21 The old man thanked him very humbly:
21 老人は彼に非常に謙虚に感謝した.
22 “I did not expect such kindness from your lordship. I fear I have only disturbed your pleasant party by my unskillful dancing.”
22「ご主人様がこんなに親切だとは思いませんでした。下手なダンスで楽しいパーティーを邪魔しただけだと思います。」
23 “No, no,” answered the big demon. “You must come often and dance for us. Your skill has given us much pleasure.”
23 「いいえ、いいえ」と大悪魔は答えた。 「あなたは頻繁に来て、私たちのために踊らなければなりません。あなたのスキルは私たちに大きな喜びを与えてくれました。」
24 The old man thanked him again and promised to do so.
24 老人は再び彼に感謝し、そうすると約束した.
25 “Then will you come again to-morrow, old man?” asked the demon.
25「それじゃ、また明日来ますか、じいさん？」悪魔は尋ねた。
26 “Certainly, I will,” answered the old man.
26 「もちろん、そうします」と老人は答えた。
27 “Then you must leave some pledge of your word with us,” said the demon.
27 「それなら、約束の約束を私たちに残しておいてください」と悪魔は言いました。
28 “Whatever you like,” said the old man.
28 「お好きなようにどうぞ」老人は言った。
29 “Now what is the best thing he can leave with us as a pledge?” asked the demon, looking round.
29 「さて、彼が私たちに誓約として残すことができる最高のものは何ですか?」と悪魔は振り返りながら尋ねました。
30 Then said one of the demon’s attendants kneeling behind the chief:
30 すると、悪霊の従者の一人が、首長の後ろにひざまずいて言った。
31 “The token he leaves with us must be the most important thing to him in his possession. I see the old man has a wen on his right cheek. Now mortal men consider such a wen very fortunate. Let my lord take the lump from the old man’s right cheek, and he will surely come to-morrow, if only to get that back.”
31 「彼が私たちに残したトークンは、彼が所有している最も重要なものに違いありません。おじいさんの右頬に痣があるのが見えます。現在、人間はそのような温を非常に幸運だと考えています。殿下に老人の右頬のしこりを取ってもらいましょう、そうすれば彼はきっと明日来るでしょう、それを取り戻すためだけに」
32 “You are very clever,” said the demon chief, giving his horns an approving nod. Then he stretched out a hairy arm and claw-like hand, and took the great lump from the old man’s right cheek. Strange to say, it came off as easily as a ripe plum from the tree at the demon’s touch, and then the merry troop of demons suddenly vanished.
32 「あなたはとても頭がいいですね」と悪魔の首長は言い、角を納得のいくようにうなずかせた。それから彼は毛むくじゃらの腕と鉤爪のような手を伸ばし、老人の右頬から大きなしこりを取りました。不思議なことに、それは鬼が触れると熟した梅のように簡単に木から落ち、陽気な鬼の群れは突然姿を消しました。
33 The old man was lost in bewilderment by all that had happened. He hardly knew for some time where he was. When he came to understand what had happened to him, he was delighted to find that the lump on his face, which had for so many years disfigured him, had really been taken away without any pain to himself. He put up his hand to feel if any scar remained, but found that his right cheek was as smooth as his left.
33 老人は起こったことすべてに当惑していた.彼はしばらくの間、自分がどこにいるのかほとんどわかりませんでした。彼に何が起こったのかを理解したとき、彼は何年もの間彼を傷つけていた彼の顔のしこりが本当に痛みを伴わずに取り除かれたことを知って喜んだ.彼は傷跡が残っているかどうかを確かめるために手を上げましたが、彼の右の頬は左の頬と同じくらい滑らかであることがわかりました.
34 The sun had long set, and the young moon had risen like a silver crescent in the sky. The old man suddenly realized how late it was and began to hurry home. He patted his right cheek all the time, as if to make sure of his good fortune in having lost the wen. He was so happy that he found it impossible to walk quietly—he ran and danced the whole way home.
34 太陽はとっくに沈み、若い月が銀色の三日月のように空に昇っていた。老人は突然、遅いことに気づき、急いで家に帰り始めました。彼はいつも右の頬を軽くたたいていました。彼はとても幸せだったので、静かに歩くことは不可能でした.彼は家までずっと走ったり踊ったりしました.
35 He found his wife very anxious, wondering what had happened to make him so late. He soon told her all that had passed since he left home that afternoon. She was quite as happy as her husband when he showed her that the ugly lump had disappeared from his face, for in her youth she had prided herself on his good looks, and it had been a daily grief to her to see the horrid growth.
35 彼は妻が非常に心配していることに気づき、何が彼をこんなに遅くしたのか不思議に思った。彼はすぐに、その日の午後家を出てから経過したことをすべて彼女に話しました。醜い塊が顔から消えたことを夫が示したとき、彼女は夫と同じくらい幸せでした. 若い頃、彼女は彼の美貌を誇りに思っていました.
36 Now next door to this good old couple there lived a wicked and disagreeable old man. He, too, had for many years been troubled with the growth of a wen on his left cheek, and he, too, had tried all manner of things to get rid of it, but in vain.
36 さて、この古き良き夫婦の隣に、邪悪で不快な老人が住んでいました。彼も長年、左頬の腫れに悩まされていた。
37 He heard at once, through the servant, of his neighbor’s good luck in losing the lump on his face, so he called that very evening and asked his friend to tell him everything that concerned the loss of it. The good old man told his disagreeable neighbor all that had happened to him. He described the place where he would find the hollow tree in which to hide, and advised him to be on the spot in the late afternoon towards the time of sunset.
37 彼はすぐに、しもべを通して、隣人が顔のしこりを失った幸運を聞いたので、その日の夕方に電話して、そのしこりに関することをすべて話すよう友人に頼んだ。古き良き老人は、自分に起こったことをすべて不快な隣人に話しました。彼は、隠れる中空の木を見つける場所を説明し、日没時間に向かって午後遅くにその場所にいるようにアドバイスしました.
38 The old neighbor started out the very next afternoon, and after hunting about for some time, came to the hollow tree just as his friend had described. Here he hid himself and waited for the twilight.
38 年老いた隣人は次の日の午後に出発し、しばらく探し回った後、友人が説明したように中空の木に来ました。ここで彼は身を隠し、夕暮れを待ちました。
39 Just as he had been told, the band of demons came at that hour and held a feast with dance and song. When this had gone on for some time the chief of the demons looked around and said:
39 彼が言われたとおり、その時間に悪霊の一団がやって来て、踊りと歌でごちそうを催した。これがしばらく続いたとき、悪霊の頭はあたりを見回して言った：
40 “It is now time for the old man to come as he promised us. Why doesn’t he come?”
40 約束通り、いよいよおじいさんが来る時が来ました。なぜ彼は来ないのですか？