The Witch and the Sister of the Sun

In a distant country, a country far away, once there lived a Tsar and Tsarítsa, who had a son, Iván Tsarévich, who was dumb from his birth. When he was twelve years old he went to the stable to the groom whom he loved, who always told him stories. But this time he was not to be told any.

はるか彼方の国、遠い遠い国に、むかしツァーリとツァリーツァが住んでいて、イワン・ツァレーヴィチという息子があった。この子は生まれつき口がきけなかった。十二歳になったとき、可愛がっていた馬丁のところへ厩へ行った。馬丁はいつも話を聞かせてくれるのだった。だがこのときは話を聞かせてもらえなかった。

“Iván Tsarévich,” said the groom, “your mother will soon have a daughter, and you will have a sister. She will be a dreadful witch and will eat up your father and your mother and all their subjects. Go back home and ask your father to give you his best horse; mount that and ride away and follow your eyes if you would escape misfortune.”

「イワン・ツァレーヴィチ」と馬丁は言った。「まもなくお母さまに娘が生まれ、あなたには妹ができます。その妹は恐ろしい魔女で、お父さまもお母さまも家臣もみな食べてしまうでしょう。家へ戻って、お父さまにいちばんよい馬をくださいと頼みなさい。それに乗って、目の向くほうへ駆けてお逃げなさい。災いを免れたいのなら」

Iván Tsarévich ran up to his father and spoke for the first time in his life. The Tsar was so glad at this that he never asked what the Tsarévich wanted the horse for, but ordered the very best of his Tabún to be saddled for him.

イワン・ツァレーヴィチは父のもとへ駆けつけ、生まれてはじめて口をきいた。ツァーリはそれがうれしくてたまらず、何のために馬が要るのかも尋ねず、自分の馬群(タブーン)のなかでいちばんよい馬に鞍を置かせた。

Iván Tsarévich mounted the horse and rode away, following his eyes. He rode far, to a very great distance, and he came to two old seamstresses, and asked them if they would not let him live with them.

イワン・ツァレーヴィチは馬にまたがり、目の向くほうへ駆け去った。遠くへ、たいそう遠くへ駆けて、二人の年老いた縫い女のところへ来て、いっしょに住まわせてくれないかと頼んだ。

“We should be very glad to accept you, Iván Tsarévich,” they replied, “but we shall not live much longer. We are breaking up this box and with our needles sewing it together again, and as soon as we have done that Death will come to us.”

「喜んでお迎えしたいところですが、イワン・ツァレーヴィチ」と二人は答えた。「わたしたちはもう長くは生きられません。この箱をほどいては針でまた縫い合わせているのですが、それが済みしだい、死がわたしたちのところへ来るのです」

Then Iván Tsarévich wept and rode on farther. And he rode on, very very far, and came to Vertodúb. And he begged him, “Will you take me as your son?”

そこでイワン・ツァレーヴィチは泣いて、さらに先へ駆けた。そして遠く、たいそう遠く駆けて、ヴェルトドゥーブのところへ来た。そして頼んだ。「わたしを息子にしてくれませんか」

“I should be very glad to take you,” Vertodúb replied, “but, as soon as I have turned round all these oaks with all their roots, the hour will have come for me to die.”

「喜んで迎えたいところだが」とヴェルトドゥーブは答えた。「この樫の木を根ごとすっかり回し終えたら、わたしの死ぬ時が来るのだ」

Then the Tsarévich wept yet more, and he rode farther on, and he came to Vertogór, and he made him the same request.

そこでツァレーヴィチはいっそう泣いて、さらに先へ駆け、ヴェルトゴールのところへ来て、同じ願いをした。

“I should be very glad to take you, Iván Tsarévich, but I too shall not live much longer,” was the answer he received. “You see, I am placed here in order to turn these mountains round; and when I have done with the last of them then I must die.”

「喜んで迎えたいところだが、イワン・ツァレーヴィチ、わたしももう長くは生きられぬ」というのがその答えだった。「見てのとおり、わたしはこの山々を回すためにここに置かれている。そして最後の一つを終えたら、死なねばならぬのだ」

Then Iván Tsarévich wept bitter tears, and he rode yet farther. And at last he came to the Sister of the Sun. She gave him meat and drink and adopted him as a son. The Tsarévich had a fine time there. But still he was always dissatisfied, because he did not know what was going on at home. And so he clomb a lofty mountain, looked out to his own house, and saw that everything there had been eaten up, and only the walls were standing. Then he sighed and wept.

そこでイワン・ツァレーヴィチは苦い涙を流し、さらに先へ駆けた。そしてとうとう太陽の姉のところへ着いた。姉は彼に食べ物と飲み物を与え、息子として引き取った。ツァレーヴィチはそこで結構な時を過ごした。だがそれでもいつも満たされなかった。故郷で何が起こっているかを知らなかったからである。そこで高い山に登り、自分の家のほうを眺めると、そこは何もかも食い尽くされ、壁だけが立っていた。そこで彼は溜息をつき、泣いた。

And when he came down from the mountain, the Sister of the Sun met him and asked, “Iván Tsarévich, why hast thou wept?”

そして山から下りてくると、太陽の姉が出迎えて尋ねた。「イワン・ツァレーヴィチ、なぜ泣いていたのです」

“It was the wind which was blowing something in my eye!” And once again he began to weep.

「風が何かをわたしの目に吹き込んだのです!」。そしてまた泣きはじめた。

And he went a second time into the mountain, and saw that only the walls of his house remained standing—everything had been eaten up. And he wept and returned home.

そして二度めに山へ登り、自分の家は壁だけが立っていて、何もかも食い尽くされているのを見た。そして泣いて帰ってきた。

Again the Sister of the Sun met him: “Iván Tsarévich, why hast thou wept?”

またしても太陽の姉が出迎えた。「イワン・ツァレーヴィチ、なぜ泣いていたのです」

“It was the wind which was blowing something in my eye!” And the Sun was angry, and forbade the wind to blow.

「風が何かをわたしの目に吹き込んだのです!」。すると太陽は怒って、風に吹くことを禁じた。

And he mounted the hill a third time, and this time he was forced to say why he was sad, and beg the Sister of the Sun for leave to go home to see what had been happening, like a doughty youth. So she gave him a brush and comb and two apples to take with him. And, however old a man might be, if he only ate one apple, he would be young once more.

そして三度めに山へ登り、このときはなぜ悲しいのかを言わざるを得なくなって、勇ましい若者らしく、故郷で何が起こったか見に帰る許しを太陽の姉に乞うた。そこで姉は刷毛と櫛と林檎二つを持たせてくれた。そして人がどれほど年老いていても、その林檎を一つ食べさえすればふたたび若くなるのだった。

Iván ran away, and he found Vertogór, who had only one mountain left. So Iván Tsarévich took his brush, and threw it into the open field. And suddenly mountains grew up everywhere, and their summits and peaks pierced into the skies, and there were so many of them that no man could count them. Vertogór was then very happy and set about work gaily.

イワンは駆け去り、ヴェルトゴールを見つけた。山はもう一つしか残っていなかった。そこでイワン・ツァレーヴィチは刷毛を取って広い野へ投げた。すると突然、いたるところに山が生え、その頂と峰が空を突き、数え切れぬほどたくさんあった。ヴェルトゴールはたいそう喜び、陽気に仕事にかかった。

Iván Tsarévich met Vertodúb once more, and there were only three oaks left. So he threw the comb into the field, and then there rustled out of the earth a thick oak forest, every tree thicker than the other. And Vertodúb was then very joyous and set to work gaily.

イワン・ツァレーヴィチはまたヴェルトドゥーブに出会った。樫の木はもう三本しか残っていなかった。そこで櫛を野へ投げた。すると地から音を立てて樫の密林が生い茂り、どの木もほかの木より太かった。ヴェルトドゥーブはたいそう喜び、陽気に仕事にかかった。

And at last, after a journey long or short, Iván Tsarévich reached the old women, and he gave each of them an apple. They ate them, and they once more became young, and gave him a little handkerchief, which he need only shake, and a big lake would appear.

そしてとうとう、長いか短いか旅をしたのちに、イワン・ツァレーヴィチはあの老女たちのところへ着き、それぞれに林檎を一つずつやった。二人はそれを食べてふたたび若くなり、彼に小さな手巾をくれた。それは振りさえすれば大きな湖が現れるものだった。

When Iván Tsarévich came home, his sister ran to him and caressed him. “Sit down, brother mine; play on the harp whilst I go and prepare dinner.”

イワン・ツァレーヴィチが家に帰ると、妹が駆け寄ってきて甘えた。「お坐りなさい、お兄さま。わたしが食事の支度をするあいだ、竪琴を弾いていて」

Iván Tsarévich sat down and began to finger the strings when a mouselet crept out of the corner and spoke with a human voice: “Run away, Tsarévich, as fast as you can. Your sister is now whetting her teeth.”

イワン・ツァレーヴィチは坐って弦をつま弾きはじめた。すると隅から小さな鼠が這い出してきて、人の声で言った。「お逃げなさい、ツァレーヴィチ、できるだけ早く。妹さんはいま歯を研いでいます」

Iván Tsarévich then left the room, sat on his horse, and went all the way back to the Sun. The mouselet ran up and down on the strings of the harp, and the sister never noticed that the brother had gone away. When she had sharpened her teeth, she ran into the room, but there was not a single soul to be seen there, even the mouselet had crept back into its hole. And the witch became furious, gnashed her teeth and made ready to pursue Iván Tsarévich. Iván Tsarévich heard a noise behind him, looked, and saw his sister had almost caught him up, so he waved his handkerchief, and a deep lake rose behind him. Whilst the witch was swimming through the lake Iván Tsarévich flew a vast way, and she was swifter than he, and again came near.

イワン・ツァレーヴィチは部屋を出て馬にまたがり、太陽のところまで戻る道をひた走った。小さな鼠は竪琴の弦の上を走り回り、妹は兄が去ったことに気づかなかった。歯を研ぎ終えて部屋へ駆け込むと、そこには人っ子ひとりいなかった。小さな鼠さえ穴へ這い戻っていた。そこで魔女は猛り狂い、歯を鳴らして、イワン・ツァレーヴィチを追う支度をした。イワン・ツァレーヴィチはうしろに物音を聞いて振り返ると、妹がもう追いつきかけていた。そこで手巾を振ると、うしろに深い湖が生じた。魔女が湖を泳ぎ渡るあいだにイワン・ツァレーヴィチははるか遠くまで飛んだが、妹のほうが速く、また近づいてきた。

Vertodúb guessed Iván was fleeing from his sister, and piled oaks on the way, whirled a vast mass of them in her path and she could not get through; she had at first to clear the road. So she gnawed and gnawed away, and at last made herself a path. But Iván Tsarévich in the meantime had gained ground. So she followed him farther, and she had almost caught him up.

ヴェルトドゥーブは、イワンが妹から逃げているのだと察して、道に樫の木を積み上げ、おびただしい数を妹の行く手に投げ渡したので、妹は通り抜けられなかった。まず道を切り開かねばならなかった。そこで齧りに齧って、とうとう道をこしらえた。だがそのあいだにイワン・ツァレーヴィチは先へ進んでいた。そこで妹はさらに追いかけ、もう少しで追いつくところだった。

When Vertogór saw what was happening, he seized hold of the highest mountain, piled it up on the road and stuck another on top of it. And the witch was very furious, and began climbing up, and in the meantime Iván Tsarévich got far and far away. But the witch soon got up and cried out: “This time you shall not escape me.”

ヴェルトゴールは何が起こっているかを見て、いちばん高い山をつかんで道に積み上げ、その上にもう一つ据えた。魔女は猛り狂って登りはじめ、そのあいだにイワン・ツァレーヴィチははるか遠くまで進んだ。だが魔女はまもなく登りきって叫んだ。「今度こそ逃がさぬぞ」

He had got into the palace of the Sister of the Sun, and cried out, “Sun, Sun! open your big windows.” The Sun opened his window and Iván Tsarévich leaped in on his horse.

彼は太陽の姉の宮殿にたどり着き、叫んだ。「太陽よ、太陽よ! 大きな窓を開けてください」。太陽が窓を開けると、イワン・ツァレーヴィチは馬もろとも跳び込んだ。

The witch asked him to give her her brother, but the Sun would not. Then the witch said, “Iván Tsarévich must put himself on one balance and I will put myself on the other, and if I am the heavier I will eat him up; and, if he is the heavier he shall lay me low.”

魔女は弟を渡せと言ったが、太陽は渡そうとしなかった。すると魔女は言った。「イワン・ツァレーヴィチが天秤の一方に乗り、わたしがもう一方に乗りましょう。わたしのほうが重ければあれを食べてしまう。あれのほうが重ければ、わたしを打ち倒せばよい」

So they went and set up the scales. First Iván Tsarévich sat down on it, then the witch on the other side; but as soon as ever she had put her foot into it the Tsarévich was hurled with such force into the house, that he flew right into the very bosom of the sky, into the chambers of the Sun, whilst the witch remained on the earth.

そこで一同は天秤を据えた。まずイワン・ツァレーヴィチが坐り、それから魔女が反対側に乗った。ところが魔女が足をかけるやいなや、ツァレーヴィチはすさまじい勢いで家のなかへ投げ飛ばされ、そのまま空のいちばん奥、太陽の部屋へと飛んでいった。いっぽう魔女は地上に残された。