The Sun and the Moon

There were once ten brothers who hunted together, and at night they occupied the same lodge. One day, after they had been hunting, coming home they found sitting inside the lodge near the door a beautiful woman. She appeared to be a stranger, and was so lovely that all the hunters loved her, and as she could only be the wife of one, they agreed that he should have her who was most successful in the next day's hunt. Accordingly, the next day, they each took different ways, and hunted till the sun went down, when they met at the lodge. Nine of the hunters had found nothing, but the youngest brought home a deer, so the woman was given to him for his wife.

むかし、十人の兄弟がいて一緒に狩りをし、夜には同じ小屋で寝ていた。ある日、狩りから帰ってくると、小屋のなかの戸口の近くに美しい女が座っていた。見知らぬ女のようで、あまりに美しかったので狩人たちはみな女を愛した。けれども女は一人の妻にしかなれないので、兄弟たちは、次の日の狩りでいちばん獲物の多かった者が女をもらうことに決めた。そこで次の日、兄弟たちはそれぞれ別の道を行って日が沈むまで狩りをし、それから小屋で落ち合った。九人の狩人は何も見つけられなかったが、いちばん下の弟が鹿を一頭持ち帰ったので、女はその弟の妻になった。

The hunter had not been married more than a year when he was seized with sickness and died. Then the next brother took the girl for his wife. Shortly after he died also, and the woman married the next brother. In a short time all the brothers died save the eldest, and he married the girl. She did not, however, love him, for he was of a churlish disposition, and one day it came into the woman's head that she would leave him and see what fortune she would meet with in the world. So she went, taking only a dog with her, and travelled all day. She went on and on, but towards evening she heard some one coming after her who, she imagined, must be her husband. In great fear she knew not which way to turn, when she perceived a hole in the ground before her. There she thought she might hide herself, and entering it with her dog she suddenly found herself going lower and lower, until she passed through the earth and came up on the other side. Near to her there was a lake, and a man fishing in it.

狩人は結婚して一年もたたないうちに病にかかって死んだ。すると次の兄が娘を妻にした。まもなくその兄も死に、女はその次の兄と結婚した。ほどなく兄弟はいちばん上の兄のほかはみな死に、その兄が娘と結婚した。けれども女はこの兄を愛さなかった。気むずかしい性分だったからである。そしてある日、女はこの男のもとを去って、世の中でどんな運に出会うか見てみようと思い立った。そこで女は犬を一匹だけ連れて出かけ、一日じゅう旅をした。女はどんどん進んでいったが、夕方近くになると、誰かがあとを追ってくる音が聞こえた。夫にちがいないと思った。ひどく怯えてどちらへ逃げればよいかわからずにいると、目の前の地面に穴があるのに気づいた。ここなら隠れられると思って犬と一緒に入ると、突然どんどん下へ下へと降りていき、とうとう大地を突き抜けて向こう側へ出た。すぐ近くに湖があって、一人の男が釣りをしていた。

"My grandfather," cried the woman, "I am pursued by a spirit."

「おじいさま」と女は叫んだ。「霊に追われているのです。」

"Leave me," cried Manabozho, for it was he, "leave me. Let me be quiet."

「放っておいてくれ」とマナボゾは叫んだ——それは彼だったのである——「放っておいてくれ。静かにさせておいてくれ。」

The woman still begged him to protect her, and Manabozho at length said--

女はそれでも守ってくれと頼み続けたので、マナボゾはとうとう言った——

"Go that way, and you shall be safe."

「あっちへ行け。そうすれば無事だ。」

Hardly had she disappeared when the husband, who had discovered the hole by which his wife had descended, came on the scene.

女の姿が消えるか消えないうちに、妻の降りていった穴を見つけた夫がその場に現れた。

"Tell me," said he to Manabozho, "where has the woman gone?"

「教えてくれ」と夫はマナボゾに言った。「女はどこへ行った。」

"Leave me," cried Manabozho, "don't trouble me."

「放っておいてくれ」とマナボゾは叫んだ。「わしを煩わせるな。」

"Tell me," said the man, "where is the woman?" Manabozho was silent, and the husband, at last getting angry, abused him with all his might.

「教えてくれ」と男は言った。「女はどこだ。」マナボゾは黙っていたので、夫はとうとう腹を立てて、ありったけの力でマナボゾをののしった。

"The woman went that way," said Manabozho at last. "Run after her, but you shall never catch her, and you shall be called Gizhigooke (day sun), and the woman shall be called Tibikgizis (night sun)."

「女はあっちへ行った」とマナボゾはとうとう言った。「追いかけるがいい。だがお前は決して追いつけまい。そしてお前はギジゴーケ(昼の太陽)と呼ばれ、女はティビクギジス(夜の太陽)と呼ばれるだろう。」

So the man went on running after his wife to the west, but he has never caught her, and he pursues her to this day.

そこで男は妻を追って西へ走り続けたが、一度も追いついたことはなく、今日でも妻を追いかけているのである。