon a time there lived a merchant, Mark the Rich; and, what with all his estates and revenues, you couldn’t count them. He lived, and was merry, and never suffered the poor man to come to his door, so ungracious was he.

はるか彼方のある国、ある王国に、むかしむかし、富者マルクという商人が住んでいた。その領地も収入も、数え上げられるものではなかった。彼は暮らし、楽しみ、貧しい者を決して戸口へ近づけなかった。それほど無慈悲な男だった。

One day he had a dream: “Make ready, Mark the Rich, and wait. God Himself will be thy Guest!” In the morning Mark got up, called his wife, and bade her make a banquet. He covered all of his courtyard with scarlet velvet and golden brocade, and at every side-path he posted journeymen and servants to keep out all the hunger-brothers and scare them outside. Then Mark the Rich came, and sat awaiting the Lord. The hours went by, and never a guest. And then the poor heard that there was a great feast at the house of Mark the Rich. They all gathered round for the hallowed gifts; but the journeymen and servants drove them all away. But one poor beggar, bent with age, and all in rags, went up to the door of Mark the Rich. And as Mark the Rich saw him from the window, he cried out in a fierce voice: “Hi, you sluggards and louts! Eyes and no eyes? Look at the beast that is traipsing up and down our courtyard: get rid of him.”

ある日、彼は夢を見た。「支度をせよ、富者マルクよ、そして待て。神みずからがおまえの客となられる!」。朝になるとマルクは起きて妻を呼び、饗宴の支度をさせた。庭をすっかり緋のびろうどと金襴で覆い、脇道という脇道に職人と召使いを立たせて、飢えた同胞をみな締め出し、外へ追い払わせた。そして富者マルクは坐って主を待った。時は過ぎていったが、客は来なかった。やがて貧しい者たちが、富者マルクの家で大宴会があると聞きつけた。みな聖なる施しを求めて集まってきたが、職人と召使いがことごとく追い払った。だが一人、年に曲がり、ぼろをまとった貧しい乞う者が、富者マルクの戸口までやって来た。窓からそれを見た富者マルクは、荒々しい声で叫んだ。「おい、この怠け者ののろまども! 目があって見えぬのか。うちの庭をうろつき回っているあの獣を見ろ。追い出せ」

And all the servants scampered up, laid hold of the poor old fellow, and rushed him out the back way. One good old woman saw him, and said: “Come to me, you poor old beggar; I will feed and rest you.” She took him in, fed him, gave him to drink, and laid him to sleep; and thus Mark the Rich had never found the Lord for whom he was waiting.

そこで召使いたちがみな駆けつけて、哀れな老人を取り押さえ、裏口から突き出した。それを一人の心優しい老女が見て言った。「おいでなさい、哀れな年寄りの乞う者よ。食べさせて休ませてあげましょう」。老女は彼を招き入れ、食べさせ、飲ませ、寝かしつけた。こうして富者マルクは、待っていた主にとうとう出会えなかった。

At midnight the lady had a dream, and heard some one knock at the window and ask: “Old and righteous man, are you sleeping here to-night?” “Yes,” said the old man. “In a village near by a poor peasant has had a son; how will you reward him?” The poor man said: “He shall be lord of all the domains of Mark the Rich!” Next day the poor old man left his hostess and went forth to roam. The old peasant woman went to Mark the Rich and told him of her dream.

真夜中、その老女は夢を見て、誰かが窓を叩いてこう尋ねるのを聞いた。「年老いた正しき人よ、今夜はここにお休みか」。「さよう」と老人は答えた。「近くの村で、貧しい百姓に息子が生まれた。その子に何を報いるか」。貧しい老人は言った。「その子は富者マルクの領地のことごとくの主となるだろう!」。翌日、貧しい老人は宿の主に別れを告げ、また旅へ出ていった。百姓の老女は富者マルクのところへ行き、その夢を話した。

Mark went to the peasant and asked for the baby. “Give him to me—I will adopt him; he shall grow up; I will teach him well; and when I die he shall have all my wealth.” This was what he said, but his thoughts were quite different. He took the little boy, went home, and threw him into a snow-drift. “Lie there and freeze; that’s the way to become master of Mark’s wealth!” But that same night hunters, passing by, hunting for hares, found the boy, took him home, and brought him up.

マルクは百姓のところへ行き、赤ん坊をくれと頼んだ。「その子をわしにくれ——養子にしよう。大きくなれば、よく教えてやる。そしてわしが死んだら、わしの財産をみな譲ろう」。そう言いはしたが、腹の内はまるで違っていた。マルクは幼子を受け取ると家へ帰り、吹き溜まりの雪のなかへ投げ捨てた。「そこに寝て凍え死ね。それがマルクの財産の主になるやり方だ!」。ところがその同じ夜、兎狩りをして通りかかった猟師たちがその子を見つけ、家へ連れ帰って育てた。

Many years passed by, and much water flowed in the river, and one day Mark the Rich went out with those huntsmen, saw the young boy, heard his story, and spoke about him, and knew it was the same he had cast forth.

幾年も過ぎ、川には多くの水が流れた。ある日、富者マルクがその猟師たちと出かけて、若者を見かけ、その身の上を聞き、そのことを話しているうちに、自分が捨てたあの子だと知った。

So Mark the Rich asked the youth to go home and take a letter to his wife; but in that letter he bade her poison the boy like a dog. The poor foundling set out on his road; when on his way, he met a poor man with nothing on but a shirt; but this beggar was Christ Himself. He stopped the wayfarer, took the letter, and held it for one minute, and the letter was changed in all it said. The wife of Mark the Rich was to receive the bearer with all honour, and marry him to her daughter. It was said, and it was done.

そこで富者マルクは若者に、自分の家へ行って妻に手紙を届けてくれと頼んだ。だがその手紙には、この若者を犬のように毒殺せよと書いてあった。哀れな拾い子は道を歩きだした。その途中、肌着のほかは何も身につけていない貧しい男に出会った。だがこの乞う者はキリストその人だった。キリストは旅人を止め、手紙を取って一瞬のあいだ手に持った。すると手紙の文面はすっかり変わっていた。富者マルクの妻はこの使いの者をあらゆる敬意をもって迎え、自分の娘と結婚させよ、というのである。言われたとおりに事は運んだ。

Mark the Rich returned home; and was very wroth at seeing his new son-in-law, and said: “In the evening go to my distillery and look after the work”; whilst he secretly told the men to hunt him into the burning cauldron as soon as ever he appeared. So the boy made ready to go to the distillery; but a sudden sickness befell him, and he had to go back home. Mark the Rich waited his time, and went to see what had become of his son-in-law, and tumbled into his own distillers’ clutches, into the burning cauldron!

富者マルクは家へ帰り、新しい婿を見てひどく怒り、こう言った。「夕方、わしの酒造場へ行って仕事を見てこい」。そのいっぽうで、こっそり職人たちに、その者が現れしだい煮え立つ釜へ追い込めと言いつけた。そこで若者は酒造場へ行く支度をしたが、突然の病に倒れて家へ帰らねばならなくなった。富者マルクは時分を待って、婿がどうなったか見に行き、自分の酒造職人たちの手にかかって、煮え立つ釜へ落ちてしまった!