Chunks of Daylight

At the northern part of the continent, in the land of the midnight sun, where in the long summer days the sun at midnight is just slipping below the northern horizon and immediately is seen coming up again, and where in the long nights of winter there is scarcely any daytime at all, it is not strange that the legends of the people often treat of daylight and especially of darkness. The long nights become oppressive, and the people have different theories as to the cause of it, which they weave into legends such as the following.

大陸の北の部分、真夜中の太陽の国では、長い夏の日には真夜中に太陽が北の地平線の下へわずかに沈んだかと思うとすぐにまた昇ってくるのが見え、長い冬の夜には昼というものがほとんどない。だから人々の伝説がしばしば昼の光を、とりわけ闇を扱うのは不思議ではない。長い夜は重苦しくなり、人々はそのわけについてさまざまな説を持っていて、それを次のような伝説に織り込むのである。

In the days when the earth was a child, there was light from the sun and moon as there is now. Then the sun and moon were taken away and the people were left for a long time with no light but the shining of the stars. The shamans, or priests, made their strongest charms to no purpose, for the darkness of night continued.

大地がまだ子どもだったころ、今と同じように太陽と月の光があった。それから太陽と月が奪い去られ、人々は長いあいだ星の輝きのほかに光のないまま残された。シャーマン、つまり祈祷師たちはいちばん強いまじないをこしらえたが無駄だった。夜の闇は続いたからである。

In a village of the lower Yukon there lived an orphan boy who always sat upon the bench with the humble people, over the entrance way of the kashim or assembly house. The other people thought he was foolish, and he was despised and ill-treated by everyone. After the shamans had tried very hard to bring back the sun and moon and had failed, the boy began to ridicule them.

ユーコン川下流のある村に一人のみなしごの少年が住んでいて、いつもカシム、つまり集会所の入口の上の腰掛けに、身分の低い人々と一緒に座っていた。ほかの人々は少年を愚か者だと思い、少年はだれからもさげすまれ、ひどい扱いを受けていた。シャーマンたちが太陽と月を取り戻そうとさんざん努めて失敗すると、少年は彼らをあざ笑いはじめた。

"What fine shamans you must be, not to be able to bring back the light, when even I can do it," he said mockingly.

「光を取り戻せないとは、ずいぶん立派なシャーマンだね。おれにだってできるのに」と少年はあざけって言った。

At this the shamans became very angry and beat him and drove him out of the kashim. The orphan was like any other boy until he put on a black coat which he had, when he became a raven and remained in that form until he removed his coat. When the shamans drove him out, he went to the house of his aunt in the village and told her what he had said, and how the shamans had beaten him and driven him out of the kashim.

これを聞くとシャーマンたちはひどく腹を立て、少年を殴ってカシムから追い出した。このみなしごは、持っている黒い上着を着ないかぎりほかの少年と変わらなかったが、それを着るとワタリガラスになり、上着を脱ぐまでその姿のままでいた。シャーマンたちに追い出されると、少年は村のおばの家へ行き、自分の言ったことと、シャーマンたちに殴られてカシムから追い出されたことを話した。

"Tell me where the sun and moon have gone, for I am going after them," said he.

「太陽と月がどこへ行ったのか教えて。取りに行くから」と少年は言った。

"They are hidden somewhere, but I don't know where it is," she replied.

「どこかに隠されているけれど、それがどこかは知らないよ」とおばは答えた。

"I am sure you know where they are, for look what a neatly sewed coat you wear, and you could not see to do that if you did not know where the light is."

「きっと知っているよ。だって、そんなにきれいに縫った上着を着ているじゃないか。光がどこにあるか知らなかったら、見えなくてそんなことはできないもの」

After a great deal of persuasion the aunt said: "Well, if you wish to find the light you must take your snowshoes and go far, far to the southland, to the place you will know when you get there."

さんざん説き伏せられて、おばは言った。「では、光を見つけたいなら、かんじきを持って、ずっとずっと南の国へ行かなければいけないよ。そこへ着けばわかる場所までね」

The boy put on his black coat, took his snowshoes, and at once set off for the south. For many days he traveled, while the darkness always remained the same. When he had gone a very long way, he saw far ahead of him a single ray of light, and that cheered and encouraged him.

少年は黒い上着を着て、かんじきを持ち、すぐに南へ向けて出発した。何日も旅したが、闇はいつも同じだった。ずいぶん遠くまで来たとき、はるか前方に一筋の光が見え、少年は元気づけられ、励まされた。

As he hurried on, the light showed again plainer than before and then vanished; and kept appearing and vanishing at intervals. At last he came to a large hill, one side of which was in a bright light while the other was in the blackness of night. Ahead of him and close to the hill he saw a hut with a man who was shoveling snow from the front of it.

急いで進むと、光は前よりはっきり見えてはまた消え、ときどき見えたり消えたりを繰り返した。とうとう大きな丘に来た。その片側は明るい光のなかにあり、もう片側は夜の暗闇のなかにあった。前方の丘のすぐそばに小屋があり、一人の男がその前の雪をかいていた。

The man was tossing the snow high in air, and each time he did this the light was hidden, thus causing the changes from light to darkness which the boy had noticed as he approached. Close beside the house he saw a great blazing ball of fire--the light he had come to find.

男は雪を空高く放り上げていて、そのたびに光が隠され、少年が近づくあいだに気づいた明暗の移り変わりが生じていたのだった。家のすぐそばに、赤々と燃える大きな火の玉が見えた——少年が探しに来た光である。

The boy stopped and began to plan how he could secure the light and the shovel from the man. After a time he walked up to the man and asked, "Why are you throwing up the snow and hiding the light from our village?"

少年は立ち止まり、どうすれば男から光とシャベルを手に入れられるか考えはじめた。しばらくして男のところへ歩いていき、尋ねた。「どうして雪を放り上げて、おれたちの村から光を隠しているの」

The man stopped his work, looked up and said, "I am only clearing away the snow from my door. I am not hiding the light. But who are you, and where do you come from?"

男は仕事の手を止め、顔を上げて言った。「わしはただ戸口の雪をどけているだけだ。光を隠してなどいない。だがお前はだれで、どこから来た」

"It is so dark at our village that I did not like to live there, so I came here to live with you," said the boy.

「おれたちの村はとても暗くて、住むのが嫌になったから、あんたと一緒に住もうと思ってここへ来たんだ」と少年は言った。

"What? Will you stay all the time?" asked the man in surprise.

「何だと。ずっといるつもりか」と男は驚いて尋ねた。

"Yes," replied the boy.

「そうだよ」と少年は答えた。

"That is well; come into the house with me," said the man.

「それはいい。わしと一緒に家に入れ」と男は言った。

He dropped his shovel on the ground and, stooping down, led the way into the underground passage to the house, letting the curtain fall in front of the door as he passed, for he thought the boy was close behind him.

男はシャベルを地面に落とし、身をかがめて家へ通じる地下の通路へ先に立って入り、通るときに戸口の前に垂れ幕を下ろした。少年がすぐ後ろにいると思っていたのである。

The moment the door flap fell behind the man as he entered, the boy caught up the ball of light and put it in the turned-up flap of his fur coat in front. Catching up the shovel in one hand, he ran away to the north, running until his feet became tired. Then he whipped on his magic coat and became a raven and flew as fast as his wings would carry him. Behind he heard the frightful shrieks and cries of the old man, following fast in pursuit.

男が入って垂れ幕がその後ろに下りた瞬間、少年は光の玉をつかみ上げ、毛皮の上着の前の折り返しに入れた。片手でシャベルもつかみ上げると、北へ向かって逃げ出し、足が疲れるまで走った。それから魔法の上着をさっと着てワタリガラスになり、翼の運べるかぎりの速さで飛んだ。後ろからは、すぐ後を追ってくる老人の恐ろしい金切り声と叫び声が聞こえた。

When the old man found that he could not overtake the raven he cried to him, "Never mind; you may keep the light, but give me my shovel."

ワタリガラスに追いつけないとわかると、老人は叫んだ。「もういい、光は持っていってもいい。だがわしのシャベルは返してくれ」

"No; you made our village dark and you cannot have the shovel," called the raven, and flew faster, leaving the man far in the rear.

「いやだ。あんたはおれたちの村を暗くしたんだから、シャベルは返さない」とワタリガラスは叫び、もっと速く飛んで、男をはるか後ろに引き離した。

As the raven boy traveled home, he tore out a chunk from the light ball and threw it away, thus making a day. Then he went on for a long way in the darkness, and threw out another piece of light, making it day again. He continued to do this at intervals until he reached the kashim in his own village, where he dropped the rest of the ball.

ワタリガラスの少年は家へ帰る途中、光の玉からひとかたまりをちぎり取って投げ捨て、昼をこしらえた。それからまた闇のなかを長いあいだ進み、光をもうひとかけら投げ出して、また昼にした。自分の村のカシムに着くまでときどきこうし続け、カシムに着くと残りの玉を落とした。

Then he went into the kashim and said, "Now, you worthless shamans, you see I have brought back the light, and hereafter it will be light and then dark, making day and night."

それからカシムに入って言った。「さあ、役立たずのシャーマンども、見てのとおり光を取り戻してきたぞ。これからは明るくなってはまた暗くなり、昼と夜ができるのだ」

And the shamans could not answer.

そしてシャーマンたちは答えることができなかった。