瓶入り魔物。THE BOTTLE-IMP.その3
同じような取引をしたくてたまらない人は、この野生の勇者がどんな人生を歩んできたか、思い起こすに若くはない。最も慈悲深い人にも、彼が日夜、禁欲と断食に明け暮れていたわけではないと察せられよう。最初にしたことは、ヴェネチアに到着したとき、快楽の虜になって大きな犠牲を払った取り巻きを選ぶことだった。この役立たずの女に、彼は前代未聞の大金を注ぎ込み、市内に邸宅を、2つの別荘を購入し、そのすべてを極度に豪華にしつらえたのである。
Those who are most anxious for a similar bargain, will best imagine what kind of a life our wild gallant now led: -unless, indeed, they should be devoted to mere sordid avarice. Even the most charitable, may well suppose that he spent not his days or nights in abstinence and fasting. The first thing he did was to choose, as the minion of his pleasures, the courtisan whose acquaintance cost him so dear at his first arrival at Venice. On this worthless creature did he lavish unheard of sums, purchasing for her a mansion in the city, and two villas, all of which he furnished with the utmost sumptuousness.
そんなとある日のこと、たまたまルクレチアという名前の娼婦にして愛人と語らい、別荘の庭にある小川のほとりに座っていたとき。リヒャルトが、金の鎖で首に提げ、常に懐にしていた小瓶を、彼女は突然かすめ取った。彼が気づかないうちに奪うや、小さな瓶を光に透かした。しかし見る間に、恐怖の声で叫んだ。「うげ！ヒキガエルじゃん、気色悪！」と。途端に鎖、小瓶、瓶の悪魔をそっくり水中に投げ込み、流れはすぐにそれらを運び去った。
It chanced one day, as he was sitting with Lucretia, such was the name of his harlot mistress, in the garden of one of his villas, upon the bank of a little stream, that she suddenly snatched the phial which Richard constantly wore in his bosom, attached to his neck by a chain of gold. She had seized it before he was aware, and now held the little bottle up against the light. At first she was highly amused at beholding the antics of the little black figure ; but at length shrieked out in a voice of terror: " Ah ! the nasty creature is a toad ! " and immediately flung chain, phial, and bottle-devil, altogether into the water, where the current as quickly carried them away.
青年は苦悩を隠そうと努めた。正体がバレたら、愛人がもっと詳しく調べて、公然と彼を魔術で告発するかもしれない。そこで彼は、これは単なる珍奇な玩具であることにして、できるだけ早くルクレチアのもとを去り、これからどうするのが最善であるかを考えたのである。彼にはまだ御殿と別荘があり、さらにポケットにはドゥカートの形で、少なくない額を持っていた。しかしそれより、ポケットに手を入れて調べようとしたとき、そこに失われた小瓶を発見したときの彼の喜びは如何ばかりであったろうか。鎖はおそらく川底に沈んでしまったけれど、小瓶とその小さな黒い借家人は、忠実に持ち主のもとに戻ってきたのだ。思わず「やった。これで解った、ここに所有しているのは、どんな事故も、どんな地上の力も、奪うことのできない我が宝物だ！」と、すっかり有頂天で叫んだ。それどころか、小瓶にキスさえするところだった。しかしこれには、小瓶の中の影が、物凄く嫌そうに飛び跳ねた。
The youth endeavoured, as well as he could, to conceal his distress, lest his mistress should enquire farther into the matter, and perhaps accuse him publicly of witchcraft. He pretended therefore, that it was merely a curious toy ; then, as soon as he could, he quitted Lucretia, in order to consider what was best for him now to do. He was still in possession of his palace and villas, and had, moreover in his pockets, no inconsiderable sum, in the shape of bright ducats. But how great was his joy when, on putting his hand into his pocket to examine the latter, he discovered there his lost phial. The chain probably remained at the bottom of the stream, but the phial and its little black tenant had faithfully returned back to their owner." Now then, " exclaimed he, in a burst of transport, " now then, I find that I possess here a treasure, of which no accident, no earthly power can possibly deprive me ! " Nay, he had even kissed the very phial, had not the little jumping black figure excited his aversion, so loathsome did it appear.
ろくでなしなのは元からだったにしても、今やその10倍は悪化していた。舞い上がった若者は、世界の権力者や王侯にすら、憐憫の情を込めた軽蔑の眼差しを投げる勢いだった。その贅沢三昧は、世界で最も豊かな港町であるベニスでさえ、彼の晩餐に足る美食には事欠くほど。
善意の友人がこの暴れっぷりの軽率さをほのめかすと、憤慨してこう答えた。「我が名Richardにかけて、我がRichはhardなり」
また、歓喜のあまり、かのスペイン人を無礼にも愚物として笑い飛ばすこともあった。このような貴重品を自分から投げ捨てた彼は、聞くところによると、修道院に引きこもったとか。
If his doings were wild and mad enough before, they were now ten times worse. The infatuated youth regarded even the potentates and princes of the world with a disdainful compassion ; convinced that not one of them was able to indulge in such a luxurious life as himself. Even Venice, the most opulent mart in the world, could hardly find dainties enough for his extravagant banquets. Did a well meaning friend hint at the imprudence of this continual rioting, he would indignantly reply: " Richard is my name, and my riches are boundless. " Often would he, in a fit of intemperate mirth, rudely jest at the folly of the Spaniard, who had cast such a prize from him, and, as he had heard it reported, had retired into a convent.
しかし、この世では、永遠に続くものなどない。私たちの勇者はこのことも、すぐに真実であることを経験した。実際、彼があらゆる官能的な喜びに没頭した結果、そうしなかった場合よりもずっと早く、そうなったのだ。最初の発作のとき、死体になったような気だるさが彼の疲れ切った肉体を捕らえ、小瓶のあらゆる権能にもかかわらず、健康を願う祈りは無駄なまま。回復の兆しは見えず、逆に恐ろしい夢を見るようになった。
On this earth, however, there is nothing that lasts for ever. This too our gallant soon experienced to be truth, much sooner, indeed, than he would otherwise have done, in consequence of the intemperance with which he plunged into all sensual delights. A languor like that of death seized his exhausted frame, in spite of all the virtue of his phial, which he vainly kept invoking for health, at the first attack of his disease. Recovery visited him not, but on the contrary frightful dreams.
寝台の側に立っていた小瓶の一つが乱舞し始め、猛烈に他のものとぶつかり合っているように見えた。数分後、リヒャルトはそれが、小さな魂が入っているものであるのに気がつき、叫んだ。
「瓶の魔、瓶の魔、これ以上、私を助けないでくれ、
むしろ私の治療を行うべきものを破壊してくれ。」
すると小さな黒いものが、かすれた声で歌った。
It seemed to him that one of the phials which were standing by his bed-side, began to set up a wild dance, jostling against the rest in a furious manner. After gazing at it for some minutes, Richard recognized it to be that in which the little spirit was inclosed, and exclaimed: " Bottle-devil, bottle-devil, thon assistest me no more, but rather destroyest that which should work my cure. " Whereupon the little black thing sang in a hoarse voice:
「ひゃはは、リヒャルト！無駄な抵抗は止めよ、
終ることなき苦痛に備えよ。
ただ耐え忍ぶに如くは無し、
霊の力に癒し無し。
数ある中にも、死を癒せる薬草生えず、
喜ばしきかな、そなた我がものと為らずや。」
" Richard ! Richard ! prayest in vain:
Prepare thee now for eternal pain ;
Therein must thou abide and endure,
Since spirit's power can work no cure.
No herb that groweth, death can heal:
I joy, for that thou'rt mine I feel. "
徐ろにそいつは身体を伸ばし、甚だ細長くなり、リヒャルトが全力で小瓶の口を抑えていたのに、親指とコルクの間から這い出してきたのである。
そして、それは突然、黒人の大男になった。ひたすら恐ろしげな振付で踊り始め、同時に巨大な薄暗い翼を前に後ろにバサバサやった。
そしてついに、毛むくじゃらの革の胸をリヒャルトの胸にあて、にやにやした顔をリヒャルトの顔に重ねた。後者は、まるで自分自身がその醜い姿になったかのように感じ、荒々しい苦悩の声音で、鏡を求め叫んでいた。
After which it immediately stretched itself out, quite long and thin, and, notwithstanding that Richard held the phial stopped as closely as possible, it crept out between his thumb and the cork: it then suddenly became a large black man, who began to dance in the most hideous manner, clapping to and fro, at the same time, his huge dusky wings ; and at length placed his hairy, leathern breast upon Richard's bosom, and his grinning face upon Richard's face, so that the latter felt as if he were himself assuming the hideous figure, and in tone of wild agony screamed out for a mirror.
額に冷や汗を浮かべ、恐ろしい夢から覚めると、怪しげな黒いヒキガエルが、脇から寝台にもぐりこんでくるのを感じたように思った。
しかし手を置くと、例の小瓶に触るだけ。ただし小さな黒い中の人は息も荒く、明らさまに疲れ果てて横たわっているように感じられた。
A cold sweat stood upon his brow, as he awoke out of the ghastly dream, and he thought that he perceived a monstrous black toad creep down beside him into his bed ; but, upon putting down his hand, he felt only the phial, in which the little black figure lay panting and apparently exhausted.
この恐ろしい夜が明けるまでは、病み上がりで朦朧とする身に、どれほど長く感じられたことか。再び恐ろしい幻影が現れるのではないかと、再び眠りにつこうとはしなかった。でも、暗闇の中とはいえ、疲れた目を開けていない方が、怪物のような悪魔が部屋の隅に座っていても気づかずに済むだろう。しかし、目を閉じたのも一瞬だけで、再び自分に襲いかかってきたらと思うと、恐怖のあまり立ち上がった。大声でお供を呼んだが、誰も来ず、すべてが墓のように静まり返っていた。ルクレティアにしても、彼が最初に不調に襲われて以来、見かけていないのだ。このように、長く暗い夜の間中、拷問めいた恐怖の中に横たわっていて。この一夜が恐怖の永遠のように見えるなら、一日も明けない地獄の永遠の夜はどんなだろう、その恐ろしい幻影に終わりはないのだろう、と考えたとき、恐怖はさらに増していった。
……翌朝には、かの薬瓶を捨てようと決心した。
How awfully long did the
remainder of this horrible night seem to the sick and phrensied wretch. He dared not again to resign himself to sleep, lest the terrific vision should re-appear ; hardly too, did he venture to open his wearied eyes even in the dark, lest he should perceive the monstrous fiend squatted in some corner of the apartment. Yet did he shut his eyes but for a moment, he thought that it was again upon him, and started up with horror. He rang aloud for his attendants, but no one came, all was still as the grave ; as for Lucretia he had not beheld her since he was first attacked by his disorder. Thus did he lay in a state of torturing horror, throughout the whole of that long, dreary night, the terror of which was increased, when he reflected that, if this single night appeared almost an eternity of terrors, what must seem the eternal night of hell, on which no day would ever dawn — that night to whose dreadful visions there would be no end ? -He determined, at all events, upon getting rid of the fatal phial the very next morning.
