Up to the Top of the Sky, and Down to the Bottom of the Sea

One day Raven came back and, sitting beside Man, talked of many things as if they were brothers. After a little Man said, "I understand that you have made a land in the sky."

ある日ワタリガラスが戻ってきて、人間のそばに座り、兄弟どうしのようにいろいろなことを話した。しばらくして人間は言った。「あなたは空に国を造ったそうですね」

"Yes, I have a fine land there," answered Raven. "I made that land with all its people and animals, before I made this one."

「そうだ、あそこには立派な国がある」とワタリガラスは答えた。「この国を造る前に、あの国をそこの人々や獣とともに造ったのだ」

"I wish you would take me to see it," said Man.

「そこへ連れていって見せてくれませんか」と人間は言った。

"Very well, I will do so," replied Raven.

「よかろう、そうしよう」とワタリガラスは答えた。

They started toward the sky, where they arrived in a short time, and Man found himself in a beautiful country with a climate much better than that on earth; but the people who lived there were very small. When they stood beside Man, their heads reached only to his hips. As they walked along, Man looked about and saw many animals that were strange to him, and noticed that the country was much finer than the one he had left.

二人は空へ向かって出発し、まもなく着いた。人間は、地上よりずっとよい気候の美しい国にいることに気づいた。けれどもそこに住む人々はたいそう小さかった。人間のそばに立つと、頭が人間の腰にしか届かなかった。歩いていくうちに、人間はあたりを見まわして、見慣れない獣がたくさんいるのを見、この国が自分の後にしてきた国よりずっと立派なことに気づいた。

The people living there wore handsome fur garments nicely made and embroidered with ornamental patterns such as people on earth now wear. Man got the patterns, and when he came back to earth he showed his people how to make the handsome garments; and the patterns have been retained ever since.

そこに住む人々は、今地上の人々が着ているような飾り模様をきれいに縫い取った、見事な毛皮の着物を着ていた。人間はその模様を覚え、地上に戻ると、仲間にその見事な着物のこしらえ方を教えた。そしてその模様はそれ以来ずっと受け継がれている。

After a time they came to a large house and went in. A very old man came from the place of honor opposite the door at the head of the room to welcome them.

しばらくすると二人は大きな家に来て、なかへ入った。部屋の奥の、戸口の向かいの上座から、たいそう年老いた男が迎えに出てきた。

"This is the first man I made in the sky land," said Raven, explaining why the man seemed so old.

「これはわしが空の国で最初に造った人間だ」とワタリガラスは言い、その男がたいそう年老いて見えるわけを説明した。

The old man called to his people: "We have here a guest from the lower land, who is a friend of mine. Bring food to refresh him after his travels."

老人は家の者たちに呼びかけた。「下の国から客人が見えた。わしの友だ。旅の疲れを癒やす食べ物を持ってこい」

They brought boiled food of a more delicious kind than Man had ever tasted.

人々は、人間がこれまで味わったこともないほどおいしい煮た食べ物を持ってきた。

"That is the flesh of the spotted reindeer and the sheep that live in these mountains," said Raven. "When you have finished your meal we will go on to see other things that I have made. But you must not attempt to drink from any of the lakes we may pass, for in them are animals which would seize and kill anyone from the lower land."

「それはこの山々に住むまだらのトナカイと山の羊の肉だ」とワタリガラスは言った。「食事がすんだら、わしが造ったほかのものを見に行こう。だが、通りかかる湖のどれからも水を飲もうとしてはならぬぞ。湖には、下の国から来た者をつかまえて殺す獣がいるからな」

On the way they came to a dry lake bed in which tall grass was growing very thickly, and lying on the very tips of the grass was a large animal, yet the grass did not bend with the weight. It was a strange-looking animal with a long head and six legs, the two hind ones unusually large; the forelegs short; and a small pair under its belly. The hair around the feet was very long, but all over the body there was fine, thick hair. From the back of the head grew short, thick horns which extended forward and curved back at the tips. The animal had small eyes, and was of darkish color, almost black.

途中で二人は干上がった湖の底に来た。そこには背の高い草がびっしり生えていて、その草のまさに先端の上に大きな獣が寝そべっていたが、草はその重みでたわみもしなかった。頭が長く、脚が六本ある奇妙な姿の獣で、後ろの二本はとりわけ大きく、前脚は短く、腹の下に小さな脚が一対あった。足のまわりの毛はたいそう長かったが、体じゅうには細かく密な毛が生えていた。頭の後ろからは短く太い角が生えていて、前へ伸び、先で後ろへ曲がっていた。目は小さく、色は黒っぽく、ほとんど黒かった。

"These animals can sink right into the ground and disappear," said Raven. "When the people want to kill one of them, they have to put a log under it so it cannot sink. It takes many people to kill one, for when the animal falls on the lower log, other logs must be placed above it and held down, while two men take large clubs and beat it between the eyes till it is dead."

「この獣は地面のなかへそのまま沈み込んで消えることができるのだ」とワタリガラスは言った。「人々がこれを殺そうとするときは、沈めないようにその下に丸太を入れねばならん。一頭殺すのに大勢の者が要る。獣が下の丸太の上に倒れたら、上にもほかの丸太を置いて押さえつけ、そのあいだに二人の男が大きな棍棒を持って、死ぬまで目と目のあいだを打つのだ」

Next they came to a round hole in the sky with a ring of short grass growing around the border and glowing like fire.

次に二人は空にあいた丸い穴に来た。そのへりには短い草が輪になって生えていて、火のように輝いていた。

"This is a star called the Moon-dog," said Raven.

「これは月の犬という星だ」とワタリガラスは言った。

"The tops of the grass blades have been cut away or have burned off," said Man.

「草の葉の先が切り取られたか、焼け落ちたかしていますね」と人間は言った。

"Yes, my mother took some, and I took the rest to make the first fire down on earth," said Raven. "I have tried to make some of this same kind of grass on earth, but it will not grow there.

「そうだ、わしの母がいくらか取り、残りはわしが取って、地上で最初の火をおこしたのだ」とワタリガラスは言った。「これと同じ草を地上にも生やそうとしてみたが、あそこでは育たないのだ。

"Now close your eyes and get upon my wings and I will take you to another place," said Raven.

「さあ目を閉じて、わしの翼に乗れ。別の場所へ連れていってやろう」とワタリガラスは言った。

Man did as he was told, and they dropped through the flame-bordered star hole and floated down and down for a long time. They came to something that seemed denser than the air, and caused them to go more slowly, until they finally stopped.

人間は言われたとおりにし、二人は炎に縁取られた星の穴から落ちて、長いあいだ下へ下へと漂い降りていった。空気より濃いように思えるものに行き当たり、そのせいで進みがだんだん遅くなって、とうとう止まった。

"We are now standing on the bottom of the sea," said Raven. "I came down here to make some new kinds of water animals. Looking through the water must look like a fog to you, but you must not walk about; you must lie down, and if you become tired you may turn over upon the other side."

「今わしらは海の底に立っているのだ」とワタリガラスは言った。「わしは新しい種類の水の獣を造りにここへ降りてきた。お前には水を通して見ると霧のように見えるだろうが、歩きまわってはならぬ。横になっておれ。疲れたら反対側へ寝返りを打ってもよい」

Raven then left Man lying on one side, where he rested for a long time. Finally he awoke feeling very tired, but when he tried to turn over, he could not.

それからワタリガラスは人間を片側を下にして寝かせたまま去り、人間は長いあいだ休んだ。とうとう目を覚ますとたいそう疲れていたが、寝返りを打とうとしても打てなかった。

"I wish I could turn over," he said to himself; and in a moment he turned very easily.

「寝返りが打てたらいいのに」と人間は独りごちた。するとすぐに、たいそうたやすく寝返りが打てた。

But as he did this, he was horrified to see that his body had become covered with long, white hairs, and that his fingers had become long, sharp claws. However, he was so drowsy that he soon fell asleep again. After a long time he awoke and again felt tired from lying so long in one position. He turned as before and fell asleep again for the third time. When he awoke the fourth time Raven stood beside him.

けれどもそうしたとき、自分の体が長く白い毛に覆われ、指が長く鋭い鉤爪になっているのを見て、ぞっとした。けれどもひどく眠かったので、まもなくまた眠り込んだ。長い時がたって目を覚ますと、あまり長く同じ姿勢で寝ていたのでまた疲れていた。前と同じように寝返りを打って、三度目にまた眠り込んだ。四度目に目を覚ますと、ワタリガラスがかたわらに立っていた。

"I have changed you into a white bear," said Raven. "How do you like it?"

「お前を白熊に変えてやった」とワタリガラスは言った。「どうだ、気に入ったか」

Man tried to answer but could not make a sound. Raven waved his magic wing over him and then he said:

人間は答えようとしたが、声が出なかった。ワタリガラスが魔法の翼を彼の上で振ると、人間は言った。

"I do not wish to be a bear, for then I would have to live on the sea while my son would live on the shore, and I would be unhappy."

「熊にはなりたくありません。熊になったら、息子が岸に住んでいるのに、わたしは海に住まねばならず、不幸せになるでしょうから」

Raven made one stroke of his wings and the bearskin fell from Man and lay on one side, while he sat up in his human form, thankful that he did not have to spend the rest of his life as a polar bear.

ワタリガラスが翼をひと振りすると、熊の皮が人間から落ちて脇に横たわり、人間は人の姿で起き上がった。残りの生涯を白熊として過ごさずにすんで、ありがたかった。

Then Raven pulled a quill from his tail and put it into the empty bearskin for a backbone, and after he had waved his wings over it a white bear arose and walked slowly away; and ever since that time white bears have been found on the frozen seas.

それからワタリガラスは尾から羽根を一本抜いて、空になった熊の皮に背骨として入れた。その上で翼を振ると、白熊が起き上がってゆっくりと歩み去った。それ以来、白熊は凍った海に住んでいるのである。

"How many times did you turn over?" Raven asked.

「何度寝返りを打った」とワタリガラスは尋ねた。

"Four times," answered Man.

「四度です」と人間は答えた。

"That was four years. You slept there just four years," said Raven. "Come now and I will show you some of the animals I made while you slept.

「それは四年だったのだ。お前はちょうど四年そこで眠っていた」とワタリガラスは言った。「さあ来い、お前が眠っているあいだにわしが造った獣をいくつか見せてやろう。

"Here is one like the shrew-mouse of the land; but this one always lives on the ice of the sea, and whenever it sees a man it darts at him, entering the toe of his boot and crawling all over him. If the man keeps perfectly quiet, it will leave him unharmed. But if he is a coward, and lifts so much as a finger to brush it away, it instantly burrows into his flesh going directly to his heart and causing death.

「これは陸のトガリネズミに似たものだ。だがこれはいつも海の氷の上に住んでいて、人を見るとさっと跳びかかり、長靴の爪先から入り込んで、体じゅうを這いまわる。人がじっと動かずにいれば、害を加えずに去っていく。だがその人が臆病者で、払いのけようと指一本でも上げれば、たちまちその肉のなかにもぐり込み、まっすぐ心臓へ行って死なせるのだ。

"Here is another, a large leather-skinned animal with four long, wide-spreading arms. This is a fierce animal, living in the sea, which wraps its arms around a man or a kayak and pulls them into the water. If the man tries to escape by getting out of his kayak upon the ice and running away, it will dart underneath and break the ice under his feet. Or if he gets on the shore and runs, it burrows through the earth as easily as it swims through the water. No one can escape if once it pursues him."

「こちらはまた別のもので、長く大きく広がる四本の腕を持った、革のような皮の大きな獣だ。これは海に住む猛々しい獣で、人やカヤックに腕を巻きつけて水のなかへ引きずり込む。人がカヤックから氷の上に出て走って逃げようとすれば、下へもぐり込んで足もとの氷を割る。岸に上がって走れば、水のなかを泳ぐのと同じくらいたやすく土のなかを掘り進む。ひとたびこれに追われたら、だれも逃げられないのだ」

"Why did you make such an animal?" asked Man.

「どうしてそんな獣を造ったのですか」と人間は尋ねた。

"This is like man's own misdeeds, from which he cannot escape," replied Raven.

「これは人間自身の悪行のようなもので、人はそれから逃げられないのだ」とワタリガラスは答えた。

Raven then showed Man several other animals: one somewhat like an alligator, another with a long scaly tail with which it could kill a man at one stroke; some walruses, and otter, and many kinds of fish. They finally came to a place where the shore rose before them, and the ripples on the surface of the water could be seen.

それからワタリガラスは人間にほかの獣もいくつか見せた。ワニにいくらか似たもの、ひと打ちで人を殺せる長い鱗の尾を持つもの、何頭かのセイウチ、カワウソ、たくさんの種類の魚。とうとう二人は、前方に岸がせり上がり、水面のさざ波が見えるところに来た。

"Close your eyes and hold fast to me," said Raven.

「目を閉じて、わしにしっかりつかまれ」とワタリガラスは言った。

As soon as he had done this, Man found himself standing on the shore near his home, and was very much astonished to see a large village where he had left only a few huts. His wife had become an old woman and his son was an old man. The people saw him and welcomed him back, making him their Headman, and giving him the place of honor in their gatherings. He told them all he had seen and heard since he left them, and taught the young men many things about the sea animals.

人間がそうするとすぐ、自分の家の近くの岸に立っていた。わずかな小屋しか残してこなかったところに大きな村ができているのを見て、たいそう驚いた。妻は老婆になり、息子は老人になっていた。人々は彼を見て帰りを歓迎し、自分たちの頭にして、集まりでは上座を与えた。彼は人々と別れてから見聞きしたことをすべて話し、若者たちに海の獣について多くのことを教えた。