Raven and the Geese

For a long time Raven lived alone, but finally became tired of it and decided to take a wife. It was late in the fall and he noticed that the birds were going south in large flocks. He flew away and stopped directly in the path taken by geese and other wild fowl on their way to the land of summer.

長いあいだワタリガラスは一人で暮らしていたが、とうとうそれに飽きて妻をめとろうと決めた。晩秋のことで、鳥たちが大きな群れをなして南へ渡っていくのが目についた。ワタリガラスは飛んでいき、雁やそのほかの野鳥が夏の国へ向かう通り道のまさにその上にとまった。

As he sat there he saw a pretty young goose coming near. He hid his face by looking at his feet, so that she would not know but that he was a black goose, and called out, "Who wishes me for a husband? I am a very nice person."

そこに座っていると、かわいらしい若い雁が近づいてくるのが見えた。ワタリガラスは自分の足を見るようにして顔を隠し、黒い雁ではないかと思わせるようにして、呼びかけた。「わしを夫にしたい者はいないか。わしはたいそう立派な者だぞ」

The goose flew on without heeding him and he looked after her and sighed. Soon after a black brant passed, and Raven cried out as before, but the brant flew on. Again he waited and this time a duck passed near, and when Raven cried out she turned her head a little.

雁は気にもとめずに飛び去り、ワタリガラスはその後ろ姿を見送ってため息をついた。まもなくコクガンが通り過ぎ、ワタリガラスは前と同じように叫んだが、コクガンは飛び去った。また待っていると、今度は鴨がそばを通り、ワタリガラスが叫ぶと、鴨は少し首を向けた。

"Oh, I shall succeed this time," thought Raven, and his heart beat fast with hope. But the duck passed on, and Raven stood waiting with bowed head.

「ああ、今度はうまくいくぞ」とワタリガラスは思い、望みに胸を高鳴らせた。けれども鴨は通り過ぎていき、ワタリガラスはうなだれて待ち続けた。

Very soon a family of white-front geese came along, consisting of the parents with four sons and a sister. Raven cried out, "Who wishes me for a husband? I am a fine hunter and am young and handsome."

まもなくマガンの一家がやって来た。両親と四人の息子と、娘が一羽だった。ワタリガラスは叫んだ。「わしを夫にしたい者はいないか。わしは腕のよい狩人で、若くて見目がよいぞ」

As he finished speaking they alighted just beyond him, and he thought, "Surely, now I shall get a wife." He looked about and found a pretty white stone with a hole in it lying near. He picked it up and, stringing it on a long grass stem, hung it about his neck.

言い終わると、一家は彼のすぐ向こうに降り立った。ワタリガラスは思った。「今度こそ妻が手に入るぞ」あたりを見まわすと、穴のあいたきれいな白い石が近くに落ちていた。それを拾い上げて長い草の茎に通し、首にかけた。

As soon as he had done this he pushed up his bill so that it slid to the top of his head like a mask, and he became a dark-colored young man. At the same time each of the geese pushed up its bill in the same manner, and they became nice-looking people.

そうするとすぐにくちばしを押し上げて、仮面のように頭の上へ滑らせ、色の黒い若者になった。同時に雁たちもみな同じようにくちばしを押し上げて、見目のよい人々になった。

Raven walked toward them, and was much pleased with the looks of the girl and, going to her, gave her the stone which she hung about her neck. By doing this she showed that she accepted him for her husband. Then they all pulled down their bills, becoming birds again, and flew away toward the south.

ワタリガラスは彼らのほうへ歩いていき、娘の見目がたいそう気に入って、娘のところへ行って石を渡した。娘はそれを首にかけた。そうすることで、彼を夫として受け入れたことを示したのである。それからみなくちばしを下ろしてまた鳥になり、南へ向かって飛び去った。

The geese flapped their wings heavily and worked along slowly, while Raven on his outspread wings glided along faster than his party, and the geese gazed after him in admiration, exclaiming, "How light and graceful he is!" and the little bride was very proud of her fine husband.

雁たちは重たげに翼を羽ばたかせてゆっくりと進んでいったが、ワタリガラスは広げた翼で仲間より速く滑るように飛んだ。雁たちは感心して見送り、「なんて軽やかで優雅なのだろう」と言い合った。小さな花嫁は立派な夫がたいそう自慢だった。

But Raven was not accustomed to the long, all-day flights of the geese, and he became tired.

けれどもワタリガラスは、雁のように長く一日じゅう飛び続けることに慣れていなかったので、疲れてしまった。

"We would better stop early and look for a good place to spend the night," he said. The others agreed to this, so they stopped and were soon asleep.

「早めに止まって、夜を過ごすのによい場所を探したほうがいい」と彼は言った。ほかの者たちも賛成したので、みな止まって、まもなく眠り込んだ。

Early the next morning the geese were astir, but Raven slept so heavily that the father goose had to shake him and say, "Wake up! Wake up! We must make haste for it will snow here soon; we must not linger."

翌朝早く雁たちは起き出したが、ワタリガラスはぐっすり眠っていたので、父親の雁が彼を揺すって言わねばならなかった。「起きろ、起きろ。急がねばならん。ここはもうすぐ雪になる。ぐずぐずしてはおれんのだ」

As soon as Raven was fully awake he pretended to be eager to get away, and, as on the day before, he led all the others with his wide-spread wings, and was greatly admired by the others, especially by his young wife. He kept on, above or in front of his companions, and his bride would often say, "See how gracefully he skims along without having to flop heavy wings as we do," and she gave her brothers a side glance which made them feel that she was contrasting their clumsiness with his ease. After that tactless remark, the four brothers-in-law began to feel envious of Raven.

すっかり目が覚めると、ワタリガラスは早く出発したくてたまらないふりをし、前の日と同じように広げた翼でみなの先頭に立って、みなに、とりわけ若い妻にたいそう感心された。彼は仲間の上か前を飛び続け、花嫁はたびたび言った。「ほら、わたしたちみたいに重い翼をばたばたさせなくても、なんて優雅に滑っていくのかしら」そして兄たちに横目をくれたので、兄たちは妹が自分たちの不器用さを彼の身軽さと比べているのだと感じた。この気の利かない言葉のあと、四人の義兄たちはワタリガラスを妬みはじめた。

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They stopped one evening on the seashore, where they feasted upon the berries which were plentiful there, and then they settled down for the night and fell asleep. In the morning the geese were making ready to start without waiting for breakfast, and Raven's stomach cried out for more of the berries. But father goose said they could not wait, and he dared not object to starting. The brothers-in-law had secretly urged the father not to wait, for they said, "Our sister needs to have some of the conceit about that husband of hers taken out of her; and so does he."

ある晩、一行は海辺に降りて、そこにたくさんなっている木の実をたらふく食べ、それから落ち着いて眠り込んだ。朝、雁たちは朝食を待たずに出発の支度をしていたが、ワタリガラスの腹はもっと木の実をくれと鳴いていた。けれども父親の雁は待っていられないと言い、ワタリガラスは出発に反対する勇気がなかった。義兄たちがひそかに父親に、待たないようにとけしかけていたのである。「妹はあの夫のことでうぬぼれているから、少しへこませてやらねばならん。あいつもだ」と彼らは言っていた。

Raven dreaded the long flight across the sea, for he heard father goose say, "We will make only one stop in crossing this water. There is an island in the center of it, and there we will rest for a short time and then go on to the farther shore."

ワタリガラスは海を渡る長い旅がこわかった。父親の雁がこう言うのを聞いたからである。「この海を渡るあいだ、止まるのは一度だけだ。真ん中に島があるから、そこで少し休んで、それから向こう岸へ行く」

Raven was ashamed to say that he feared he could never reach that farther shore, so he determined to keep still and risk it; and off they all flew.

ワタリガラスは向こう岸までとても行き着けそうにないと言うのが恥ずかしかったので、黙って運にまかせることにした。そしてみな飛び立った。

The geese kept steadily on and on. After a long time Raven began to fall behind. His wide-spread wings ached, yet the geese kept steadily and untiringly on. His vanity was no longer gratified by admiring remarks from his companions, for he was flapping heavily along. Sometimes he would glide on outspread pinions for a time, hoping to ease his tired wings, but he fell farther and farther behind.

雁たちはどこまでも着実に飛び続けた。長い時がたつと、ワタリガラスは遅れはじめた。広げた翼が痛んだが、雁たちは着実に疲れも見せずに飛び続けた。重たげに羽ばたいていたので、もう仲間から感心する言葉をかけられて虚栄心を満たされることもなかった。ときおり疲れた翼を休めようと、翼を広げたまましばらく滑空したが、ますます後ろへ遅れていった。

Finally the geese looked back and the brothers said, sarcastically, "We thought he was light and active." The father goose said, "He must be getting tired. We must not press him too hard. We will rest."

とうとう雁たちが振り返り、兄たちが皮肉っぽく言った。「軽やかで身軽なやつだと思っていたがね」父親の雁は言った。「疲れてきたにちがいない。あまり無理をさせてはいかん。休もう」

The geese sank upon the water close together, and Raven came laboring up and dropped upon their backs, gasping for breath. In a short time he partially recovered and, putting one hand on his breast, said, "I have an arrow-head here from an old war I was in, and it pains me greatly; that is the reason I fell behind."

雁たちは身を寄せ合って水の上に降り、ワタリガラスはやっとのことでやって来て、息をあえがせながら彼らの背中に落ちた。しばらくするといくらか回復し、片手を胸に当てて言った。「ここに昔の戦のときの矢じりが入っていて、ひどく痛むのだ。それで遅れたのだ」

He had his wife put her hand on his breast to feel the arrow-head which he declared was working its way into his heart. She could feel nothing but his heart beating like a trip-hammer with no sign of an arrow-point. But she said nothing, for her brothers were whispering, "We don't believe that story about the arrow-point! How could he live with an arrow in his heart?"

ワタリガラスは妻に胸に手を当てさせて、心臓へ食い込んでいくのだと言い張る矢じりを確かめさせた。妻には、鍛冶の槌のように打つ心臓の鼓動のほかは何も感じられず、矢じりのしるしなどどこにもなかった。けれども妻は何も言わなかった。兄たちがひそひそ言っていたからである。「矢じりの話なんか信じるものか。心臓に矢が刺さっていて、どうして生きていられるんだ」

They rested two or three times more, he sinking upon their backs as before; but when they saw the far-off shore before them father goose said, "We can wait for you no more," for they were eager to reach the land and find food.

一行はさらに二、三度休み、ワタリガラスは前と同じように彼らの背中に沈み込んだ。けれども遠い岸が前方に見えてくると、父親の雁は「もうお前を待ってはいられない」と言った。早く陸に着いて食べ物を見つけたかったのである。

They all arose and flew on, Raven slowly flapping along behind, for his wings felt heavy. The geese kept steadily on toward the shore, while he sank lower and lower, getting nearer to the dreaded water. When the waves were almost touching him he shrieked to his wife:

みな飛び立って進み、ワタリガラスは翼が重く感じられて、ゆっくり羽ばたきながら後からついていった。雁たちは岸に向かって着実に飛び続け、ワタリガラスはますます低く沈んで、恐ろしい水に近づいていった。波がほとんど体に触れそうになったとき、ワタリガラスは妻に向かって金切り声をあげた。

"Leave me the white stone; it has magical powers. Throw me the white stone."

「白い石を置いていってくれ。あれには魔法の力がある。白い石を投げてくれ」

Thus he kept crying until suddenly his wings lost their power and he floated helplessly on the water as the geese gained the shore. He tried to rise from the water but his wings seemed to be weighted down, and he drifted back and forth along the beach. The waves arose and one whitecap after another broke over him till he was soaked, and it was only with the greatest difficulty that he could get his beak above the surface to breathe a little between the billows.

そう叫び続けていると、突然翼の力が抜け、雁たちが岸に着くころ、ワタリガラスはなすすべもなく水の上に浮かんでいた。水から飛び立とうとしたが、翼は重しをつけられたようで、浜に沿ってあちらこちらへ漂った。波が高まり、白い波頭が次々と彼の上に砕けて、すっかりずぶ濡れになり、波と波のあいだで少し息をするためにくちばしを水面の上へ出すのがやっとだった。

After a long time a great wave cast him upon the land, and as it flowed back he dug his claws into the sand to save himself from being dragged back into the sea. As soon as he was able he struggled up the beach, an unhappy looking object. The water ran in streams from his soaked feathers and his wings dragged on the ground. He fell several times, and at last, with wide-gaping mouth, he reached some bushes. As soon as he could get his breath he took off his raven coat and pushed up his beak, becoming a small, dark-colored man.

長い時がたって、大きな波が彼を陸に打ち上げた。波が引いていくとき、海へ引き戻されないよう砂に爪を立てた。動けるようになるとすぐ、みじめな姿で浜をもがきながら上がっていった。濡れた羽からは水が筋になって流れ、翼は地面を引きずった。何度か倒れ、とうとう口を大きくあけたまま茂みにたどり着いた。息がつけるようになるとすぐカラスの上着を脱ぎ、くちばしを押し上げて、小柄で色の黒い男になった。

"From this time on, forevermore I'm done with being a goose," he declared.

「これからは、もう永久に雁になるのはまっぴらだ」と彼は言い放った。