21 “Wait a little while I go back into the sea and call my company together!”
21「海に戻って仲間を呼ぶからちょっと待って！」
22 The crocodile plunged into the sea and was gone for some time. The hare, meanwhile, waited patiently on the shore. At last the crocodile appeared, bringing with him a large number of other crocodiles.
22 ワニは海に飛び込み、しばらくいなくなった。その間、うさぎは岸辺で辛抱強く待っていました。ついにワニが現れ、他のワニをたくさん連れてきました。
23 “Look, Mr. Hare!” said the crocodile, “it is nothing for my friends to form a line between here and Inaba. There are enough crocodiles to stretch from here even as far as China or India. Did you ever see so many crocodiles?”
23「ほらハレさん！」ワニは言いました。ここから中国やインドまで伸びるほどの数のワニがいます。こんなにたくさんのワニを見たことがありますか？」
24 Then the whole company of crocodiles arranged themselves in the water so as to form a bridge between the Island of Oki and the mainland of Inaba. When the hare saw the bridge of crocodiles, he said:
24 それから、鰐の群れ全体が水中に配置され、隠岐島と因幡本土との間に橋を架けました。うさぎはワニの橋を見たとき、こう言いました。
25 “How splendid! I did not believe this was possible. Now let me count you all! To do this, however, with your permission, I must walk over on your backs to the other side, so please be so good as not to move, or else I shall fall into the sea and be drowned!”
25「すごい！私はこれが可能だとは信じていませんでした。さあ、皆さんを数えましょう！ただし、そのためには、あなたの許可を得て、あなたの背中に乗って反対側まで行かなければならないので、動かないように気をつけてください。そうしないと、海に落ちて溺れてしまいます。」
26 So the hare hopped off the island on to the strange bridge of crocodiles, counting as he jumped from one crocodile’s back to the other:
26 それで、うさぎは島を離れてワニの奇妙な橋に飛び乗りました。
27 “Please keep quite still, or I shall not be able to count. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine—”
27 じっとしていてください、さもないと数えられなくなります。一、二、三、四、五、六、七、八、九――」
28 Thus the cunning hare walked right across to the mainland of Inaba. Not content with getting his wish, he began to jeer at the crocodiles instead of thanking them, and said, as he leapt off the last one’s back:
28 こうして狡猾なうさぎは、稲葉の本土まで歩いて渡った。彼は願いを叶えただけでは満足せず、ワニたちに感謝する代わりに嘲笑し始め、最後のワニの背中から飛び降りながら言った。
29 “Oh! you stupid crocodiles, now I have done with you!”
29「あっ！愚かなクロコダイル、もう終わりだ！」
30 And he was just about to run away as fast as he could. But he did not escape so easily, for so soon as the crocodiles understood that this was a trick played upon them by the hare so as to enable him to cross the sea, and that the hare was now laughing at them for their stupidity, they became furiously angry and made up their minds to take revenge. So some of them ran after the hare and caught him. Then they all surrounded the poor little animal and pulled out all his fur. He cried out loudly and entreated them to spare him, but with each tuft of fur they pulled out they said:
30 そして、彼は全力で逃げようとしていた。しかし、ワニはそう簡単には逃げられませんでした。というのは、これがうさぎが海を渡れるようにするための策略であり、うさぎが自分たちの愚かさを笑っているということをワニたちがすぐに理解したからです。猛烈に怒り、復讐を決意した。それで何人かはうさぎを追いかけて捕まえました。それからみんなでかわいそうな小動物を取り囲み、毛皮を全部引き抜きました。彼は大声で叫び、彼を惜しまないように懇願しましたが、毛皮の房を引き抜くたびに、彼らは言いました：
31 “Serve you right!”
31「ごちそうさまでした！」
32 When the crocodiles had pulled out the last bit of fur, they threw the poor hare on the beach, and all swam away laughing at what they had done.
32 クロコダイルは最後の毛を引き抜くと、野うさぎを浜辺に投げ捨てました。
33 The hare was now in a pitiful plight, all his beautiful white fur had been pulled out, and his bare little body was quivering with pain and bleeding all over. He could hardly move, and all he could do was to lie on the beach quite helpless and weep over the misfortune that had befallen him. Notwithstanding that it was his own fault that had brought all this misery and suffering upon the white hare of Inaba, any one seeing the poor little creature could not help feeling sorry for him in his sad condition, for the crocodiles had been very cruel in their revenge.
33 うさぎは今や哀れな窮状に陥り、美しい白い毛皮はすべて引き抜かれ、むき出しの小さな体は痛みで震え、全身が出血していました。彼はほとんど動くことができず、浜辺に横たわり、自分に降りかかった不運を嘆くことしかできませんでした。イナバの白うさぎにこの惨めさと苦しみをもたらしたのは彼自身のせいだったにもかかわらず、かわいそうな小さな生き物を見た人は誰でも、彼の悲しい状態で彼を気の毒に思わずにはいられませんでした。復讐。
34 Just at this time a number of men, who looked like King’s sons, happened to pass by, and seeing the hare lying on the beach crying, stopped and asked what was the matter.
34 ちょうどその時、キングの息子らしき男たちが何人か通りかかった。
35 The hare lifted up his head from between his paws, and answered them, saying:
35 うさぎは足の間から頭を上げて、彼らに答えて言った。
36 “I had a fight with some crocodiles, but I was beaten, and they pulled out all my fur and left me to suffer here—that is why I am crying.”
36 「何匹かのワニと喧嘩をしたのですが、殴られて毛を全部引き抜かれ、ここで苦しむことになりました。だから泣いているのです。」
37 Now one of these young men had a bad and spiteful disposition. But he feigned kindness, and said to the hare:
37 さて、これらの若者の一人は、悪い意地悪な性質を持っていました。しかし、彼は優しさを装い、うさぎに言いました：
38 “I feel very sorry for you. If you will only try it, I know of a remedy which will cure your sore body. Go and bathe yourself in the sea, and then come and sit in the wind. This will make your fur grow again, and you will be just as you were before.”
38 大変申し訳ございません。試してみるだけなら、あなたの体の痛みを治すレメディーを知っています。行って海に浸かってから、風に乗って座ってください。これでまた毛が伸びて元通りになります。」
39 Then all the young men passed on. The hare was very pleased, thinking that he had found a cure. He went and bathed in the sea and then came out and sat where the wind could blow upon him.
39 すると、若者たちはみな去って行った。うさぎは、治療法を見つけたと思って、とても喜んでいました。彼は海に行って水浴びをし、それから出てきて、風が吹くところに座った。
40 But as the wind blew and dried him, his skin became drawn and hardened, and the salt increased the pain so much that he rolled on the sand in his agony and cried aloud.
40 しかし、風が吹いて彼を乾かしたので、彼の皮膚はひきつれ、かたくなり、塩は痛みを増したので、彼は苦しみのあまり砂の上を転がり、大声で叫んだ。