Sinbad of the Talmud

"Rabba, Rabba, silly, silly Rabba, have you caught another whale to-day?"

「ラッバ、ラッバ、おばかな、おばかなラッバ、今日もクジラをつかまえたの?」

With this strange cry a number of children followed an elderly man through the streets of a town in the East. Their parents looked on in amusement and some of them called after the man as the little ones did. Rabba, however, took no notice, but walked straight on with a faraway look in his eyes, as if his thoughts were elsewhere. Presently, on turning the corner of a street, he nearly ran into an Arab coming in the opposite direction. As soon as the children saw the Arab they turned and fled.

この奇妙なはやし声をあげながら、大勢の子どもたちが、東方のある町の通りで一人の年配の男のあとをついていった。親たちは面白がって眺め、なかには子どもたちと同じように男の背にはやし声を浴びせる者もいた。けれどもラッバは気にも留めず、思いがほかにあるかのような遠い目をして、まっすぐ歩き続けた。やがて通りの角を曲がると、反対から来るアラビア人とあやうくぶつかりそうになった。子どもたちはそのアラビア人を見るやいなや、向きを変えて逃げだした。

"Ali Rabba is coming," they cried to one another in warning, and as fast as their legs would carry them they made off to their homes.

「アリ・ラッバが来るぞ」と子どもたちは互いに警告して叫び、足の続くかぎり速く家へ逃げていった。

The Arab shook his fist threateningly after the children. Then he turned to the man whom they had followed.

アラビア人は子どもたちの背に脅すようにこぶしを振りあげた。それから子どもたちがついていった男のほうを向いた。

"It is a shame," he said, hotly, "that the impudent ragamuffins of the town should be allowed to cast words of disrespect in the public streets at my sainted master, Rabba bar Chana, the man of profound learning and the famous traveller--"

「恥ずべきことだ」とアラビア人は熱くなって言った。「町の生意気な悪がきどもが、公の通りでわが聖なる主人、深い学識と名高い旅で知られるラッバ・バル・ハナに無礼な言葉を浴びせるのを許されているとは——」

"Be gentle, good Ali," interrupted Rabba. "Remember they are little more than babes and have not full understanding. And how can they be respectful when their parents, who should have wisdom and faith, accept not our stories of the many adventures we have had? Yesterday, I told them of the day when our ship had been surrounded by five thousand whales, each a mile long, and they jeered and cried 'Impossible!'"

「穏やかに、よきアリ」とラッバはさえぎった。「あの子たちは赤ん坊に毛が生えたようなもので、まだ十分な分別がないのだ。それに、知恵と信仰を持つべき親たちが、わしらの数々の冒険の話を受け入れないのに、どうして子どもたちが敬意を払えよう。昨日、わしらの船が一マイルもの長さのクジラ五千頭に囲まれた日のことを話したら、あの人たちはあざけって『ありえない!』と叫んだのだ。」

"Impossible!" echoed Ali, in a rage. "Was I not there with thee, my master? Did I not count every single whale myself? Who dares to doubt my word? Have I not, for years, been thy faithful guide on thy marvelous journeys? Bah! What know these town fools, whose lives are no wider than the narrow streets in which they dwell, of the wonders of the vast world beyond the seas? Fools, ignorant fools, every one of them, my good master. Why stay you here with them and brook their insults and their sneers? Let us journey forth again this very day. A good ship waits in the harbor."

「ありえないだと!」とアリは怒り狂って繰り返した。「わたしはあなたと一緒にそこにいたではありませんか、ご主人さま。わたしが自分でクジラを一頭残らず数えたではありませんか。わたしの言葉を疑う度胸のあるやつは誰だ。何年ものあいだ、わたしはあなたの驚くべき旅の忠実な案内人だったではありませんか。ふん! 住んでいる狭い通りほどの広さしか生き方のない町の愚か者どもに、海の向こうの広大な世界の驚異の何がわかる。愚か者、無知な愚か者、一人残らずそうですよ、ご主人さま。どうしてここにとどまって、やつらの侮辱や冷笑に耐えるのです。まさに今日、また旅に出ましょう。港によい船が待っています。」

Ali's voice grew louder as his rage became stronger and a crowd was collecting. Rabba hurried him away and together they made for the harbor. There they were soon engaged in earnest conversation with the captain of a vessel that had come from a distant land.

怒りが強まるにつれてアリの声は大きくなり、人だかりができてきた。ラッバは急いでアリを連れ去り、二人は連れ立って港へ向かった。そこで二人はまもなく、遠い国から来た船の船長と熱心に話しこんだ。

"I shall be glad to have two such famous travelers on my ship," said the captain. "I have heard of your adventures, and in my country 'tis said that only those meet with wonders who dare to seek them and believe in them. I, too, would see the wonders of the world, and gladly will I give you passage on my ship."

「こんなに名高い旅人お二人を船にお乗せできれば嬉しい」と船長は言った。「あなたがたの冒険のことは聞いています。わたしの国では、驚異に出会えるのは、それを探す勇気があってそれを信じる者だけだと言われています。わたしも世界の驚異を見てみたい。喜んで船にお乗せしましょう。」

Next day Rabba and Ali stood on the deck of the vessel as the sail was hoisted, and it moved slowly from the harbor to the accompaniment of cheering and some laughter from a crowd on shore.

次の日、帆が揚がると、ラッバとアリは船の甲板に立った。船は岸の群衆の歓声といくらかの笑い声に送られて、ゆっくりと港を出ていった。

"Silly Rabba and Ali Rabba, don't forget to bring back the moon," they cried. "Find out where it goes when it is not here."

「おばかなラッバとアリ・ラッバ、月を持って帰るのを忘れるなよ」と人々は叫んだ。「月がここにいないときにどこへ行っているのか確かめてこい。」

Soon the land was out of sight, and scudding before favorable breezes the ship made good progress. In ten days it had reached a sea in which no vessel had ever sailed before. Ali said he could tell this because the fishes behaved queerly. They poked their heads out of the water to gaze at the ship and then darted swiftly out of sight again. It was quite plain that they had never before seen a ship, and they evidently mistook it for some strange sea monster. Every day the fishes grew larger, but no land was sighted until another five days had passed. Then a desert island appeared straight ahead, and the captain steered toward it. A few blades of grass grew here and there, and Rabba determined to land and explore the island.

まもなく陸は見えなくなり、順風を受けて走る船はよく進んだ。十日で、それまでどんな船も航海したことのない海に着いた。アリは、魚のふるまいがおかしいからそれがわかると言った。魚たちは水から頭を突き出して船を見つめ、それからすばやく見えなくなった。魚たちがそれまで一度も船を見たことがなく、何か奇妙な海の怪物と間違えているのは明らかだった。日ごとに魚は大きくなったが、さらに五日たつまで陸は見えなかった。それから真正面に無人島が現れ、船長はそちらへ舵を取った。草があちこちに少し生えていて、ラッバは上陸して島を探検しようと決めた。

Accompanied by his faithful Ali, he entered a small boat and was rowed to the shore. They found a few vegetables growing that they had never seen before, and so, collecting twigs from the short, stumpy bushes, they made a fire to cook them. While the vegetables were cooking they looked around.

忠実なアリを連れて、ラッバは小舟に乗り、岸へ漕いでいってもらった。二人はそれまで見たこともない野菜がいくつか生えているのを見つけたので、短くずんぐりした茂みから小枝を集めて火をおこし、それを煮た。野菜が煮えるあいだ、二人はあたりを見まわした。

"It seems a vast land," said Rabba, "and yet over there, about three or four miles away, I think I see water."

「広大な土地のようだな」とラッバは言った。「それなのに、向こうの三、四マイル先に水が見える気がする。」

"I think so, too," said Ali. "This must be the width of the land, but in the other directions I can see no end. But hark! What sound is that?"

「わたしもそう思います」とアリは言った。「こちらがこの土地の幅にちがいありません。でもほかの方向には果てが見えません。おや! あの音は何でしょう。」

"'Tis like the rumbling of an earthquake," said Rabba, "and I am sure I felt the ground move. Indeed, it seems to me as if it is heaving up and down, like a living thing."

「地震のとどろきのようだ」とラッバは言った。「それに地面が動いたのを確かに感じた。実際、生き物のように上がったり下がったりしているように思える。」

A shout from the boat caused them to look in that direction, and they saw their comrades pointing wildly and calling upon them to come back. Looking in the direction indicated, they saw the land rise up like a huge mountain and a tremendous stream of water gush forth.

小舟から叫び声がしたのでそちらを見ると、仲間たちが必死に指さして戻ってこいと叫んでいた。示された方向を見ると、土地が巨大な山のように盛り上がり、すさまじい水の噴き出すのが見えた。

"This is not land; this is a whale," cried Rabba, in alarm. "Our fire has wakened it from slumber. Let us hasten to the ship before the monster plunges and drowns us."

「これは陸ではない。クジラだ」とラッバは驚いて叫んだ。「わしらの火がこいつを眠りから起こしてしまったのだ。怪物がもぐってわしらを溺れさせる前に、急いで船へ戻ろう。」

They hurried back to the boat and boarded the ship just as the whale began to move. It sank below the waves to quench the fire on its back, but it rose again, and then the vessel found itself in a new danger. It was lying between the body of the monster and one of its fins.

二人は急いで小舟に戻り、クジラが動きだしたちょうどそのとき船に乗り込んだ。クジラは背中の火を消そうと波の下に沈んだが、また浮かび上がり、今度は船が新たな危険にさらされた。船は怪物の胴体とひれの一つのあいだにいたのである。

"Let me take command," said Ali. "I know best how to act in times of danger like this. We must avoid being struck by the fin, or we shall be destroyed. We must find which way the monster is moving and go in the opposite direction; otherwise we shall be wrecked when we come to the place where the fin joins the body."

「わたしに指揮させてください」とアリは言った。「こういう危ないときにどうふるまえばよいか、わたしがいちばんよく知っています。ひれに打たれないようにしなければ、わたしたちは滅びます。怪物がどちらへ動いているか見極めて、反対の方向へ行かなければなりません。さもないと、ひれが胴体とつながるところに来たとき難破してしまいます。」

There was no sleep for the crew that night. Everyone watched carefully, for the least false move may have meant instant disaster. Luckily the whale began to move on the surface of the sea against the wind, so that the ship, traveling in the opposite direction, had the wind behind it. Swiftly flew the ship before the breeze, but the fin seemed to have no end, although the whale was traveling fast, too. Three days and three nights the ship continued before it came to the end of the fin. Then everyone on board breathed more freely.

その夜、船乗りたちは眠れなかった。ほんのわずかな一手の誤りがたちまち災いを意味しかねなかったので、みな注意深く見張った。幸いクジラは風に逆らって海面を進みはじめたので、反対の方向へ進む船は追い風を受けた。船は風を受けて速く走ったが、クジラも速く進んでいたのに、ひれには果てがないように思えた。三日三晩船は進み続けて、ようやくひれの端に来た。それで船の者はみなほっと息をついた。

"That was a lucky escape," said the captain to Rabba.

「運よく逃れましたな」と船長はラッバに言った。

"Speak not too soon," replied the latter. "I have fears yet. We must hasten to get completely away from this monster, but the wind does not favor any alteration of our course."

「早まったことを言うな」とラッバは答えた。「わしはまだ不安だ。この怪物からすっかり離れるよう急がねばならぬが、風がわしらの針路を変えるのに向いていない。」

Even as he spoke there was a great commotion in the water, and the whale began to move backward at so fearful a speed that they could scarcely see it. The water was violently agitated and the ship was tossed about as if it were a mere cork. A whole day this lasted. Then the motion grew slower as the head of the whale came past the ship.

ラッバがそう言っているそばから、水のなかで大きな騒ぎが起こり、クジラがほとんど見えないほど恐ろしい速さでうしろへ動きはじめた。水は激しく揺れ、船はただのコルクのように翻弄された。まる一日それが続いた。それからクジラの頭が船のそばを過ぎるにつれて、動きは遅くなった。

"See," cried Ali, excitedly. "A small fish has stuck in the nostril of the monster. That is the cause of this commotion. The monster will surely be killed."

「ご覧なさい」とアリは興奮して叫んだ。「小さな魚が怪物の鼻の穴に詰まっています。それがこの騒ぎのもとなのです。怪物はきっと死ぬでしょう。」

The agitation of the water now died down, and it was seen that the whale was beginning to turn over.

水の揺れはもう静まり、クジラがひっくり返りはじめるのが見えた。

"The monster is dead," said Rabba. "It will float on the waves like a vast desert land and will be a danger to ships."

「怪物は死んだ」とラッバは言った。「広大な砂漠の土地のように波の上を漂って、船にとって危険なものになるだろう。」

For several days the vessel was compelled to follow the dead whale. Whenever an attempt was made to move away, the current or the wind changed and the carcass of the monster followed the ship. The captain did not like this at all, for it was dangerous in the extreme. He was afraid that the dead whale would strike the vessel and wreck it.

何日ものあいだ、船は死んだクジラのあとをついていくほかなかった。離れようとするたびに、潮の流れか風が変わって、怪物の亡骸が船のあとをついてきた。船長はこれがまったく気に入らなかった。この上なく危険だったからである。死んだクジラが船にぶつかって難破させるのではないかと恐れた。

At last land was sighted. Not even Rabba and Ali could recognize the country. They said they had never seen it before. Beautiful cities dotted the shore, but to everybody's alarm, the body of the whale began to float toward the land.

とうとう陸が見えた。ラッバとアリでさえ、その国がどこかわからなかった。見たことがないと二人は言った。美しい町々が海岸に点在していたが、みなが驚いたことに、クジラの死骸が陸のほうへ漂っていきはじめた。

To make matters worse, a storm arose, and the monster rose and fell with each motion of the angry waves.

さらに悪いことに嵐が起こり、怪物は荒れ狂う波が動くたびに上がったり下がったりした。

"The cities will be destroyed if the whale strikes them," cried Rabba, "and it is impossible for us to warn the people."

「クジラがぶつかったら町々は滅びてしまう」とラッバは叫んだ。「それなのに、わしらには人々に知らせる手立てがない。」

Nearer and nearer the whale was driven, while the captain of the ship did his utmost to keep away so as not to be struck by the backwash.

クジラはどんどん陸へ押し流され、そのあいだ船の船長は、引き波に打たれないよう離れているために全力を尽くした。

At length, with a tremendous crash, the monster was flung by the waves, which had increased to a great height, against the shore. Above the shrieking of the wind could be heard the noise of falling buildings and the wild cries of the people. A huge wave caught the ship and carried it a mile out to sea and then whirled it back again at a speed that made the crew hold their breath in awe.

とうとう、すさまじい音を立てて、とてつもない高さになった波が怪物を岸に叩きつけた。吹き荒れる風の叫びの上に、建物の崩れる音と人々の悲鳴が聞こえた。巨大な波が船をとらえて一マイル沖へ運び、それから、船乗りたちが畏れに息をのむほどの速さでまた引き戻した。

It seemed certain that the vessel would be dashed to pieces on the land, and the crew, with cries of warning and alarm, made haste to lash themselves to the masts. The mighty wave swept over the land, over the ruins of the towns, carrying the ship with it, and finally deposited it among the trees of a dense forest a mile from the shore.

船が陸に叩きつけられて粉々になるのは確実に思われ、船乗りたちは警告と悲鳴をあげながら、急いで帆柱に体を縛りつけた。巨大な波は陸を越え、町の廃墟を越えて船を一緒に運び、とうとう岸から一マイル離れた深い森の木々のあいだに船を置いた。

"At least we are safe for the present," said Rabba, when he had recovered from the shock and the surprise. "We are more fortunate than the poor people who have been overwhelmed by this strange disaster."

「少なくとも、さしあたりは無事だ」とラッバは衝撃と驚きから立ち直ると言った。「この奇妙な災厄に呑まれた哀れな人々よりは運がよかった。」

"I should like to know how I am going to get my ship back to the sea," said the captain. "I never heard of such a predicament before."

「どうやってわたしの船を海に戻せばいいのか知りたいものです」と船長は言った。「こんな窮地は聞いたこともない。」

Rabba merely shrugged his shoulders, and with Ali he walked to the shore. An extraordinary sight met their gaze. Thousands of people were rushing madly to the forests. Everywhere was ruin and desolation. All the towns along the coast, sixty in number they learned afterward, had been destroyed by the stranding of the monster and the tidal wave that followed, and what had not been leveled and swept out to sea had been carried inland to the forests and beyond. All along the coast, as far as the eye could see, lay the body of the whale like a mountain range, and hundreds of people ran up and down, weeping bitterly and wringing their hands.

ラッバはただ肩をすくめ、アリと一緒に岸へ歩いていった。途方もない光景が二人の目に飛び込んできた。何千もの人々が狂ったように森へ駆けていた。いたるところが廃墟と荒廃だった。海岸沿いのすべての町——あとで聞くと六十あった——が怪物の打ち上げとそれに続く高波で滅ぼされ、なぎ倒されて海へ流されなかったものは、内陸の森やその先まで運ばれていた。海岸沿いには目の届くかぎり、クジラの死骸が山脈のように横たわり、何百もの人々が激しく泣き手をもみしぼりながら右往左往していた。

Rabba gathered as many of them as he could together and addressed them.

ラッバはできるかぎり大勢を集めて語りかけた。

"Good people," he said, "ye are the victims of a terrible calamity that has robbed you at one cruel blow of your homes, and many of you of your families. But ye that have survived have duties to yourselves and to the future. In this hour of grief, despair not. There lies the fearful monster that has been your destruction. It shall also be your salvation. Its body can supply you all with food. What you cannot eat, you can salt and store for the future. Thousands of casks of oil can be obtained from its blubber, and with this ye can trade. Then, too, its bones are valuable."

「よき人々よ」とラッバは言った。「あなたがたは、ひとつの残酷な打撃で家を、そして多くの者は家族をも奪った恐ろしい災難の犠牲者だ。けれども生き残った者には、自分自身と未来への務めがある。この悲しみのときに絶望してはならぬ。そこに、あなたがたを滅ぼした恐ろしい怪物が横たわっている。それはまた、あなたがたの救いにもなるだろう。その体はあなたがたみなに食べ物を与えてくれる。食べきれない分は塩漬けにして先のために蓄えられる。その脂身からは何千樽もの油が取れ、それで交易ができる。それに、その骨も値打ちがある。」

The people thanked Rabba for his good advice, and immediately they set about doing what he bade them. They told him this was a bewitched land, the country of Kishef, abounding with terrible monsters both on land and in the sea, and ruled over by a malignant jinn, named Hormuz, who gave them no peace. They asked Rabba to try and kill this sprite who said that only a stranger to the land could do him harm, and so Rabba and his faithful Ali, mounted on horses, set forth on their adventures.

人々はラッバのよい助言に礼を言い、すぐに言われたとおりに取りかかった。人々はラッバに、ここは魔法にかけられた国、キシェフの国で、陸にも海にも恐ろしい怪物がたくさんいて、ホルムズという名の悪意ある精霊に治められていて、少しも安らかにさせてくれないのだと話した。人々はラッバに、この魔物を殺してくれるよう頼んだ。その魔物は、この国のよそ者だけが自分を傷つけられると言っていたのである。そこでラッバと忠実なアリは馬にまたがって冒険に出発した。

"I think I know this country," said Ali. "I believe I landed once on the other shore. We cannot be far from the wilderness in which the Israelites wandered."

「わたしはこの国を知っている気がします」とアリは言った。「一度、向こう側の岸に上陸したことがあると思います。イスラエルの民がさまよった荒野から遠くないはずです。」

For several days they journeyed through forests and across plains and nothing happened. At last they came to a broad, high wall which barred their progress. They could find no opening through which to pass, and while they were wondering what to do, a strange figure suddenly appeared on the wall. One of his legs was longer than the other, and his arms were also of different length. His ears and eyes were also unequal, and he hopped and bounded along the wall at amazing speed.

何日も二人は森を抜け平原を越えて旅をしたが、何も起こらなかった。とうとう二人は行く手をふさぐ幅広く高い壁に来た。通り抜けられる開口部は見つからず、どうしようかと思っていると、突然奇妙な姿が壁の上に現れた。片方の脚がもう片方より長く、腕も長さが違っていた。耳も目も不揃いで、その者は驚くべき速さで壁の上を跳ねたり飛んだりしていった。

"My name is Hormuz," he cried. "Who are ye?"

「わしの名はホルムズだ」とその者は叫んだ。「お前たちは何者だ。」

"Strangers," called Rabba, and as soon as he heard the word, the sprite darted swiftly off along the top of the wall. But although the horses ran at topmost speed, they could not overtake him, and he quickly disappeared. Where he was lost to sight, however, there was a hole in the wall, and through this Rabba and Ali just managed to take their horses. A vast wilderness lay before them.

「よそ者だ」とラッバが呼ぶと、その言葉を聞くやいなや、魔物は壁のてっぺんを伝ってすばやく駆け去った。馬は全速力で走ったが追いつけず、魔物はたちまち見えなくなった。けれども見えなくなったところに壁の穴があって、ラッバとアリはやっとのことで馬をそこから通した。目の前に広大な荒野が広がっていた。

Ali picked up two clods of earth and smelt them.

アリは土くれを二つ拾ってにおいを嗅いだ。

"As I thought," he said, "this is the wilderness of the Israelites. Come, I will show thee strange sights."

「思ったとおりです」とアリは言った。「ここはイスラエルの民の荒野です。さあ、不思議な光景をお見せしましょう。」

Before nightfall, they came to a place where the bodies of a large number of men lay strewn on the ground.

日が暮れる前に、二人は大勢の男の亡骸が地面に散らばっている場所に来た。

"These men must have been giants," said Rabba, as Ali, with his spear uplifted, rode under the raised knee of one of the bodies. "These must be the bodies of the Ephraimites who left Egypt before the rest of the children of Israel and were slain."

「この男たちは巨人だったにちがいない」とラッバは言った。アリは槍を立てたまま、亡骸の一つの立てた膝の下を馬で通り抜けられたのである。「これは、イスラエルのほかの子らより先にエジプトを出て殺されたエフライム族の亡骸にちがいない。」

He cut off a portion of a garment that still covered one of the bodies, but when he tried to move he could not. He seemed to be rooted to the spot. Nor could his horse move.

ラッバは亡骸の一つをまだ覆っている衣のひと切れを切り取ったが、動こうとすると動けなかった。その場に根が生えたようだった。馬も動けなかった。

"Oh, oh," cried Ali, "my horse has lost its power to move. Thou must have taken something from the dead. Return it, good master, or we shall be held fast here until we perish."

「おお、おお」とアリは叫んだ。「わたしの馬が動く力を失ってしまいました。あなたが死者から何か取ったにちがいありません。返してください、ご主人さま。さもないと、わたしたちは死ぬまでここに縛りつけられてしまいます。」

Rabba returned the piece of garment, and they were able to move again. They hurried from the place and came to a chasm in the ground from which smoke was rising.

ラッバが衣のひと切れを返すと、二人はまた動けるようになった。二人は急いでその場を去り、煙の立ちのぼる地面の裂け目に来た。

"This is the pit in which Korah and his children were swallowed," said Ali.

「これはコラとその子らが呑みこまれた穴です」とアリは言った。

"That must have been a wonderful sight," said Rabba. "I have heard that the pit became like a funnel and that the air all about eddied and sucked in everything that belonged to Korah. Even the things that people had borrowed from him, such as dishes, rolled along the ground from a distance and into the pit. Come, let us hasten away."

「さぞ驚くべき光景だったろう」とラッバは言った。「穴は漏斗のようになって、あたりの空気が渦を巻いて、コラのものをみな吸い込んだと聞いている。人々がコラから借りていた皿のようなものまで、遠くから地面を転がってきて穴に入ったそうだ。さあ、急いで立ち去ろう。」

They continued their journey for many days, but could not see the demon again. One day the desert ended and they came to the sea. They encamped for the night, and when morning broke Rabba was surprised to find that the basket, in which they kept their provisions, had disappeared.

二人は何日も旅を続けたが、魔物の姿は二度と見えなかった。ある日、砂漠が終わって海に出た。二人はその夜野営し、夜が明けると、ラッバは食料を入れておいた籠がなくなっているのに気づいて驚いた。

"I think I can explain," said Ali. "No thieves have been here, but this is the end of the world, the edge of the earth. Here, once in every twenty-four hours, the sky and the earth in their revolution, scrape together. The sky must have caught up your basket and carried it away. It will be returned at the same hour tomorrow morning."

「わけがわかる気がします」とアリは言った。「泥棒が来たのではありません。ここは世界の果て、大地のへりなのです。ここでは二十四時間に一度、空と大地が回りながらこすれ合うのです。空があなたの籠を引っかけて持っていってしまったにちがいありません。明日の朝、同じ時刻に返ってくるでしょう。」

Rabba awoke next morning before the sunrise and saw his basket floating down to earth on a cloud. Both he and Ali were overjoyed when they recovered it, for they were very hungry. While they were eating, the sky grew dark, and looking up they saw what appeared to be a great cloud above their heads. Out of the sea a mighty tree seemed suddenly to have grown. They moved cautiously forward to investigate.

次の朝、ラッバは日の出の前に目を覚まし、自分の籠が雲に乗って地上へふわふわと下りてくるのを見た。ひどく腹が減っていたので、ラッバもアリも籠を取り戻して大喜びした。二人が食べていると空が暗くなり、見上げると頭上に大きな雲のようなものが見えた。海から巨大な木が突然生えたように見えた。二人は調べようと用心して進み出た。

"Take heed," cried a voice of thunder. "I am a bird standing in the water. It is so deep, with such swift currents, that seven years ago an axe fell in and has not yet reached the bottom."

「気をつけよ」と雷のような声が叫んだ。「わしは水のなかに立っている鳥だ。水はあまりに深く、流れはあまりに速いので、七年前に斧が一本落ちたが、まだ底に着いておらぬ。」

Rabba and Ali crouched on the ground in great fear, until at last Rabba called: "Mighty bird, we seek your help. We are anxious to find the wicked jinn, Hormuz, and slay him so that people shall be free."

ラッバとアリはひどく恐れて地面にうずくまっていたが、とうとうラッバが呼びかけた。「強大な鳥よ、あなたの助けを求めます。わたしたちは邪悪な精霊ホルムズを見つけて殺し、人々を自由にしたいのです。」

"Follow me," answered the bird, and like a spreading cloud it flew along the coast. Rabba and Ali followed on their horses.

「わしについてこい」と鳥は答え、広がる雲のように海岸沿いに飛んでいった。ラッバとアリは馬であとを追った。

"Look," cried Ali, suddenly, pointing out to sea.

「見てください」とアリが突然海のほうを指さして叫んだ。

A huge snake and dragon were fighting, and at last the sea-serpent, which was almost as big as the whale that had destroyed the towns, swallowed the dragon. No sooner had it done so, however, than the giant bird swooped down and gobbled up the snake.

巨大なヘビと竜が戦っていて、とうとう町々を滅ぼしたクジラほども大きな海の大蛇が竜を呑みこんだ。けれども大蛇がそうするやいなや、巨大な鳥が舞い降りてきてヘビをひと呑みにした。

"That was a good fat worm for breakfast," called the bird. "Now I shall rest."

「朝飯にはちょうどよい太った虫だった」と鳥は呼びかけた。「さて、休むとしよう。」

It flew toward a gigantic tree which now appeared. So tall was it that its upper branches were lost in the clouds. The bird perched on a branch of the tree.

鳥は、そのとき現れた巨大な木のほうへ飛んでいった。その木はあまりに高くて、上の枝は雲のなかに隠れていた。鳥は木の枝にとまった。

"Proceed along the coast until you come to two bridges," said the bird. "There you will find Hormuz. Give him two cups of wine to drink, then you can slay him. But be sure you take the diamond from his cap. I, the ziz, give you this warning."

「海岸沿いに進んで、二つの橋のところまで行け」と鳥は言った。「そこにホルムズがいる。やつに葡萄酒を二杯飲ませれば、殺せるだろう。だが、やつの帽子のダイヤモンドを必ず取るのだぞ。わし、ジズがお前たちにこう警告しておく。」

Rabba thanked the bird for its information, and with Ali continued on his journey. After three days they came to a river crossed by two bridges, and with one foot on each stood Hormuz.

ラッバは鳥に教えてくれた礼を言い、アリと一緒に旅を続けた。三日たつと、二つの橋のかかった川に来た。ホルムズがそれぞれの橋に片足ずつ載せて立っていた。

As soon as he saw them he began to run, but Rabba called after him, "We bring thee an offering of good wine," and he promptly returned. Rabba filled the two cups which he had from a leathern bottle, and Hormuz took a cup in each hand, smacking his lips as he did so.

ホルムズは二人を見るやいなや逃げだしたが、ラッバが「上等な葡萄酒の捧げ物を持ってきたぞ」と背に呼びかけると、すぐに戻ってきた。ラッバは革袋から持ってきた二つの杯を満たし、ホルムズは舌鼓を打ちながら両手に一つずつ杯を取った。

"See," he said, and he tossed the wine into the air, and the wine from the right hand cup fell into the left hand cup and that from the left hand cup into the right and not a drop was spilt. Then he swallowed them both at one gulp.

「見ろ」とホルムズは言い、葡萄酒を宙に放り上げた。右手の杯の葡萄酒は左手の杯に、左手の杯の葡萄酒は右手の杯に落ち、一滴もこぼれなかった。それからホルムズはひと息に両方を飲み干した。

Almost immediately he fell down in a stupor, and Rabba stabbed him again and again with his spear. Yet, when he seemed quite dead, he jumped up again.

ほとんどすぐにホルムズは昏倒し、ラッバは槍で何度も何度も突き刺した。ところが、すっかり死んだように見えたのに、ホルムズはまた跳ね起きた。

"The diamond," cried Rabba, excitedly, and Ali snatched it from the cap of Hormuz. Then the demon fell dead.

「ダイヤモンドだ」とラッバが興奮して叫ぶと、アリがホルムズの帽子からそれをひったくった。すると魔物は倒れて死んだ。

"We can return now," said Rabba, and they set out at once, taking the body with them. They halted only to take food, and the first time they did so a funny thing happened. Ali had killed an animal and Rabba had caught some fish, and, while these were cooking, Rabba took the jinn's diamond from his pocket and examined it. At once the fish and the animal came to life again, jumped out of the cooking pot and made off.

「これで帰れる」とラッバは言い、二人は亡骸を持ってすぐに出発した。食事のときだけ止まったが、最初に止まったとき、おかしなことが起こった。アリが獣を一頭仕留め、ラッバが魚をいくらか捕まえて、それが煮えているあいだに、ラッバは精霊のダイヤモンドをポケットから取り出して調べた。するとたちまち魚と獣が生き返り、煮鍋から飛び出して逃げていった。

"This is a magic diamond," said Rabba, "that has the power to bring dead things to life. We keep it covered when we wish to eat."

「これは魔法のダイヤモンドで」とラッバは言った。「死んだものを生き返らせる力があるのだ。食べたいときには覆っておこう。」

They did so, and after long journeying they came in sight of the great wall and at last reached the place from which they had started. They had been away twelve months in all, and the people were heartily glad to see them, especially when they heard that Hormuz had been killed and saw his body. They had worked hard on the carcass of the huge whale and were rebuilding the sixty towns and villages that had been destroyed, with the bones of the monster, using the skin as coverings for their tents.

二人はそうして、長い旅ののち大きな壁の見えるところまで来て、とうとう出発した場所に着いた。二人は全部で十二か月留守にしていて、人々は二人に会えて心から喜んだ。ホルムズが殺されたと聞いてその亡骸を見たときにはとりわけ喜んだ。人々は巨大なクジラの死骸で懸命に働き、怪物の骨で滅ぼされた六十の町や村を建て直し、皮を天幕の覆いに使っていた。

With the help of the magic diamond, Rabba called the ziz, and it took the ship which had been carried into the forest in its beak and flew with it to the sea. Gathering their old comrades, Rabba and Ali set sail for home.

魔法のダイヤモンドの助けを借りてラッバはジズを呼び、ジズは森に運ばれていた船をくちばしにくわえて海まで飛んでいった。昔の仲間を集めて、ラッバとアリは故郷へ向けて帆を揚げた。

All the inhabitants stood on shore and cheered as long as the ship was in sight. They were sorry that Rabba was gone, but they felt certain now that Hormuz was dead, that nevermore would they be troubled by monsters which brought them such terrible disasters.

住民はみな岸に立って、船が見えるかぎり歓声をあげた。ラッバがいなくなるのを人々は残念に思ったが、ホルムズが死んだ今、あれほど恐ろしい災いをもたらした怪物たちにもう二度と悩まされることはないと確信していた。