ＷＥＢ絵本「牛方と山姥」

昔々ある一人の牛方が、沢山の塩鯖を牛の背に積んで山の在所へ売りに行く途中・・・

Long long ago, an Ox Driver was going to a countryside beyond hills for selling a lot of salted mackerel.

The mackerel had been packed on his ox.

・・・高い大きな峠を越えようとする時に、運悪く山姥に行き逢いました．

On the way, the Ox Driver was about to cross a high mountain pass.

Then, he unfortunately encountered an Ogress.

牛方牛方、鯖を一尾くれと言います．

仕方がないから荷の中から鯖を一つ抜いて、投げて遣って急いで通りましたが、牛が遅いのですぐその鯖を食べてしまって、また後から追いついてねだりました．

"Hey, Ox Driver! Give me mackerel," the Ogress said.

As there was no choice, the Ox Driver drew out one of mackerel from the load and threw it to her.

He passed by her in a hurry.

As his ox was slow, she finished eating the fish instantly.

The Ogress came up with him and importuned for another.

こうして一尾ずつ抜き出しては投げて遣っているうち、とうとう牛に付けていた沢山の塩鯖は残らず山姥に食べられてしまいました．

Like this, the Ox Driver drew and threw one after another.

The Ogress ate up all of mackerel packed on the ox in the end.

鯖がなくなるとその次には牛を食わせろ、食わせないとお前を食うぞと言いました．

No mackerel was left.

"Give me the ox, or I will eat you," the Ogress said.

恐ろしくてたまらぬから、牛をそこに置いて急いで逃げて来ますと、それも瞬くうちにめりめりと食べてしまって又追っかけて来て、今度は貴様を取って食うと言いました．

これだけは承知をするわけにはいきません．

The Ox Driver could not withstand the fearfulness.

So, he left the ox there and ran away in a hurry.

The Ogress crunched it in an instant.

And she came up with him again and said "I eat you next."

This is never acceptable.

一生懸命に走って逃げて、大きな池の堤まで来ました．

堤の上には大きな木がありました．

急いでその木に登って隠れようとしましたが、あいにく下の方には葉がないので、牛方の影が沼の水に映りました．

山姥は息を切って飛んできましたが・・・

The Ox Driver ran away for his life and came to the bank of a big pond.

There was a big tree on the bank.

He climbed the tree in a hurry and tried to hide himself.

But the tree had no leaves at the lower part.

So, his shadow was reflected in the water surface of the pond.

The Ogress came running breathlessly.

あわてて沼の中の影を牛方かと思って水に入って方々を捜しまわりました．

その暇に漸くのことで木から降りて来て、牛方は又走って逃げました．

The Ogress took the shadow in the pond to be the Ox Driver.

And she went into the water hastily and searched him around.

For this chance, the Ox Driver climbed down from the tree and ran away again.

そうすると山の下に一軒の家があるので、急いで中に入ると、それがまた今の山姥の住み家でありました．

There was a house at the foot of the hill.

The Ox Driver went into the house in a hurry.

It was the residence of the Ogress.

そっと天井に上って梁の間に隠れておりますと・・・

The Ox Driver stealthly went up to the ceiling and hid himself among beams.

やがて山姥は沼から出て、今日は牛方に構っていて、エラクくたびれたと、独りごとを言いながら帰って来ました．

After a while, the Ogress got out of the pond.

And she returned to her house.

She talked to herself.

"I spent much time for the ox driver today. So, I'm very tired."

そうして囲炉裏に火を焚いて、また餅を出して来て焼き始めました．

餅が段々焼けて来るうちに、山姥はこくりこくりと居眠りをしています．

梁の上に隠れている牛方は、屋根の裏から茅の棒を一本抜いて、焼けた餅をひとつずつ突き刺して取って食べました．

The Ogress kindled a fire on the hearth.

And she fetched rice cakes and started to bake them.

The rice cakes were baking gradually.

The Ogress dozed off.

The Ox Driver was hiding on a beam.

And he drew a reed out of the thatched roof.

And he stabbed the baked rice cakes and ate them one after another.

姥が目を覚まして誰が取ったと怒鳴ると、小さな声で火の神火の神と言いました．

山姥は一切れの餅が渡し金から転げて真黒に焦げているのを拾って、火の神様なら仕方がないと言いました．

The Ogress woke up and shouted.

"Who took them!?"

"The god of fire took them," the Ox Driver whispered.

There remained a rice cake, which had fallen from the grill and burned black.

The Ogress picked it up.

And she said, "The god of fire took them. There's nothing I can do about it."

それから今度は鍋を掛けて、また甘酒を沸かします．

そうしてその甘酒の温まるのを待っていて、また居眠りを始めましたから、牛方は長い茅の棒をもう一本抜き出して、梁の上から甘酒を吸ってしまいました．

Next, the Ogress put a pan on the fire.

And she warmed up a sweet beverage.

Then, she waited for the sweet beverage to warm.

And again, she started to doze off.

So, the Ox Driver drew out another long reed.

And he sucked the sweet beverage from on the beam.

山姥が目を覚まして、誰が飲んだと怒鳴ると、牛方は又小さな声で火の神火の神と言いました．

The Ogress woke up and shouted.

"Who drank!?"

The Ox Driver whispered.

"The god of fire drank it."

こんな晩には寝たほうが良い．

石の唐櫃にしようか、木のカラトにしようか．

石は冷たい、木のカラトが良かろうと言って、大きな木の唐櫃の蓋を開けて、その中に入ってグウグウと鼾をかいて寝てしまいました．

She said:
I had better go to bed for this evening;
Shoud I sleep in the stone container or in the wood container?
Stone is cold;
The wood container is better.

Then, the Ogress opened the big wood container.

And she entered therein and fell asleep with a snore.

牛方はその様子を見ていて、そっと梁の上から降りて来て、囲炉裏の火を焚きました．

そうして湯をグラグラと沸かして置いて、錐を持って来て木のカラトの蓋に穴をあけました．

唐櫃の中の山姥は、その音を聞きながら、明日は天気だげで、きりきり虫が鳴かあやと言っていましたが・・・

The Ox Driver was watching this situation.

He came down quietly from the beam.

And he kindled a fire on the hearth and boiled water up.

Then, he fetched an auger and made a hole in the lid of the wood container.

The Ogress in the container was listening to the sound.

"Tomorrow will be fine. And so, a cricket is chirping," she said.

そのうち熱い湯をその穴から注ぎ込まれて、とうとう牛方に仇を打たれてしまいました．
（越後）

Soon, the boiled water was poured through the hole.

The Ogress was revenged and ended by the Ox Driver.
(Echigo province)

――　奥付　――
ＷＥＢ絵本「牛方と山姥」
絵・訳：茜町春彦
原作：柳田国男

A Picture Book : "An Ox Driver and an Ogress"
Illustrated and translated by : Akanemachi Haruhiko
Original author : Yanagida Kunio

昔話を絵本にしました．

参考文献：
日本の昔話　2005年10月25日36刷　柳田国男著　新潮文庫

初出：
「リトルプレス小豆A2」　2013年9月26日発行　2015年10月1日改訂
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