The Stag-prince

Once upon a time, when the servants of Allah were many, there lived a Padishah[2] who had one son and one daughter. The Padishah grew old, his time came, and he died; his son ruled in his stead, and he had not ruled very long before he had squandered away his whole inheritance.

むかしむかし、アッラーのしもべがたくさんいたころ、一人の王(パーディシャー)[2] がいて、息子と娘を一人ずつ持っていた。王は年をとり、その時が来て死んだ。息子が代わって国を治めたが、治めてまもなく、受け継いだものをすっかり使い果たしてしまった。

One day he said to his sister: “Little sister! all our money is spent. If people were to hear that we had nothing left they would drive us out of doors, and we should never be able to look our fellow-men in the face again. Far better, therefore, if we depart and take up our abode elsewhere.” So they tied together the little they had left, and then the brother and sister quitted their father’s palace in the night-time, and wandered forth into the wide world.

ある日、息子は妹に言った。「妹よ! 金はすっかり使ってしまった。何も残っていないと人に知れたら、わたしたちは外へ追い出され、二度と人に顔向けできなくなるだろう。だから、ここを去ってよそに住まいを移したほうがずっといい。」そこで二人は残ったわずかなものをまとめ、兄と妹は夜のうちに父の宮殿を出て、広い世界へさまよい出た。

They went on and on till they came to a vast sandy desert, where they were like to have fallen to the ground for the burning heat. The youth felt that he could go not a step further, when he saw on the ground a little puddle of water. “Little sister!” said he, “I will not go a step further till I have drunk this water.”

二人はどんどん進んでいって、広大な砂漠に着いた。焼けつく暑さに、二人は今にも倒れそうだった。若者はもう一歩も進めないと感じたが、そのとき地面に小さな水たまりがあるのが目に入った。「妹よ!」と若者は言った。「この水を飲むまで、わたしはもう一歩も進まないぞ。」

“Nay, dear brother!” replied the girl, “who can tell whether it be really water or filth? If we have held up so long, surely we can hold up a little longer. Water we are bound to find soon.”

「いけません、お兄さま!」と娘は答えた。「それがほんとうに水なのか汚水なのか、誰にわかりましょう。これまで我慢してきたのですから、もう少し我慢できるはずです。きっとじきに水が見つかります。」

“I tell thee,” replied her brother, “that I’ll not go another step further till I have drunk up this puddle, though I die for it,”--and with that he knelt down, sucked up every drop of the dirty water, and instantly became a stag.

「言っておくが」と兄は答えた。「たとえそれで死んでも、この水たまりを飲み干すまでは、もう一歩も進まない。」——そう言うと兄はひざまずいて、汚い水を一滴残らず吸い込み、たちまち鹿になってしまった。

The little sister wept bitterly at this mischance; but there was nothing for it but to go on as they were. They went on and on, up hill and down dale, right across the sandy waste till they came to a full spring beneath a large tree, and there they sat them down and rested. “Hearken now, little sister!” said the stag, “thou must mount up into that tree, while I go to see if I can find something to eat.” So the girl climbed up into the tree, and the stag went about his business, ran up hill and down dale, caught a hare, brought it back, and he and his sister ate it together, and so they lived from day to day and from week to week.

妹はこの災難に激しく泣いた。けれども、そのまま進むほかなかった。二人はどんどん進んで、丘を越え谷を下り、砂の荒れ地をすっかり横切って、大きな木の下の満々と湧く泉に着き、そこに腰を下ろして休んだ。「さあ、よくお聞き、妹よ!」と鹿は言った。「おまえはあの木の上に登っていなさい。わたしは何か食べるものが見つからないか探しに行ってくる。」そこで娘は木に登り、鹿は自分の用に出かけて、丘を駆け上がり谷を駆け下り、野うさぎをつかまえて持ち帰った。そして兄と妹は一緒にそれを食べ、こうして来る日も来る日も、来る週も来る週も暮らしていった。

Now the horses of the Padishah of that country were wont to be watered at the spring beneath the large tree. One evening the horsemen led their horses up to it as usual, but, just as they were on the point of drinking, they caught sight of the reflection of the damsel in the watery mirror and reared back. The horsemen fancied that perhaps the water was not quite pure, so they drew off the trough and filled it afresh, but again the horses reared backwards and would not drink of it. The horsemen knew not what to make of it, so they went and told the Padishah.

さて、その国の王の馬たちは、いつもその大きな木の下の泉で水を飲ませてもらっていた。ある晩、馬番たちがいつものように馬を泉へ引いていったが、ちょうど馬たちが水を飲もうとしたとき、水の鏡に映った娘の姿を見て、うしろへ跳びのいた。馬番たちは水がきれいでないのかもしれないと思い、水槽の水を抜いて新しく満たしたが、やはり馬たちは跳びのいて飲もうとしなかった。馬番たちはどうしたものかわからなかったので、王のところへ行って知らせた。

“Perchance the water is muddy,” said the Padishah.

「水が濁っているのではないか」と王は言った。

“Nay,” replied the horsemen, “we emptied the trough once and filled it full again with fresh water, and yet the horses would not drink of it.”

「いいえ」と馬番たちは答えた。「一度水槽を空にして、新しい水をいっぱいに満たしましたが、それでも馬は飲もうとしませんでした。」

“Go again,” said their master, “and look well about you; perchance there is some one near the spring of whom they are afraid.”

「もう一度行って」と主人は言った。「あたりをよく見てこい。泉のそばに、馬がおびえる誰かがいるのかもしれない。」

The horsemen returned, and, looking well about the spring, cast their eyes at last upon the large tree, on the top of which they perceived the damsel. They immediately went back and told the Padishah. The Padishah took the trouble to go and look for himself, and raising his eyes perceived in the tree a damsel as lovely as the moon when she is fourteen days old, so that he absolutely could not take his eyes off her. “Art thou a spirit or a peri?”[3] said the Padishah to the damsel.

馬番たちは戻っていき、泉のまわりをよく見まわして、とうとう大きな木に目をやると、そのてっぺんに娘がいるのが見えた。馬番たちはすぐに戻って王に知らせた。王はわざわざ自分で見に行き、目を上げると、木の上に十四夜の月のように美しい娘がいて、どうしても目を離すことができなかった。「そなたは精霊か、それともペリか」[3] と王は娘に言った。

“I am neither a spirit nor a peri, but a mortal as thou art,” replied the damsel.

「わたしは精霊でもペリでもなく、あなたと同じ人間です」と娘は答えた。

In vain the Padishah begged her to come down from the tree. In vain he implored her, nothing he could say would make her come down. Then the Padishah waxed wroth. He commanded them to cut down the tree. The men brought their axes and fell a-hewing at the tree. They hewed away at the vast tree, they hewed and hewed until only a little strip of solid trunk remained to be cut through; but, meanwhile, eventide had drawn nigh and it began to grow dark, so they left off their work, which they purposed to finish next day.

王は木から下りてくるよう娘に頼んだが、むだだった。いくら懇願しても、何を言っても、娘は下りてこようとしなかった。すると王は腹を立てた。王は木を切り倒すよう命じた。男たちは斧を持ってきて木を切りはじめた。男たちは大木を切りに切って、とうとう幹がほんの細いひと筋しか残らなくなった。けれどもそのあいだに夕暮れが迫り、暗くなりはじめたので、男たちは仕事をやめ、次の日に片づけることにした。

Scarcely had they departed when the stag came running out of the forest, looked at the tree, and asked the little sister what had happened. The girl told him that she would not descend from the tree, so they had tried to cut it down. “Thou didst well,” replied the stag, “and take care thou dost not come down in future, whatever they may say.” With that he went to the tree, licked it with his tongue, and immediately the tree grew bigger round the hewed trunk than before.

男たちが立ち去るやいなや、鹿が森から駆け出してきて木を見て、何があったのかと妹に尋ねた。娘は、自分が木から下りようとしなかったので、男たちが木を切り倒そうとしたのだと話した。「よくやった」と鹿は答えた。「これからも、何を言われても、けっして下りないように気をつけなさい。」そう言うと鹿は木のところへ行って舌でなめた。すると木はたちまち、切られた幹のまわりが前よりも太くなった。

The next day, when the stag had again departed about his business, the Padishah’s men came and saw that the tree was larger and harder round the trunk than ever. Again they set to work hewing at the tree, and hewed and hewed till they had cut half through it; but by that time evening fell upon them again, and again they put off the rest of the work till the morrow and went home.

次の日、鹿がまた用に出かけていくと、王の家来たちがやって来て、木が幹のまわりで前よりも太く固くなっているのを見た。家来たちはまた木を切りはじめ、切りに切って半分まで切り込んだ。けれどもそのころにはまた夕暮れが来たので、またしても残りの仕事を明日に回して家に帰った。

But all their labour was lost, for the stag came again, licked the gap in the tree with his tongue, and immediately it grew thicker and harder than ever.

けれども苦労はすっかりむだになった。鹿がまた来て、木の切り口を舌でなめると、たちまち木は前よりも太く固くなったからである。

Early next morning, when the stag had only just departed, the Padishah and his wood-cutters again came to the tree, and when they saw that the trunk of the tree had filled up again larger and firmer than ever, they determined to try some other means. So they went home again and sent for a famous old witch, told her of the damsel in the tree, and promised her a rich reward if she would, by subtlety, make the damsel come down. The old witch willingly took the matter in hand, and bringing with her an iron tripod, a cauldron, and sundry raw meats, placed them by the side of the spring. She placed the tripod on the ground, and the kettle on the top of it but upside down, drew water from the spring and poured it not into the kettle, but on the ground beside it, and with that she kept her eyes closed as if she were blind.

次の朝早く、鹿が出かけていったばかりのところへ、王と木こりたちがまた木のところへ来た。そして木の幹が前よりも太く丈夫にふさがっているのを見ると、何か別の手を試そうと決めた。そこで一同は家に帰って、名高い年とった魔女を呼び寄せ、木の上の娘のことを話して、うまく娘を下りてこさせたらたっぷり褒美をやると約束した。年とった魔女は喜んでその仕事を引き受け、鉄の五徳と大釜と、いろいろな生肉を持ってきて、泉のそばに置いた。魔女は五徳を地面に置き、その上に大釜をさかさまに載せ、泉から水を汲んで、それを大釜ではなくそのわきの地面に注いだ。そしてそのあいだ、目の見えない者のように目を閉じていた。

The damsel fancied she really was blind, and called to her from the tree. “Nay but, my dear elder sister! thou hast placed the kettle on the tripod upside down, and art pouring all the water on the ground.”

娘は魔女がほんとうに目が見えないのだと思って、木の上から呼びかけた。「まあ、おばさん! 五徳の上に大釜をさかさまに載せて、水をみんな地面にこぼしていますよ。」

“Oh, my sweet little damsel!” cried the old woman, “that is because I have no eyes to see with. I have brought some dirty linen with me, and if thou dost love Allah, thou wilt come down and put the kettle right, and help me to wash the things.” Then the damsel thought of the words of the little stag, and she did not come down.

「おお、かわいいお嬢さん!」と年とった女は叫んだ。「それはね、見る目がないからなんだよ。汚れた肌着を持ってきたから、アッラーを愛するなら、下りてきて大釜をちゃんと置いて、洗い物を手伝っておくれ。」すると娘は小さな鹿の言葉を思い出して、下りていかなかった。

The next day the old witch came again, stumbled about the tree, laid a fire, and brought forth a heap of meal in order to sift it, but instead of meal she put ashes into the sieve. “Poor silly old granny!” cried the damsel compassionately, and then she called down from the tree to the old woman, and told her that she was sifting ashes instead of meal. “Oh, my dear damsel!” cried the old woman, weeping, “I am blind, I cannot see. Come down and help me a little in my affliction.” Now the little stag had strictly charged her that very morning not to come down from the tree whatever might be said to her, and she obeyed the words of her brother.

次の日、年とった魔女はまたやって来て、木のまわりをよろよろ歩き、火をおこし、ふるいにかけようと粉の山を取り出したが、粉の代わりに灰をふるいに入れた。「かわいそうな、ばかなおばあさん!」と娘は気の毒がって叫び、木の上から年とった女に、粉の代わりに灰をふるっていると教えてやった。「おお、かわいいお嬢さん!」と年とった女は泣きながら叫んだ。「わたしは目が見えないんだよ、見えないんだよ。下りてきて、困っているわたしを少し助けておくれ。」けれども小さな鹿はまさにその朝、何を言われても木から下りてはいけないと固く言いつけていたので、娘は兄の言葉に従った。

On the third day the old witch again came beneath the tree. This time she brought a sheep with her, and brought out a knife to flay it with, and began to jag and skin it from behind instead of cutting its throat. The poor little sheep bleated piteously, and the damsel in the tree, unable to endure the sight of the beast’s sufferings, came down from the tree to put the poor thing out of its misery. Then the Padishah, who was concealed close to the tree, rushed out and carried the damsel off to his palace.

三日目、年とった魔女はまた木の下にやって来た。今度は羊を一頭連れてきて、皮をはぐ小刀を取り出し、羊ののどを切る代わりに、うしろから切り刻んで皮をはぎはじめた。かわいそうな小さな羊は哀れっぽく鳴き、木の上の娘は獣の苦しむ姿を見ていられず、かわいそうな羊を苦しみから救ってやろうと木から下りてきた。すると木のすぐそばに隠れていた王が飛び出してきて、娘を宮殿へさらっていった。

The damsel pleased the Padishah so mightily that he wanted to be married to her without more ado; but the damsel would not consent till they had brought her her brother, the little stag: until she saw him, she said, she could have not a moment’s rest. Then the Padishah sent men out into the forest, who caught the stag and brought him to his sister. After that he never left his sister’s side. They lay down together, and together they rose up. Even when the Padishah and the damsel were wedded, the little stag was never far away from them, and in the evening when he found out where they were, he would softly stroke each of them all over with one of his front feet before going to sleep beside them, and say--

王は娘がすっかり気に入ったので、すぐにでも娘と結婚したがった。けれども娘は、兄の小さな鹿を連れてきてくれるまでは承知しようとしなかった。兄に会えるまでは、ひとときも心が休まらないと娘は言った。そこで王は森へ家来を送り、家来たちは鹿をつかまえて妹のところへ連れてきた。それからというもの、鹿はけっして妹のそばを離れなかった。二人は一緒に横になり、一緒に起きた。王と娘が結婚してからも、小さな鹿はけっして二人から遠く離れず、夜になって二人のいるところを見つけると、二人のそばで眠る前に、前足の片方で二人の体をそっとなでて、こう言うのだった——

“This little foot is for my sister, That little foot is for my brother.”

「この小さな足は妹に、あの小さな足は兄さんに。」

But time, as men count it, passes quickly to its fulfilment, more quickly still passes the time of fairy tales, but quickest of all flies the time of true love. Yet our little people would have lived on happily if there had not been a black female slave in the palace. Jealousy devoured her at the thought that the Padishah had taken to his bosom the ragged damsel from the tree-top rather than herself, and she watched for an opportunity of revenge.

けれども人の数える時はたちまち満ちて過ぎ、おとぎ話の時はもっと早く過ぎ、まことの恋の時はいちばん早く飛び去っていく。それでも、宮殿に黒人の女奴隷がいなかったら、わたしたちの小さな人たちは幸せに暮らしつづけたことだろう。女奴隷は、王が自分ではなく、木のてっぺんにいたぼろをまとった娘を胸に抱いたと思うとねたましくてたまらず、仕返しの機会をうかがっていた。

Now there was a beautiful garden in the palace, with a fountain in the midst of it, and there the Sultan’s damsel used to walk about. One day, with a golden saucer in her hand and a silver sandal on her foot, she went towards the great fountain, and the black slave followed after her and pushed her in. There was a big fish in the basin, and it immediately swallowed up the Sultan’s pet damsel. Then the black slave returned to the palace, put on the golden raiment of the Sultan’s damsel, and sat down in her place.

さて、宮殿には美しい庭があって、そのまんなかに噴水があり、スルタンの妃はそこを散歩するのがならいだった。ある日、妃が金の小皿を手に持ち、銀のサンダルを足にはいて、大きな噴水のほうへ行くと、黒人の奴隷があとをつけてきて、妃を噴水に突き落とした。水盤には大きな魚がいて、たちまちスルタンのいとしい妃を呑み込んでしまった。それから黒人の奴隷は宮殿に戻り、スルタンの妃の金の衣装を身につけて、妃の席に座った。

In the evening the Padishah came and asked the damsel what she had done to her face that it was so much altered. “I have walked too much in the garden, and so the sun has tanned my face,” replied the girl. The Padishah believed her and sat down beside her, but the little stag came also, and when he began to stroke them both down with his fore-foot he recognized the slave-girl as he said--

夕方、王がやって来て、顔がこんなに変わってしまうとは顔に何をしたのかと妃に尋ねた。「庭を歩きすぎて、日に焼けてしまったのです」と娘は答えた。王はそれを信じて妃のそばに腰を下ろしたが、小さな鹿もやって来て、前足で二人をなではじめたとき、奴隷女だと見抜いて、こう言った——

“This little foot is for my sister, And this little foot is for my brother.”

「この小さな足は妹に、そしてこの小さな足は兄さんに。」

Then it became the one wish of the slave-girl’s heart to be rid of the little stag as quickly as possible, lest it should betray her.

すると奴隷女の心のただひとつの願いは、小さな鹿が自分の正体を明かさないうちに、できるだけ早く鹿を片づけてしまうことになった。

So after a little thought she made herself sick, and sent for the doctors, and gave them much money to say to the Padishah that the only thing that could save her was the heart of the little stag to eat. So the doctors went and told the Padishah that the sick woman must swallow the heart of the little stag, or there was no hope for her. Then the Padishah went to the slave-girl whom he fancied to be his pet damsel, and asked her if it did not go against her to eat the heart of her own brother?

そこで奴隷女は少し考えてから仮病を使って医者を呼び、たくさんの金をやって、自分を救えるただひとつのものは小さな鹿の心臓を食べることだと王に言わせた。そこで医者たちは王のところへ行って、病人は小さな鹿の心臓を呑み込まなければならない、さもなければ望みはないと告げた。そこで王は、自分のいとしい妃だと思い込んでいる奴隷女のところへ行って、自分の兄の心臓を食べるのはいやではないのかと尋ねた。

“What can I do?” sighed the impostor; “if I die, what will become of my poor little pet? If he be cut up I shall live, while he will be spared the torments of those poor beasts that grow old and sick.” Then the Padishah gave orders that a butcher’s knife should be whetted, and a fire lighted, and a cauldron of water put over the fire.

「どうしようもありませんわ」と偽物はため息をついた。「わたしが死んだら、かわいそうなあの子はどうなるでしょう。あの子が切り刻まれればわたしは生きられますし、あの子は年をとって病気になるかわいそうな獣たちの苦しみを味わわずにすむのです。」そこで王は、肉切り包丁を研ぎ、火をおこし、水を張った大釜を火にかけるよう命じた。

The poor little stag perceived all the bustling about and ran down into the garden to the fountain, and called out three times to his sister--

かわいそうな小さな鹿は、あたりのあわただしい様子に気づいて、庭の噴水のところへ駆け下りていき、三度妹に呼びかけた——

“The knife is on the stone, The water’s on the boil, Haste, little sister, hasten!”

「包丁は砥石の上、お湯はぐらぐら煮えている。急いでおくれ、妹よ、急いでおくれ!」

And thrice she answered back to him from the fish’s maw--

すると妹は三度、魚の腹のなかから答えた——

“Here am I in the fish’s belly, In my hand a golden saucer, On my foot a silver sandal, In my arms a little Padishah!”

「わたしは魚のおなかのなか、手には金の小皿、足には銀のサンダル、腕には小さな王さま!」

For the Sultan’s pet damsel had brought forth a little son in the fish’s belly.

スルタンのいとしい妃は、魚の腹のなかで小さな息子を産んでいたのである。

Now the Padishah was intent on catching the little stag when it ran down into the garden to the fountain, and, coming up softly behind it, heard every word of what the brother and sister were saying to each other. He quietly ordered all the water to be drained off the basin of the fountain, drew up the fish, cut open its belly, and what do you think he saw? In the belly of the fish was his wife, with a golden saucer in her hand, and a silver sandal on her foot, and a little son in her arms. Then the Padishah embraced his wife, and kissed his son, and brought them both to the palace, and heard the tale of it all to the very end.

さて、王は小さな鹿が庭の噴水へ駆け下りていったとき、鹿をつかまえようとしていて、そっとうしろから近づき、兄と妹が交わした言葉を一言残らず聞いた。王はひそかに噴水の水盤の水をすっかり抜かせ、魚を引き上げてその腹を切り開いた。そして何が見えたと思う? 魚の腹のなかには、金の小皿を手に持ち、銀のサンダルを足にはき、小さな息子を腕に抱いた妻がいたのである。そこで王は妻を抱きしめ、息子に口づけして、二人を宮殿へ連れていき、事の次第を最後まですっかり聞いた。

But the little stag found something in the fish’s blood, and when he had swallowed it, he became a man again. Then he rushed to his sister, and they embraced and wept with joy over each other’s happiness.

けれども小さな鹿は魚の血のなかに何かを見つけて、それを呑み込むと、また人間に戻った。そこで兄は妹のところへ駆けていき、二人は抱き合って、互いの幸せを喜んで泣いた。

But the Padishah sent for his black slave-girl, and asked her which she would like the best--four good steeds or four good swords. The slave-girl replied: “Let the swords be for the throats of my enemies, but give me the four steeds that I may take my pleasure on horseback.” Then they tied the slave-girl to the tails of four good steeds, and sent her out for a ride; and the four steeds tore the black girl into little bits and scattered them abroad.

けれども王は黒人の奴隷女を呼んで、よい馬四頭とよい剣四振りと、どちらがいいかと尋ねた。奴隷女は答えた。「剣はわたしの敵ののどにくれてやってください。わたしには馬に乗って楽しめるよう、四頭の馬をください。」そこで人々は奴隷女を四頭のよい馬のしっぽに縛りつけて、乗り回しに送り出した。すると四頭の馬は黒人の娘をずたずたに引き裂いて、あたりにまき散らした。

But the Padishah and his wife lived happily together, and the king’s son who had been a stag abode with them; and they gave a great banquet, which lasted four days and four nights; and they attained their desires, and may ye, O my readers, attain your desires likewise.

けれども王と妃は幸せに暮らし、鹿だった王の息子も二人と一緒に暮らした。そして一同は四日四晩続く盛大な宴を開き、願いをかなえた。おお、読者のみなさんも、同じように願いがかないますように。