Manabozho in the Fish's Stomach

One day Manabozho said to his grandmother--

ある日、マナボゾは祖母に言った——

"Noko, get cedar bark and make me a line whilst I make a canoe."

「ノコ(おばあさん)、杉の皮を取ってきて釣り糸をこしらえてくれ。そのあいだにわたしはカヌーをこしらえるから。」

When all was ready he went out to the middle of the lake a-fishing.

支度がすっかりできると、マナボゾは湖のまんなかへ釣りに出かけた。

"Me-she-nah-ma-gwai (king-fish)," said he, letting down his line, "take hold of my bait."

「メシェナーマグワイ(魚の王)」とマナボゾは糸を垂らしながら言った。「わたしの餌に食いつけ。」

He kept repeating these words some time; at last the king-fish said--

しばらくこの言葉を繰り返していると、とうとう魚の王が言った——

"What a trouble Manabozho is! Here, trout, take hold of his line."

「マナボゾはなんて厄介なやつだ! おい、マス、あいつの糸に食いつけ。」

The trout did as he was bid, and Manabozho drew up his line, the trout's weight being so great that the canoe was nearly overturned. Till he saw the trout Manabozho kept crying out--

マスは言われたとおりにし、マナボゾは糸をたぐり上げた。マスがあまりに重いので、カヌーはあやうくひっくり返りそうになった。マスが見えるまで、マナボゾは叫び続けた——

"Wha-ee-he! wha-ee-he!"

「ワーイーヒー! ワーイーヒー!」

As soon as he saw him he said--

マスが見えるやいなや、マナボゾは言った——

"Why did you take hold of my hook? Esa, esa! shame, shame! you ugly fish."

「どうしてわたしの釣り針に食いついた。エサ、エサ! 恥を知れ、恥を知れ! この醜い魚め。」

The trout, being thus rebuked, let go.

マスはこう叱られて、針を放した。

Manabozho let down his line again into the water, saying--

マナボゾはまた糸を水に垂らして言った——

"King-fish, take hold of my line."

「魚の王よ、わたしの糸に食いつけ。」

"What a trouble Manabozho is!" cried the king-fish. "Sun-fish, take hold of his line."

「マナボゾはなんて厄介なやつだ!」と魚の王は叫んだ。「おい、サンフィッシュ、あいつの糸に食いつけ。」

The sun-fish did as he was bid, and Manabozho drew him up, crying as he did so--

サンフィッシュは言われたとおりにし、マナボゾはそれをたぐり上げながら叫んだ——

"Wha-ee-he! wha-ee-he!" while the canoe turned in swift circles.

「ワーイーヒー! ワーイーヒー!」そのあいだカヌーはくるくると速く回った。

When he saw the sun-fish, he cried--

サンフィッシュが見えると、マナボゾは叫んだ——

"Esa, esa! you odious fish! why did you dirty my hook by taking it in your mouth? Let go, I say, let go."

「エサ、エサ! この憎らしい魚め! どうしてわたしの針を口にくわえて汚した。放せ、放せと言っているんだ。」

The sun-fish did as he was bid, and on his return to the bottom of the lake told the king-fish what Manabozho had said. Just then the bait was let down again near to the king, and Manabozho was heard crying out--

サンフィッシュは言われたとおりにし、湖の底へ戻ると、マナボゾの言ったことを魚の王に話した。ちょうどそのとき、餌がまた王のすぐ近くに下りてきて、マナボゾが叫ぶのが聞こえた——

"Me-she-nah-ma-gwai, take hold of my hook."

「メシェナーマグワイ、わたしの針に食いつけ。」

The king-fish did so, and allowed himself to be dragged to the surface, which he had no sooner reached than he swallowed Manabozho and his canoe at one gulp. When Manabozho came to himself he found he was in his canoe in the fish's stomach. He now began to think how he should escape. Looking about him, he saw his war-club in his canoe, and with it he immediately struck the heart of the fish. Then he felt as though the fish was moving with great velocity. The king-fish observed to his friends--

魚の王はそうして、水面まで引き上げられるに任せたが、水面に着くやいなや、マナボゾをカヌーごとひと呑みにしてしまった。マナボゾがわれに返ると、魚の腹のなかでカヌーに乗っていた。そこでマナボゾはどうやって逃げ出そうかと考えはじめた。あたりを見まわすとカヌーに棍棒があったので、すぐにそれで魚の心臓を打った。すると魚がたいそうな速さで動いているように感じた。魚の王は仲間たちに言った——

"I feel very unwell for having swallowed that nasty fellow Manabozho."

「あのいやなやつマナボゾを呑み込んだせいで、ひどく気分が悪い。」

At that moment he received another more severe blow on the heart. Manabozho thought, "If I am thrown up in the middle of the lake I shall be drowned, so I must prevent it." So he drew his canoe and placed it across the fish's throat, and just as he had finished doing this the king-fish tried to cast him out.

その瞬間、魚の王は心臓にもう一撃、前よりひどい一撃を受けた。マナボゾは思った。「湖のまんなかで吐き出されたら溺れてしまう。だから防がなければ。」そこでマナボゾはカヌーを引き寄せて魚ののどに横向きにつかえさせた。ちょうどそうし終えたとき、魚の王はマナボゾを吐き出そうとした。

Manabozho now found that he had a companion with him. This was a squirrel that had been in his canoe. The squirrel helped him to place the canoe in the proper position, and Manabozho, being grateful to it, said--

マナボゾはそのとき、自分に連れがいることに気づいた。カヌーに乗っていたリスだった。リスはカヌーを正しい位置に置くのを手伝ってくれたので、マナボゾはリスに感謝して言った——

"For the future you shall be called Ajidanneo (animal tail)."

「これからお前はアジダンネオ(獣の尾)と呼ばれるだろう。」

Then he recommenced his attack on the king-fish's heart, and by repeated blows he at last succeeded in killing him. He could tell that he had effected this by the stoppage of the fish's motion, and he could also hear the body beating against the shore. Manabozho waited a day to see what would happen. Then he heard birds scratching on the body, and all at once the rays of light broke in. He could now see the heads of the gulls, which were looking in at the opening they had made.

それからマナボゾはまた魚の王の心臓を攻めはじめ、何度も打って、とうとう殺すことができた。魚の動きが止まったので仕留めたとわかり、体が岸に打ちつけられる音も聞こえた。マナボゾは何が起こるか一日待った。すると鳥たちが体をひっかく音が聞こえ、突然光が差し込んできた。見ると、カモメたちが自分たちのあけた穴からのぞき込んでいる頭が見えた。

"Oh!" cried Manabozho, "my younger brothers, make the opening larger, so that I can get out." The gulls then told one another that Manabozho was inside the fish, and, setting to work at once to enlarge the hole, they, in a short time, set him free. After he got out Manabozho said to the gulls--

「おお!」とマナボゾは叫んだ。「弟たちよ、わたしが出られるように穴をもっと大きくしてくれ。」するとカモメたちは互いに、マナボゾが魚のなかにいると言い合い、すぐに穴を広げにかかって、まもなくマナボゾを自由にしてくれた。外へ出ると、マナボゾはカモメたちに言った——

"For the future you shall be called Kayoshk (noble scratchers), for your kindness to me."

「わたしに親切にしてくれたから、これからお前たちはカヨシュク(気高いひっかき屋)と呼ばれるだろう。」