ジョン・ミリングトン・シング著姉崎正見訳「アラン島」第二部 （５）

　雨が降つてゐたのに、草草鞋で濡れた道を歩いたので、私は風邪を引いて熱が出た。
　嵐は恐ろしく吹いてゐる。若し私に何か重大な事が起つたなら、私は此處で死んで、本土で誰も知らないうちに箱に釘付けにされ、濡れた岩穴の墓地の中へ下ろされ度い。
　二日前、南島から一艘のカラハがやつて來た。――あちらには圍はれた入江があるので、こちらは天候に妨げられてゐる時も出かけられる――。それは醫者を探しに來たらしい。その後、彼等は歸ることが出來ないほど荒れて、恐ろしい海を東南に向つて歸つて行くのを見たのはやつと今朝であつた。
　漕手の他に二人の人――大方坊さんと醫者――の乘つてゐる四挺櫂のカラハが眞先に行き、その後に南島から來た三挺櫂のカラハがついて行つた。それはもつと危險な目に會つた。こんな天氣の時、醫者を探しに來る時には坊さんも連れて行く。若し後で必要な時、坊さんを呼びに行けるかどうかわからないから。
　概して、病氣は少ない。お産の時、女は慣れた助手がなくても仲間同志で時時どうにか處理する。大概の場合、うまく行くが、時に手遲れになつて、坊さんと醫者を呼びにカラハが大急ぎで出される事がある。
　去年、此處に幾日か居た赤ん坊は今此處に落付いてゐる。お婆さんが息子のゐなくなつた淋しさを紛らすために此の子を養子にしたらしい。
　その子はまだゲール語の二つ三つをやつと話せる位だが、今は立派に成長してゐる。その惡戲（いたづら）の十八番（おはこ）は、棒を持つて戸の後に立つてゐて、ひよつこりはひって來る放ち飼ひの豚や鷄を待ちかまへ、そして急に出て、それを追ひかける事である。茶の間にはまた二匹の猫がゐるが、それをまた譯分らずに虐待する。
　お婆さんが私の部屋へ爐の泥炭を持つてはひつて來る時はいつでも、彼はその後から、芝土を兩方の小脇に抱へておごそかにはひつて來て、それを爐の後に大事に置き、それから長いペティコートをぞろぞろ引きずつて、角を廻つて急いで出て行く。
　彼は家より外へ出る事はないから、島に於ける公の名をまだ貰つてゐない。併し家では通常「マイケリーン・ペッグ」（即ち、小さいマイケルちやん）と呼ばれる。
　時時ぶたれることがあるが、大概の場合、お婆さんが砦の丘に棲んで長くない子供を食ふ「出齒の鬼婆」の話をして、その子の機嫌をなほす。彼は一日の半ばを冷い馬鈴薯を食べたり、濃い茶を飮んだりしてゐるが、至つて丈夫である。

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I have been walking through the wet lanes in my pampooties in spite of the rain, and I have brought on a feverish cold.
The wind is terrific. If anything serious should happen to me I might die here and be nailed in my box, and shoved down into a wet crevice in the graveyard before any one could know it on the mainland.
Two days ago a curagh passed from the south island--they can go out when we are weather-bound because of a sheltered cove in their island--it was thought in search of the Doctor. It became too rough afterwards to make the return journey, and it was only this morning we saw them repassing towards the south-east in a terrible sea.
A four-oared curagh with two men in her besides the rowers--probably the Priest and the Doctor--went first, followed by the three-oared curagh from the south island, which ran more danger. Often when they go for the Doctor in weather like this, they bring the Priest also, as they do not know if it will be possible to go for him if he is needed later.
As a rule there is little illness, and the women often manage their confinements among themselves without any trained assistance. In most cases all goes well, but at times a curagh is sent off in desperate haste for the Priest and the Doctor when it is too late.
The baby that spent some days here last year is now established in the house; I suppose the old woman has adopted him to console herself for the loss of her own sons.
He is now a well-grown child, though not yet able to say more than a few words of Gaelic. His favourite amusement is to stand behind the door with a stick, waiting for any wandering pig or hen that may chance to come in, and then to dash out and pursue them. There are two young kittens in the kitchen also, which he ill-treats, without meaning to do them harm.
Whenever the old woman comes into my room with turf for the fire, he walks in solemnly behind her with a sod under each arm, deposits them on the back of the fire with great care, and then flies off round the corner with his long petticoats trailing behind him.
He has not yet received any official name on the island, as he has not left the fireside, but in the house they usually speak of him as 'Michaeleen beug' (i.e. 'little small-Michael').
Now and then he is slapped, but for the most part the old woman keeps him in order with stories of 'the long-toothed hag,' that lives in the Dun and eats children who are not good. He spends half his day eating cold potatoes and drinking very strong tea, yet seems in perfect health.

［やぶちゃん注：「草草鞋」“pampooties”第一部で既出。『まだ鞣さない牛皮で造つた一種のスリッパ或は草鞋』と割注があった。
「醫者を探しに來る時には坊さんも連れて行く」――Priest and the Doctor――これは笑話でも冗談でもない。これがアランの自然の厳然たる掟なのだ。］