Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

In a town in Persia there dwelt two brothers, one named Cassim, the other Ali Baba. Cassim was married to a rich wife and lived in plenty, while Ali Baba had to maintain his wife and children by cutting wood in a neighboring forest and selling it in the town. One day, when Ali Baba was in the forest, he saw a troop of men on horseback, coming toward him in a cloud of dust. He was afraid they were robbers, and climbed into a tree for safety. When they came up to him and dismounted, he counted forty of them. They unbridled their horses and tied them to trees. The finest man among them, whom Ali Baba took to be their captain, went a little way among some bushes, and said: “Open, Sesame!” so plainly that Ali Baba heard him. A door opened in the rocks, and having made the troop go in, he followed them, and the door shut again of itself. They stayed some time inside, and Ali Baba, fearing they might come out and catch him, was forced to sit patiently in the tree. At last the door opened again, and the Forty Thieves came out. As the Captain went in last he came out first, and made them all pass by him; he then closed the door, saying: “Shut, Sesame!” Every man bridled his horse and mounted, the Captain put himself at their head, and they returned as they came.

ペルシアのある町に、カシムとアリババという名の二人の兄弟が住んでいた。カシムは裕福な妻を娶り、満ち足りた暮らしを送っていたが、アリババは近くの森で木を切り、それを町で売って妻子を養わねばならなかった。ある日、アリババが森にいると、馬に乗った一隊が砂煙を巻き上げてこちらへ向かってくるのが見えた。盗賊ではないかと恐れた彼は、身の安全のために木によじ登った。彼らが近くまでやって来て馬から下りると、その数は四十人いた。彼らは馬の轡を外し、木につないだ。その中で一番身なりのよい男、アリババがその頭領だろうと思った男が、茂みの中に少し分け入り、はっきりとアリババに聞こえる声で「ひらけゴマ！」と言った。すると岩の中に扉が開き、一隊を中に入らせた後、頭領もそれに続き、扉はひとりでにまた閉まった。彼らはしばらく中に留まっていたので、アリババは彼らが出てきて捕まるのを恐れ、木の上でじっと我慢して座っていなければならなかった。ようやく扉が再び開き、四十人の盗賊が出てきた。頭領は最後に入ったので最初に出てきて、手下全員を自分の前を通らせた。それから「とじよゴマ！」と言って扉を閉めた。男たちはみな馬に轡をはめて跨がり、頭領がその先頭に立って、彼らはやって来たときと同じように戻っていった。

Then Ali Baba climbed down and went to the door concealed among the bushes, and said: “Open, Sesame!” and it flew open. Ali Baba, who expected a dull, dismal place, was greatly surprised to find it large and well lighted, hollowed by the hand of man in the form of a vault, which received the light from an opening in the ceiling. He saw rich bales of merchandise--silk, stuff-brocades, all piled together, and gold and silver in heaps, and money in leather purses. He went in and the door shut behind him. He did not look at the silver, but brought out as many bags of gold as he thought his asses, which were browsing outside, could carry, loaded them with the bags, and hid it all with fagots. Using the words: “Shut, Sesame!” he closed the door and went home.

それからアリババは木を下り、茂みに隠された扉へ行き、「ひらけゴマ！」と言うと、扉は勢いよく開いた。薄暗くて陰気な場所を予想していたアリババは、そこが広々として明るく、天井の開口部から光を取り入れる丸天井の形に人の手で掘り抜かれているのを見てひどく驚いた。彼が見たものは、絹や錦織といった豊かに積まれた商品の包み、山のように積まれた金や銀、そして革の財布に入った金銭だった。彼が中に入ると、背後で扉が閉まった。彼は銀には目もくれず、外で草を食んでいるロバたちに運べるだけの金貨の袋を運び出し、それらをロバに積み、薪の束で覆ってすべてを隠した。「とじよゴマ！」という言葉を使って扉を閉め、彼は家へと向かった。

Then he drove his asses into the yard, shut the gates, carried the money-bags to his wife, and emptied them out before her. He bade her keep the secret, and he would go and bury the gold. “Let me first measure it,” said his wife. “I will go borrow a measure of someone, while you dig the hole.” So she ran to the wife of Cassim and borrowed a measure. Knowing Ali Baba’s poverty, the sister was curious to find out what sort of grain his wife wished to measure, and artfully put some suet at the bottom of the measure. Ali Baba’s wife went home and set the measure on the heap of gold, and filled it and emptied it often, to her great content. She then carried it back to her sister, without noticing that a piece of gold was sticking to it, which Cassim’s wife perceived directly her back was turned. She grew very curious, and said to Cassim when he came home: “Cassim, your brother is richer than you. He does not count his money, he measures it.” He begged her to explain this riddle, which she did by showing him the piece of money and telling him where she found it. Then Cassim grew so envious that he could not sleep, and went to his brother in the morning before sunrise. “Ali Baba,” he said, showing him the gold piece, “you pretend to be poor and yet you measure gold.” By this Ali Baba perceived that through his wife’s folly Cassim and his wife knew their secret, so he confessed all and offered Cassim a share. “That I expect,” said Cassim; “but I must know where to find the treasure, otherwise I will discover all, and you will lose all.” Ali Baba, more out of kindness than fear, told him of the cave, and the very words to use. Cassim left Ali Baba, meaning to be beforehand with him and get the treasure for himself. He rose early next morning, and set out with ten mules loaded with great chests. He soon found the place, and the door in the rock. He said: “Open, Sesame!” and the door opened and shut behind him. He could have feasted his eyes all day on the treasures, but he now hastened to gather together as much of it as possible; but when he was ready to go he could not remember what to say for thinking of his great riches. Instead of “Sesame,” he said: “Open, Barley!” and the door remained fast. He named several different sorts of grain, all but the right one, and the door still stuck fast. He was so frightened at the danger he was in that he had as much forgotten the word as if he had never heard it.

それから彼はロバを庭へ追い込み、門を閉め、金貨の袋を妻のところへ運んで、その前にすべてぶちまけた。彼は妻に秘密を守るよう言いつけ、自分はこれから金貨を埋めに行こうとした。「まずそれを量らせておくれ」と妻は言った。「あなたが穴を掘っている間に、誰かから升を借りてくるから」。そこで彼女はカシムの妻のところへ走り、升を借りた。アリババの貧しさを知っていた義理の姉は、彼の妻がどんな穀物を量りたがっているのか好奇心を抱き、巧妙にも升の底に牛脂を少し塗っておいた。アリババの妻は家に戻り、金貨の山の上に升を置き、何度も満たしては空け、大いに満足した。それから彼女は金貨が１枚底にくっついていることにも気づかず、義理の姉のところへ返したのだが、カシムの妻は彼女が背を向けた途端にそれに気づいた。彼女は強い好奇心を抱き、カシムが帰宅すると彼に言った。「カシム、あなたの弟はあなたよりもお金持ちよ。お金を数えるんじゃなくて、量っているのよ」。彼がこの謎を説明してくれと頼むと、彼女は金貨を見せ、それをどこで見つけたかを話して聞かせた。するとカシムは眠れなくなるほど嫉妬し、翌朝日の出前に弟のところへ行った。「アリババ」と彼は金貨を見せながら言った。「お前は貧しいふりをしていながら、金を量っているではないか」。これによってアリババは、妻の愚かさのせいでカシムとその妻に秘密が知られてしまったことを悟り、すべてを告白してカシムに分け前を申し出た。「それは当然だな」とカシムは言った。「だが宝がどこにあるのかを知らねばならん。さもなくばすべてを暴き立て、お前はすべてを失うことになるぞ」。アリババは恐れからというよりは親切心から、洞窟のことと、使うべきまさにその言葉を彼に教えた。カシムは先手を打って宝を独り占めしようと企み、アリババのもとを去った。彼は翌朝早くに起き、大きな長持を積んだ十頭のラバを連れて出発した。彼はすぐにその場所と岩の扉を見つけた。彼が「ひらけゴマ！」と言うと、扉が開き、背後で閉まった。彼は一日中宝を眺めて楽しむこともできただろうが、できるだけ多くをかき集めようと急いだ。だが、立ち去る準備ができたとき、莫大な富のことばかり考えていたせいで、何を言うべきか思い出せなくなってしまった。「ゴマ」の代わりに、彼は「ひらけムギ！」と言ったが、扉は堅く閉ざされたままだった。彼はいくつかの異なる穀物の名を挙げたが、正しいものだけが抜け落ちており、扉は依然として堅く閉ざされたままだった。彼は自分が置かれた危険にひどく怯え、その言葉をまるで聞いたことがないかのようにすっかり忘れてしまった。