The Chinese myth of the immortal white snake - Shunan Teng

翻訳: Masako Kigami 校正: Tomoyuki Suzuki

The talented young herbalist named Xu Xian was in trouble.

許仙という才ある若い漢方医は 困っていました

It should have been a victorious moment–

自分の漢方の店を開いたばかりで

he had just opened his very own medicine shop.

勝利の美酒に酔うはずでした

But he bought his supplies from his former employer,

昔の奉公先から 品物を仕入れたものの

and the resentful man sold him rotten herbs.

腹を立てた旦那さんが 腐った薬草を売りつけたのでした

As Xu Xian wondered what to do with this useless inventory,

許仙が使い物にならない薬草を どうしようかと考えあぐねていると

patients flooded into his shop.

患者が店に押し寄せて来ました

A plague had stricken the city,

町で疫病が流行しており

and he had nothing to treat them.

許仙には患者に施すための 薬がなかったのです

Just as he was starting to panic,

許仙がパニックになりかけた時

his wife, Bai Su Zhen, produced a recipe to use the rotten herbs as medicine.

妻の白娘子が 腐った薬草を調合して薬を作り

Her remedy cured all the plague-afflicted citizens immediately.

たちどころに 町の人々の病気を治しました

Xu Xian’s former boss even had to buy back some of the rotten herbs

許仙の昔の旦那さんでさえ 家族の病気を治すために その腐った薬草を

to treat his own family.

買い戻さなくてはなりませんでした

Shortly after, a monk named Fa Hai approached Xu Xian,

すぐに 法海という禅師が 許仙の所にきて

warning him that there was a demon in his house.

彼の家に化け物が憑いており

The demon, he said, was Bai Su Zhen.

その化け物が白娘子だと言うのでした

Xu Xian laughed.

許仙は笑いました

His kindhearted, resourceful wife was not a demon.

優しく 賢い妻が化け物で あろうはずがありません

Fa Hai insisted.

法海はなおも言いました

He told Xu Xian to serve his wife realgar wine on the 5th day of the 5th month,

「化け物の力が一番弱くなる５月５日に

when demons’ powers are weakest.

白娘子に雄黃酒を飲ませなさい

If she wasn’t a demon, he explained, it wouldn’t hurt her.

化け物でないなら害はない」と言いました

Xu Xian dismissed the monk politely,

許仙は丁重にお断りし

with no intention of serving Bai Su Zhen the wine.

白娘子に雄黃酒を 飲ますつもりもなかったのですが

But as the day approached, he decided to try it.

その日が近づいてくると 許仙は試してみることにしました

As soon as the wine touched Bai Su Zhen’s lips,

白娘子が雄黃酒を口にしたとたん

she ran to the bedroom, claiming she wasn’t feeling well.

体調が悪いと寝室に駆け込みました

Xu Xian prepared some medicine and went to check on her.

許仙は薬を用意して 様子を見に行きましたが

But instead of his wife,

病床にいたのは 妻ではなく

he found a giant white serpent with a bloody forked tongue in the bed.

真っ赤な二股に分かれた舌の 大きな白蛇でした

He collapsed, killed by the shock.

許仙はショックのあまり 倒れこみ 死んでしまいました

When Bai Su Zhen opened her eyes,

白娘子が目を覚ました時

she realized immediately what must have happened.

何が起きたかを刹那に悟りました

The truth was that Bai Su Zhen was an immortal snake

実は白娘子は不死の蛇で

with formidable magical powers.

強大な魔力がありました

She had used her powers to take a human form

その力で人の姿になり

and improve her and her husband’s fortunes.

自分や夫の運勢を 良くしていました

Her magic couldn’t revive Xu Xian,

その魔力でも許仙を生き返らすことは 叶いませんでしたが

but she had one more idea to save him:

白娘子には 夫を救う秘策がありました

an herb that could grant longevity and even bring the dead back to life,

長寿を与え 死者を蘇らせさえする薬草です

guarded by the Old Man of the South Pole

この薬は南極老人が

in the forbidden peaks of the Kun Lun Mountains.

崑崙山脈の禁断の山頂で 守っていました

She rode to the mountains on a cloud,

死者は雲に乗って 崑崙山脈に向かい

then continued on foot passed gateways and arches

そこからは 歩いて門やアーチ橋を通って行き

until she reached one marked “beyond mortals”

ようやく 銀橋の上に 「隔凡橋」と表札が掛けてある所に

hanging over a silver bridge.

たどり着きました

On the other side,

橋の向こう側には

two of the Old Man’s disciples guarded the herb.

南極老人の弟子の２人が 薬草を守っておりました

Bai Su Zhen disguised herself as a monk

白娘子は禅師に化けて

and told them she’d come to invite the Old Man to a gathering of the gods.

神々の集いに南極老人を招くために 来たと弟子たちに言いました

While they relayed her message,

弟子たちが伝言を伝えている間に

she plucked some leaves from the herb and ran.

白娘子は薬草の葉を摘み取り 逃げました

The servants realized they had been tricked and chased her.

騙されたことに気づいた弟子たちは 白娘子を追いかけました

Bai Su Zhen coughed up a magic ball and threw it at one.

白娘子は魔法の玉を口から吐き出し 弟子の１人に投げました

As the other closed in on her,

もう１人が近づいて来たので

she put the herb under her tongue for safekeeping,

薬草を守るために 自分舌の下に置きましたが

but its magic forced both of them into their true forms.

その魔法により 皆が 真の姿に戻りました

As the crane’s long beak clamped around her,

鶴の長いくちばしで 白娘子を動けなくしたところで

the Old Man appeared.

南極老人が現れ

Why, he asked, would she risk her life to steal his herb

白娘子は不死だと言うのに 命を危険にさらしてまで

when she was already immortal?

薬草を盗んだわけを尋ねました

Bai Su Zhen explained her love for Xu Xian.

白娘子は許仙への愛を語りました

Even if he didn’t want to be with her now that he knew she was a demon,

自分が化け物だと知って 許仙が一緒に暮らさないとしても

she was determined to bring him back to life.

白娘子は許仙を生き返らすと 心に決めていました

The two had a karmic connection dating back more than a thousand years.

この２人には千年以上も前に 前世の因縁がありました

When Bai Su Zhen was a small snake,

白娘子は小さな蛇で

a beggar was about to kill her,

乞食に殺されかけていた時

but a kind passerby rescued her.

優しい行きずりの人に 助けられたのです

Her rescuer was Xu Xian in a past life.

前世の許仙が助けたのでした

Touched by her willingness to risk her life for him,

許仙のために命も厭わない 白娘子に心をうたれ

the Old Man permitted her to leave the mountain with the immortal herb.

南極老人は白娘子に不死の薬草を持って 山を下りることを許しました

Bai Su Zhen returned home to revive Xu Xian.

白娘子は家に戻り 許仙を生き返らせました

When he opened his eyes,

許仙が目を開けたとき

the terrified look frozen on his face became a smile.

恐怖で強張っていた顔から 笑みがこぼれました

Demon or not,

化け物であろうが なかろうが

he was still happy to see his wife.

妻に会えたので 許仙は幸せだったのです