ＷＥＢ絵本「猿と蟇との餅競走」

第１回配信

Long long ago, a Monkey encountered a Toad in a hill.

昔、ある所の山の中で猿とヒキガエルが出逢ったそうであります．

The new year's holidays were coming soon.
Spirited sounds of pounding steamed rice were heard from several places in the village at the foot of the hill.
"Hey, Mr. Toad! Do you have any ideas for stealing a mortar and eating rice pudding?" the Monkey said.
They talked in the hill and reached a decision.

丁度お正月も近くなって里では、そちこちに餅をつく威勢のよい杵の音がしていました．
なんと蟇どん、あの餅をひと臼取ってきて食べる工夫はあるまいかと猿が言いました．
そこで山の中で相談をきめて・・・

Then, the two slowly went down to the village.

・・・2人はそろそろと里に下りて行きました．

At first, the Monkey came to the house of the village leader.
And he hid behind the backdoor.

最初には先ず猿が庄屋様の背戸に来て隠れていると・・・

Next, the Toad came stealthily.
And he jumped into the pond of the backyard with a loud plop.

・・・後から蟇が忍んで来て、庭の泉の中へドブンと大きな音をさせて飛び込みました．

The servants were pounding steamed rice in a mortar and making the new year's rice pudding.
They heard the plop.
And they said, "By heaven! Our master's son seems to have fallen into the pond!"
All of them rushed to the pond.
The rice pudding in the mortar were left behind.

餅を搗いている若い人たちは、その音を聞いて、これは大変だ．うちの坊ちゃんが池へ落ちたようだと言って、臼も餅もほったらかして置いて、残らず水のそばへ駆けて行きました．

An opportunity came.

その隙に・・・

The Monkey shrewdly held the mortar with the rice pudding.
And he carried them up to the top of the hill.

・・・猿はウマウマと餅の臼を抱えて山の上まで運んで来ました．

After that, the Toad also came back slowly.

蟇も、その後からノソノソと戻って来ました．

"Hey, Mr. Toad! I would like to suggest that instead of sharing and eating the rice pudding, we roll the mortar down from here. And, the person who catch up earlier can eat all the rice pudding. How about this?", the Monkey said.
The Toad thought that he was at a disadvantage because he was slow of foot.
But, the Toad accepted.

なんと蟇どん、お前と2人で、この餅を分けて食うよりも、いっその事、臼のままで、ここから転がして早く追いついた方が、まるごと食う事にしてはどうかと猿が言いました．
蟇蛙は足がノロイから損だとは思いましたが、それでも承知をして・・・
（つづく）