にほんの昔話『MY LORD BAG OF RICE』1

あらすじ

　むかしむかし、日本に藤原秀郷という武士がいた。ある時、秀郷は旅に出て、琵琶湖にたどり着いた。彼が橋を渡ろうとすると、巨大な龍が橋を塞いでいた。

JAPANESE FAIRY TALES
MY LORD BAG OF RICE

Long, long ago there lived, in Japan a brave warrior known to all as Tawara Toda, or “My Lord Bag of Rice.”

MY LORD BAG OF RICE

　むかしむかし、日本には俵藤太、もしくは『俵さま』という名で人々に知られる一人の勇敢な武士が住んでいました。

His true name was Fujiwara Hidesato, and there is a very interesting story of how he came to change his name.

MY LORD BAG OF RICE

　彼の本名は藤原秀郷。彼の名前が変わった経緯についての、とても面白い物語があります。

One day he sallied forth in search of adventures, for he had the nature of a warrior and could not bear to be idle.

MY LORD BAG OF RICE

　ある日、彼は冒険を求めて出かけました。武士として、暇に耐えられなかったのです。

So he buckled on his two swords, took his huge bow, much taller than himself, in his hand, and slinging his quiver on his back started out.

MY LORD BAG OF RICE

　そういうわけで、彼は二本の刀を引っさげて、自分自身よりも巨大な弓を手に持ち、矢筒を背中にかけて、旅に出ました。

He had not gone far when he came to the bridge of Seta-no-Karashi spanning one end of the beautiful Lake Biwa.

MY LORD BAG OF RICE

　そう遠くへ行かないうちに、彼は美しい琵琶湖の端にかかる瀬田の唐橋に到着しました。

No sooner had he set foot on the bridge than he saw lying right across his path a huge serpent-dragon.

MY LORD BAG OF RICE

　彼がその橋に足を踏み入れるや否や、行く手に横たわる巨大なサーペントドラゴンが目に入りました。

Its body was so big that it looked like the trunk of a large pine tree and it took up the whole width of the bridge.

MY LORD BAG OF RICE

　龍の身体は巨大でした。大きな松の木の幹に見えるほど、橋の横幅をふさぐほど。

One of its huge claws rested on the parapet of one side of the bridge, while its tail lay right against the other.

MY LORD BAG OF RICE

　龍の巨大なかぎ爪の１つが橋の片側の欄干にかかり、龍の尻尾が反対側の欄干にもたれかかっていました。

The monster seemed to be asleep, and as it breathed, fire and smoke came out of its nostrils.

MY LORD BAG OF RICE

　その怪物は眠っているようで、息をするとき、火と煙が鼻の穴からでました。

Reference : JAPANESE FAIRY TALES compiled by Yei Theodora Ozaki(project gutenberg)
English – Japanese parallel text, handwriting-based foreign language learning