A Cure for Story-Telling

There was once a porter in the world: he had a wife who was passionately fond of stories, and she would only let people come and visit her who could tell stories. Well, as you may understand, this was rather costly to the husband. So he began to think, “How can I cure her of this undesirable habit?”

むかしこの世に一人の門番がいた。その妻は話をこよなく好み、話を語れる者しか家に上げようとしなかった。さて、おわかりのとおり、これは夫にはいささか高くついた。そこで夫は考えはじめた。「どうすればこの困った癖を治せるだろう」

Well, one day in the winter, late at night, an old man came in frozen to atoms, and he asked to be allowed to stop the night. So the husband ran out to him and said, “Can you tell tales?”

さてある冬の日、夜遅く、一人の老人が凍えきって入ってきて、一晩泊めてくれと頼んだ。そこで夫が駆け出していって言った。「あなたは話を語れますか」

Then the peasant saw that there was no help for it, as he was simply freezing with cold, and said, “I have an idea: will you tell stories for a long time?”

すると百姓は、寒さで凍えきっていて、どうしようもないと見て取り、こう言った。「思いついたことがある。長いこと話を語ればよいのかね」

“Yes, all night long.”

「ええ、一晩じゅう」

“Capital: come in!”

「けっこう、お入りなさい!」

So he led the guest in.

そうして夫は客を招き入れた。

Then the husband said, “Now, my wife, here is a peasant who has promised to tell stories all night long, on the condition that you are not to make any remarks or interruptions.”

それから夫は言った。「なあおまえ、ここに一晩じゅう話を語ると約束した百姓がいる。ただし、おまえが口を挟んだり遮ったりしないという条件でだ」

“Yes,” said the guest; “no remarks, or else I shall not open my mouth.”

「そうとも」と客は言った。「口を挟まないこと。さもなければわしは口を開かぬ」

So they had supper and lay down to sleep, and the peasant began—

そこで一同は夕餉をとって横になり、百姓は語りはじめた——

“There was an owl flying across a garden, and it sat over a well and sipped the water. “There was an owl flying across a garden, and it sat over a well and sipped the water.

「梟が一羽、庭を横切って飛んでいって、井戸の上にとまって水をすすった。梟が一羽、庭を横切って飛んでいって、井戸の上にとまって水をすすった。

“There was an owl flying across a garden, and it sat over a well and sipped the water. “There was an owl flying across a garden, and it sat over a well and sipped the water.”

梟が一羽、庭を横切って飛んでいって、井戸の上にとまって水をすすった。梟が一羽、庭を横切って飛んでいって、井戸の上にとまって水をすすった」

And he went on telling the same thing over and over again—

そして同じことを何度も何度も語りつづけた——

“There was an owl flying across a garden, and it sat over a well and sipped the water.”

「梟が一羽、庭を横切って飛んでいって、井戸の上にとまって水をすすった」

So the mistress went on listening, and at last interrupted: “What sort of a tale is this? Why, it is a mere repetition.”

そこで女主人は聞きつづけていたが、とうとう口を挟んだ。「これは何という話ですか。ただの繰り返しではありませんか」

“Why do you interrupt me? I told you you must not make any exclamations: this is the preface of the tale, and there comes another after it.”

「なぜ遮る。声を立ててはならぬと言っておいたはずだ。これは話の前置きで、そのあとにもう一つ続くのだ」

Then the man, after hearing this, could not help leaping up from the bench and whipping his wife.

そこで夫はこれを聞くと、腰掛けから跳び上がって妻を鞭で打たずにいられなかった。

“You were told not to make any interruptions, and you will not let him end his story.”

「口を挟むなと言われていたのに、話を終わらせてやらないとは」

So he set on beating, beating, whipping, slippering, basting her, until the wife at the end hated stories, and was in despair ever afterwards at the sound of them.

そうして彼は打ちに打ち、鞭で打ち、上履きで打ち、叩きのめしつづけた。とうとう妻は話が大嫌いになり、それからは話の音を聞くたびに絶望するようになった。