The Swing by the Lake

There was an old hag of a woman who lived with her daughter-in-law and her husband, with their son and a little orphan boy. When her son-in-law came home from hunting, it was his custom to bring his wife the moose's lip, the kidney of the bear, or some other choice bits of different animals. These the girl would cook crisp, so that the sound of their cracking could be heard when she ate them. This kind attention of the hunter to his wife aroused the envy of the old woman. She wished to have the same luxuries, and, in order to obtain them, she at last resolved to kill the young wife. One day she asked her to leave her infant son to the care of the orphan boy, and come out and swing with her. The wife consented, and the mother-in-law took her to the shore of a lake, where there was a high ridge of rocks overhanging the water. Upon the top of these rocks the old woman put up a swing, and, having fastened a piece of leather round her body, she commenced to swing herself, going over the precipice each time. She continued this for a short while, and then, stopping, told her daughter-in-law to take her place. She did so, and, having tied the leather round her, began to swing backwards and forwards. When she was well going, sweeping at each turn clear beyond the precipice, the old woman slyly cut the cords, and let her drop into the lake. She then put on some of the girl's clothing, entered the lodge in the dusk of the evening, and went about the work in which her daughter-in-law had been usually occupied at such a time. She found the child crying, and, since the mother was not there to give it the breast, it cried on. Then the orphan boy asked her where the mother was.

意地の悪い老婆がいて、息子の嫁とその夫、二人の息子、それに小さなみなし子と一緒に暮らしていた。婿は狩りから帰ると、いつも妻にヘラジカの唇や熊の腎臓や、いろいろな獣のうまいところを持ってくるのが習いだった。娘はそれをかりかりに焼くので、食べるとぱりぱりと音がするのが聞こえた。狩人のこの妻への優しい心づかいが老婆の妬みをかき立てた。老婆は自分も同じぜいたくをしたくなり、それを手に入れるために、とうとう若い妻を殺そうと決めた。ある日、老婆は嫁に、赤ん坊の息子をみなし子に預けて、一緒に外でぶらんこに乗ろうと誘った。嫁が承知すると、姑は嫁を湖の岸へ連れていった。そこには水の上に張り出した高い岩の尾根があった。老婆はその岩のてっぺんにぶらんこを掛け、革の帯を体に結びつけて、こぎはじめた。こぐたびに断崖の外へ振り出された。老婆はしばらくそうしてから止まって、嫁に代われと言った。嫁は代わって、革を体に結び、前へうしろへとこぎはじめた。嫁が勢いよくこいで、振れるたびにすっかり断崖の外へ振り出されるようになると、老婆はこっそり紐を切って、嫁を湖に落とした。それから老婆は娘の服をいくらか着て、夕暮れに小屋に入り、嫁がいつもその時分にしていた仕事をした。子どもが泣いていたが、乳をやる母がいないので泣き続けた。するとみなし子が、お母さんはどこかと老婆に尋ねた。

"She is still swinging," replied the old woman.

「まだぶらんこに乗っているよ」と老婆は答えた。

"I will go," said he, "and look for her."

「ぼく、探しに行ってくる」と少年は言った。

"No," said the old woman, "you must not. What would you go for?"

「だめだよ」と老婆は言った。「行ってはいけない。何しに行くんだい。」

In the evening, when the husband came in, he gave the coveted morsels to what he supposed was his wife. He missed the old woman, but asked nothing about her. Meanwhile the woman ate the morsels, and tried to quiet the child. The husband, seeing that she kept her face away from him, was astonished, and asked why the child cried so. His pretended wife answered that she did not know.

晩になって夫が帰ってくると、妻だと思った者にあのうまいところを渡した。夫は老婆がいないのに気づいたが、何も尋ねなかった。そのあいだに女はうまいところを食べ、子どもを泣きやませようとした。夫は、女が自分から顔をそむけているのを見て驚き、どうして子どもがこんなに泣くのかと尋ねた。偽の妻は、わからないと答えた。

In the meantime the orphan boy went to the shores of the lake, where he found no one. Then he suspected the old woman, and, having returned to the lodge, told the hunter, while she was out getting wood, all he had heard and seen. The man, when he had heard the story, painted his face black, and placed his spear upside down in the earth, and requested the Great Spirit to send lightning, thunder, and rain, in the hope that the body of his wife might arise from the water. He then began to fast, and told the boy to take the child and play upon the lake shore.

そのあいだに、みなし子は湖の岸へ行ってみたが、誰もいなかった。そこで少年は老婆を疑い、小屋に戻ると、女が薪を取りに出ているあいだに、聞いたことと見たことをみな狩人に話した。男は話を聞くと、顔を黒く塗り、槍を逆さまに地面に突き立て、妻の体が水から浮かび上がってくるようにと、稲妻と雷と雨を送ってくれるよう偉大な霊に願った。それから男は断食をはじめ、少年に、子どもを連れて湖の岸で遊んでいるよう言った。

Meanwhile this is what had happened to the wife. After she had plunged into the lake, she found herself in the hold of a water-tiger, who drew her to the bottom. There she found a lodge, and all things in it as if arranged for her reception, and she became the water-tiger's wife.

一方、妻はこうなっていた。湖に落ちると、妻は水の虎につかまえられ、底へ引き込まれた。そこには小屋があって、何もかも自分を迎えるために整えられているようで、妻は水の虎の妻になった。

Whilst the orphan boy and the child were playing on the shore of the lake one day, the boy began to throw pebbles into the water, when suddenly a gull arose from the centre of the lake, and flew towards the land. When it had arrived there, it took human shape, and the boy recognised that it was the lost mother. She had a leather belt around her, and another belt of white metal. She suckled the baby, and, preparing to return to the water, said to the boy--

ある日、みなし子と子どもが湖の岸で遊んでいると、少年は水に小石を投げはじめた。すると突然、湖のまんなかから一羽のカモメが舞い上がって、陸のほうへ飛んできた。カモメは陸に着くと人の姿になり、少年はそれがいなくなった母だとわかった。母は革の帯を巻き、さらに白い金属の帯も巻いていた。母は赤ん坊に乳をやり、水へ戻る支度をしながら少年に言った——

"Come here with the child whenever it cries, and I will nurse it."

「この子が泣いたら、いつでもこの子を連れてここへ来て。わたしが乳をあげるから。」

The boy carried the child home, and told the father what had occurred. When the child cried again, the man went with the boy to the shore, and hid himself behind a clump of trees. Soon the gull made its appearance, with a long shining chain attached to it. The bird came to the shore, assumed the mother's shape, and began to suckle the child. The husband stood with his spear in his hand, wondering what he had best do to regain his wife. When he saw her preparing to return to the lake he rushed forward, struck the shining chain with his spear, and broke it. Then he took his wife and child home. As he entered the lodge the old woman looked up, and, when she saw the wife, she dropped her head in despair. A rustling was heard in the place; the next moment the old woman leaped up, flew out of the lodge, and was never heard of more.

少年は子どもを家へ連れて帰って、何があったかを父に話した。子どもがまた泣くと、男は少年と一緒に岸へ行き、木立のうしろに隠れた。まもなくカモメが、長い光る鎖をつけて現れた。鳥は岸に来て母の姿になり、子どもに乳をやりはじめた。夫は槍を手に立って、妻を取り戻すにはどうするのがいちばんよいかと考えていた。妻が湖へ戻る支度をしているのを見ると、夫は飛び出して光る鎖を槍で打ち、断ち切った。それから夫は妻と子を家へ連れて帰った。夫が小屋に入ると老婆が顔を上げ、妻を見ると、絶望して頭を垂れた。その場でさらさらという音がした。次の瞬間、老婆は飛び上がって小屋から飛び出していき、それきり消息は聞かれなかった。