The Tale of Alexander of Macedon

Once upon a time there lived a king on the earth whose name was Alexander of Macedon: this was in the old days very long ago. So long ago that neither our grandfathers, nor great-grandfathers, nor our great-great-grandfathers, nor our great-great-great-grandfathers recollect it. This Tsar was one of the greatest knights of all knights that ever were. No champion of earth could ever conquer him. He loved warfare, and all his army consisted entirely of knights. Whomsoever Tsar Alexander of Macedon might go to combat, he would conquer, and he numbered under his sway all the kings of the earth.

むかしむかし、地上にマケドニアのアレクサンドロスという名の王が住んでいた。それはたいそう遠い昔のことである。あまりに昔なので、わたしたちの祖父も、曽祖父も、高祖父も、そのまた父も覚えてはいない。この王はこれまでにあったあらゆる勇士のなかでも最も偉大な勇士の一人だった。地上のどんな勇者も彼を打ち負かすことはできなかった。彼は戦を好み、その軍勢はことごとく勇士から成っていた。マケドニアのアレクサンドロス王は誰と戦っても勝ち、地上の王という王をその支配下に数えた。

He went to the edge of the world, and he discovered such peoples that he, however bold he was himself, felt afraid of them; ferocious folk, fiercer than wild beasts, who ate men; live folks who had but one eye; and that eye was on the forehead; folks who had three eyes, folks who had only a single leg; others who had three, and they ran as fast as an arrow darts from the bow. The names of these peoples were the Gogs and Magogs. Tsar Alexander of Macedon never lost courage at seeing these strange folk, but he set to and waged warfare on them. It may be long, it may be short, the war he waged—we do not know. Only the wild peoples became dispersed and ran away from him. He began to hunt and to chase after them, and he chased them into such thickets, precipices and mountains as no tale can tell and no pen can describe.

彼は世界の果てまで行き、そこで、いかに大胆な彼といえども恐ろしく思うような人々を見つけた。野の獣より獰猛で、人を食う獰猛な者たち。目が一つしかなく、その目が額にある生きた者たち。目が三つある者たち、脚が一本しかない者たち。脚が三本あって、弓から放たれた矢のように速く走る者たち。これらの人々の名はゴグとマゴグといった。マケドニアのアレクサンドロス王はこの奇怪な人々を見ても決してひるまず、身構えて彼らに戦をしかけた。その戦が長かったのか短かったのか、それはわからない。ただ、荒々しい人々は散り散りになって彼から逃げた。彼は追い立て、追いかけはじめ、どんな話も語り尽くせず、どんな筆も書き尽くせぬような茂みと絶壁と山々へと追い込んだ。

So at last they were able to hide themselves from Tsar Alexander of Macedon. What then did Tsar Alexander of Macedon do with them? He rolled one mountain over them, and then another roof-wise on top; on the arch he put trumpets, and he went back to his own land. The winds blew into the trumpets, and a fearsome roar was then raised to the skies, and the Gogs and Magogs sitting there cried out, “Oh, evidently Alexander of Macedon must still be alive!” The Gogs and Magogs are still alive and to this day are afraid of Alexander. But, before the end of the world, they shall escape.

そしてとうとう彼らはマケドニアのアレクサンドロス王から身を隠すことができた。ではマケドニアのアレクサンドロス王は彼らをどうしたか。一つの山を彼らの上に転がし、そのうえにもう一つの山を屋根のように載せた。その穹窿の上に喇叭を据え、自分の国へ帰った。風が喇叭に吹き込むと、恐ろしい轟きが天まで立ちのぼり、そこに坐っていたゴグとマゴグは叫んだ。「おお、どうやらマケドニアのアレクサンドロスはまだ生きているに違いない!」。ゴグとマゴグはいまなお生きていて、今日にいたるまでアレクサンドロスを恐れている。だが世の終わりの前に、彼らは逃げ出すだろう。