1 HOW AN OLD MAN LOST HIS WEN
1 瘤取り爺さん
2 Many, many years ago there lived a good old man who had a wen like a tennis-ball growing out of his right cheek. This lump was a great disfigurement to the old man, and so annoyed him that for many years he spent all his time and money in trying to get rid of it. He tried everything he could think of. He consulted many doctors far and near, and took all kinds of medicines both internally and externally. But it was all of no use. The lump only grew bigger and bigger till it was nearly as big as his face, and in despair he gave up all hopes of ever losing it, and resigned himself to the thought of having to carry the lump on his face all his life.
2 何年も前に、右の頬からテニスボールのような腫れ物が生えている古き良き老人が住んでいました。このしこりは老人にとって大きな傷であり、彼を悩ませたので、彼は何年もの間、それを取り除こうとしてすべての時間とお金を費やしました.彼は思いつく限りのことを試しました。彼はあちこちの多くの医者に相談し、あらゆる種類の内服薬と外用薬を服用しました。しかし、それはすべて役に立たなかった。しこりはどんどん大きくなり、顔とほぼ同じ大きさになりました。絶望して、彼はそれを失うというすべての希望をあきらめ、生涯ずっとしこりを顔につけなければならないという考えに身を任せました。
3 One day the firewood gave out in his kitchen, so, as his wife wanted some at once, the old man took his ax and set out for the woods up among the hills not very far from his home. It was a fine day in the early autumn, and the old man enjoyed the fresh air and was in no hurry to get home. So the whole afternoon passed quickly while he was chopping wood, and he had collected a goodly pile to take back to his wife. When the day began to draw to a close, he turned his face homewards.
3 ある日、台所で薪が足りなくなったので、妻がすぐに欲しがったので、老人は斧を持って、家からそれほど遠くない丘の間の森に出かけました。初秋の晴れた日で、おじいさんは新鮮な空気を楽しんで、急いで家に帰りませんでした。それで、彼が木を切り刻んでいる間、午後全体があっという間に過ぎ、彼は妻に持ち帰るためにたくさんの山を集めました。その日が終わりに近づいたとき、彼は顔を家の方に向けた。
4 The old man had not gone far on his way down the mountain pass when the sky clouded and rain began to fall heavily. He looked about for some shelter, but there was not even a charcoal-burner’s hut near. At last he espied a large hole in the hollow trunk of a tree. The hole was near the ground, so he crept in easily, and sat down in hopes that he had only been overtaken by a mountain shower, and that the weather would soon clear.
4 老人が山道を下る途中で、空が曇って雨が激しく降り始めた。避難所を探しましたが、近くには炭焼き小屋さえありませんでした。最後に、彼は木の中空の幹に大きな穴を見つけました。穴は地面の近くにあったので、彼は簡単に忍び込み、山のシャワーに追い越されただけで、天気がすぐに晴れることを願って座った.
5 But much to the old man’s disappointment, instead of clearing the rain fell more and more heavily, and finally a heavy thunderstorm broke over the mountain. The thunder roared so terrifically, and the heavens seemed to be so ablaze with lightning, that the old man could hardly believe himself to be alive. He thought that he must die of fright. At last, however, the sky cleared, and the whole country was aglow in the rays of the setting sun. The old man’s spirits revived when he looked out at the beautiful twilight, and he was about to step out from his strange hiding-place in the hollow tree when the sound of what seemed like the approaching steps of several people caught his ear. He at once thought that his friends had come to look for him, and he was delighted at the idea of having some jolly companions with whom to walk home. But on looking out from the tree, what was his amazement to see, not his friends, but hundreds of demons coming towards the spot. The more he looked, the greater was his astonishment. Some of these demons were as large as giants, others had great big eyes out of all proportion to the rest of their bodies, others again had absurdly long noses, and some had such big mouths that they seemed to open from ear to ear. All had horns growing on their foreheads. The old man was so surprised at what he saw that he lost his balance and fell out of the hollow tree. Fortunately for him the demons did not see him, as the tree was in the background. So he picked himself up and crept back into the tree.
5 しかし、老人ががっかりしたのは、雨が晴れるどころか、ますます激しく降り、ついには激しい雷雨が山を襲ったことでした。雷がひどくうなり、天が稲妻で燃えているように見えたので、老人は自分が生きているとはほとんど信じられませんでした。彼は恐怖で死ななければならないと思った。しかし、ついに空は晴れ、国全体が夕日の光線で輝いていました.美しい夕暮れを眺めていると老人の元気が蘇り、中空の木の奇妙な隠れ家から出ようとしたとき、何人かの人の足音が近づいているように見えた.彼はすぐに、友達が自分を探しに来たのだと思い、一緒に歩いて帰る愉快な仲間が何人かいるという考えに喜びました。しかし、木から外を見ると、友人ではなく、何百もの悪魔がその場所に向かってくるのを見て、彼は何に驚いたのでしょう。見れば見るほど、彼の驚きは大きかった。これらの悪魔の中には、巨人のように大きいものもあれば、体の他の部分に比べて大きな目をしたものもあれば、途方もなく長い鼻を持ったものもあれば、耳から耳まで開いているように見える大きな口を持ったものもありました。全員が額に角が生えていました。老人は見たものに非常に驚いてバランスを崩し、中空の木から落ちました。幸いなことに、木が背景にあったため、悪魔は彼を見ませんでした。それで彼は体を起こし、木に忍び寄りました。
6 While he was sitting there and wondering impatiently when he would be able to get home, he heard the sounds of gay music, and then some of the demons began to sing.
6 彼がそこに座って、いつ家に帰れるのだろうかと焦りながら考えていると、陽気な音楽の音が聞こえ、悪霊の何人かが歌い始めました。
7 “What are these creatures doing?” said the old man to himself. “I will look out, it sounds very amusing.”
7 「この生き物は何をしているの？」老人は独り言を言いました。 「気をつけます、とても面白そうです。」
8 On peeping out, the old man saw that the demon chief himself was actually sitting with his back against the tree in which he had taken refuge, and all the other demons were sitting round, some drinking and some dancing. Food and wine was spread before them on the ground, and the demons were evidently having a great entertainment and enjoying themselves immensely.
8 のぞき見ると、老人は、悪魔の首長自身が、彼が避難していた木に背を向けて座っていて、他のすべての悪魔が周りに座っていて、飲んだり踊ったりしているのを見ました。食事とワインが彼らの前に地面に広げられ、悪霊たちは明らかに楽しい娯楽を楽しみ、非常に楽しんでいました。
9 It made the old man laugh to see their strange antics.
9 老人は彼らの奇妙な行動を見て笑った.
10 “How amusing this is!” laughed the old man to himself “I am now quite old, but I have never seen anything so strange in all my life.”
10「なんて面白いんだ！」おじいさんは独り言を言いました。
11 He was so interested and excited in watching all that the demons were doing, that he forgot himself and stepped out of the tree and stood looking on.
11 彼は、悪霊どもがやっているすべてのことに興味を持ち、興奮していたので、自分のことを忘れて、木から出て立って見ていました。
12 The demon chief was just taking a big cup of SAKE and watching one of the demons dancing. In a little while he said with a bored air:
12 鬼長はちょうど酒を一杯飲みながら、鬼の一人が踊っているのを見ていました。しばらくして、彼は退屈そうな様子でこう言いました。
13 “Your dance is rather monotonous. I am tired of watching it. Isn’t there any one amongst you all who can dance better than this fellow?”
13 「あなたのダンスはかなり単調です。私はそれを見るのにうんざりしています。この人より上手に踊れる人は、皆さんの中にいませんか？」
14 Now the old man had been fond of dancing all his life, and was quite an expert in the art, and he knew that he could do much better than the demon.
14 おじいさんはずっと踊りが好きで、その芸術の専門家でした。
15 “Shall I go and dance before these demons and let them see what a human being can do? It may be dangerous, for if I don’t please them they may kill me!” said the old fellow to himself.
15 この悪霊たちの前に行って踊って、人間のできることを見てもらいましょうか。私が彼らを喜ばせなければ、彼らは私を殺すかもしれないので、それは危険かもしれません！と老人は独り言を言った。
16 His fears, however, were soon overcome by his love of dancing. In a few minutes he could restrain himself no longer, and came out before the whole party of demons and began to dance at once. The old man, realizing that his life probably depended on whether he pleased these strange creatures or not, exerted his skill and wit to the utmost.
16 しかし、彼の恐れはすぐにダンスへの愛によって克服されました。数分で、彼はもはや自分を抑えることができなくなり、悪魔の一団全体の前に出てきて、すぐに踊り始めました。老人は、この奇妙な生き物を喜ばせるかどうかが自分の人生を左右することに気づき、彼のスキルと機知を最大限に発揮しました。
17 The demons were at first very surprised to see a man so fearlessly taking part in their entertainment, and then their surprise soon gave place to admiration.
17 悪霊たちは、最初、男が恐れることなく自分たちの娯楽に参加しているのを見て非常に驚きましたが、すぐにその驚きは賞賛に変わりました。
18 “How strange!” exclaimed the horned chief. “I never saw such a skillful dancer before! He dances admirably!”
18「おかしい！」角のある酋長が叫んだ。 「こんなに上手なダンサーは見たことがない！彼は見事に踊ります！
19 When the old man had finished his dance, the big demon said:
19 老人が踊りを終えると、大悪鬼は言った。
20 “Thank you very much for your amusing dance. Now give us the pleasure of drinking a cup of wine with us,” and with these words he handed him his largest wine-cup.
20 「面白いダンスをありがとう。さあ、私たちと一緒に一杯のワインを飲む喜びを与えてください」と言って、彼は彼に一番大きなワインカップを手渡した。
