The Girl who Married the Pine-tree

Upon the side of a certain mountain grew some pines, under the shade of which the Puckwudjinies, or sprites, were accustomed to sport at times. Now it happened that in the neighbourhood of these trees was a lodge in which dwelt a beautiful girl and her father and mother. One day a man came to the lodge of the father, and seeing the girl he loved her, and said--

ある山の斜面に松の木が生えていて、その木陰ではパックウッジニーたち、すなわち妖精たちが、時おり遊び戯れるのが常であった。さて、これらの木の近くに一軒の小屋があり、そこには美しい娘と、その父と母が住んでいた。ある日、一人の男が父の小屋にやってきて、娘を見るなり心を惹かれ、こう言った——

"Give me Leelinau for my wife," and the old man consented.

「リーリナウをわたしの妻にください。」すると老人は承知した。

Now it happened that the girl did not like her lover, so she escaped from the lodge and went and hid herself, and as the sun was setting she came to the pine-trees, and leaning against one of them she lamented her hard fate. On a sudden she heard a voice, which seemed to come from the tree, saying--

ところが娘はこの求婚者が好きではなかった。そこで小屋を抜け出して身を隠し、日が沈むころ、あの松の木のところへ来た。一本の木に寄りかかって、我が身の辛い定めを嘆いていると、突然、木から聞こえてくるような声がした——

"Be my wife, maiden, beautiful Leelinau, beautiful Leelinau."

「わたしの妻におなり、娘よ、美しいリーリナウ、美しいリーリナウ。」

The girl was astonished, not knowing whence the voice could have come. She listened again, and the words were repeated, evidently by the tree against which she leaned. Then the maid consented to be the wife of the pine-tree.

娘は驚いた。どこから来た声なのか分からなかったからである。もう一度耳を澄ますと、同じ言葉が繰り返された。まぎれもなく、寄りかかっているその木からである。そこで娘は、松の木の妻になることを承知した。

Meanwhile her parents had missed her, and had sent out parties to see if she could be found, but she was nowhere.

そのころ、両親は娘がいないことに気づき、探しに人をやったが、娘はどこにもいなかった。

Time passed on, but Leelinau never returned to her home. Hunters who have been crossing the mountain, and have come to the trees at sunset, say that they have seen a beautiful girl there in company with a handsome youth, who vanished as they approached.

時は流れたが、リーリナウが家へ戻ることはなかった。山を越えてきて、日暮れにあの木のところへ来た狩人たちは言う——そこで美しい娘が、姿のよい若者と連れ立っているのを見た、そして近づくと消えてしまった、と。