ＷＥＢ絵本『盲の水の神』

Once upon a time in Fukae village of Hizen province, there lived a Young Doctor only with his mother.
むかし肥前の深江という村に母と、ただ2人で住んでいる若い医者がありました．

One day, on the way to a place, the Young Doctor came across some children of the village.
Then, they caught a white eel and were just about to kill it.
The Young Doctor saved and released it.
或る日、途中で村の子供が白い鰻をつかまえて殺そうとしているのを見て、命を助けて放してやったことがありましたが・・・

This story is similar to the folk tale of Mr. Yamurano Yasuke.
The eel turned a pretty traveling woman. And she visited the Young Doctor and became his wife.
After that, a baby boy was born. But, they found out who she really was. So, she had to go back.

・・・やはり矢村の弥助さんのように、後に美しい旅の娘になって来て、この家の嫁になったそうです．

そうして1人の男の子が出来てから正体を見られて帰って行ったということであります．

One day, his mother went to the room of his wife to ask something.
Then, his mother saw a great snake coiling around the baby.
And, the snake was sleeping with a snore.
ある時、姑が用があって嫁の部屋に行って見ましたところが、大きな蛇が子供を巻いてイビキをかいて寝ていたので・・・

So, his wife could'nt stay there anymore.
And she politely asked them for the care of the baby and went back.
"It might be difficult to nurse our baby without a good wet nurse. If so, please visit the shore of the pond at Mt. Fugendake! And call me!" she said.

・・・それからもういることが出来なくなって、ねんごろに子供のことを頼んで帰って行きました．

もし良い乳母がなくて育てにくいようであったら、どうか普賢岳の池の岸に来て、私を呼んで下さいと言いました．

After that, the Young Doctor took care of the baby. But, he was hard up for milk.
So, holding the baby, he visited the pond at the top of the mountain.
His wife appeared as promised.
She took a beautiful ball out. And she had the baby lick it.
"This is my eyeball. If you have our baby lick it, our baby will grow healthily. Please keep it with care!" she said.
And they separated.

それから父親の手で子供を育てて乳が足りなくて難儀をしました．

そこでその子を抱いて山の上の池に尋ねて行きますと、約束の通りその女が出て来て、美しい1つの玉を取り出して子供になめさせました．

これは私の眼の玉でありますが乳の代わりに嘗めさせると、この子が丈夫に育ちます．

大切にして持っていてくださいと言って別れました．

On the way home, the Young Doctor came across an officer on patrol.
The officer suspected his bulging pocket of the Young Doctor.
And the officer found that the Young Doctor had an extreamly strange and precious ball.
The officer took it away from him. And the officer offered it to the lord.
ところが、その帰り道で見巡りの役人がこの医者の懐中のふくらんでいるのをあやしんで、世にも珍しい家宝を持っていることを知って、それを取り上げて殿様に差し上げてしまいました．

Milk was scarce and the baby cried out again. But there was no way.
The next day, the Young Doctor came to the edge of the same pond again.
And then, his wife with only one eye appeared and listened to the details.
"I have one more ball. If I give it, I'll become blind. But, this is nothing to me because this is for our baby." she said.
She handed the remaining eyeball to the Young Doctor and returned back with tears.

子供は乳がでなくなったので又泣き立てて仕方がありません．

そこで翌日はもう一度同じ池の端にやって来ますと、今度は片目になって、その女が現れて、くわしくその話を聴きました．

今1つある玉を遣ってしまうと私はもう盲になるけれども我が子の為とあればそんな事は何でもないと言って、残った片方の眼の玉を子供の父に渡し、泣く泣く帰って行ったそうです．

This ball was filled so much with the parent's love. But it was taken away again.
The lord and the officer were merciless without limit.
They said "This nice ball must be paired with the other. And we must present the pair to the king."
And the officer took the second ball away from him although it was especially given to him.

しかし、これ程までに親の愛情の籠った玉でしたが、それを又取られてしまいました．

殿様と役人とは何処までも無慈悲であって、このような結構な玉は一対にして将軍家に献上した方が良いと言って、折角2度目に貰って来た玉も、また役人に持って行かれました．

The great snake of Mt. Fugendake heard of this thing. She had a grudge and got extremely angry.
Many people say that the strong earthquake and the gigantic tidal waves at Shimabara area in the Kansei era were caused by the anger of this blind deity of the water.
If so, it was 140 to 150 years ago that the story of the eyeballs given by this great snake mother was woven into this tale.
But I think, this tale is acutually an older tale.
(Hizen province Minamitakakigun county)

普賢岳の大蛇はこの事を聞いて非常に怨み又憤ったそうであります．

寛政年間の島原の大地震大津波は、その盲になった池の神の腹立ちから起こったと言っている人も沢山あります．

そうすると大蛇の母から眼の玉をもらったのは今から140~150年前の話と云う事になりますが、実際はもっと大昔からの話であったかと思われます．
（肥前南高来郡）

――　奥付　――
ＷＥＢ絵本『盲の水の神』
絵・訳：茜町春彦
原作：柳田国男

A Picture Book : "The Blind Deity of Water"
Illustrated and translated by : Akanemachi Haruhiko
Original author : Yanagida Kunio

日本の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）