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What’s with this “Wren” thing?
The oldest extant version of the fable
we
are presenting here appeared in 1913 in the first volume of a two-volume anthology
of Low
Saxon folktales (Plattdeutsche
Volksmärchen “Low German Folktales”)
collected by Wilhelm Wisser (1843–1935). Read
more ...
Miso sazai no su wa kuruma okiba no naka
ni arimasita. Aru niti no koto, oyatori niwa to mo, kodomotati no tame ni tabemono
wo totte koyouto soto e tobitati,
tiisana hinadori dake ga su ni nokosaremasita.
Sibaraku site, miso sazai no titioya ga su
ni modotte kimasita.
“Nani ga attanda?” to titioya wa kikimasita.
“Kodomotati, omaetati ni warui koto o sitano wa, dare nanda? Dou site sonna
ni kowagatte irun da?”
“Aa, papa” to kodomotati wa iimasita. “Oukina
obake mitaina mono ga, ima sakkiyatte kitanda. Sugoku doumou de osoro sii kao
o sitetanda! Oukina
me de bokutati
no su o nirandanda yo. Bokutati, tottemo kowakatta!”
“Souka, wakatta, so itu wa doko ni ittanda?”
to titioya ga iimasita.
“Eeto, attino hou e itta” to kodomotati ga
kotaemasita.
“Matte oide” to titioya ga iimasita. “So itu
o oi kakete itte yaru. Sinpai sinakute iin da yo, kodomotati, otousan ga soitu
o tukamaete yarukara”
titioya wa sou
itte, tobi tatte ikimasita.
Oyatori ga miti no magari kaku made kite miru
to, soko o aruite iru no wa raion desita.
Miso sazai wa raion wo osoremasen desita. Raion
no se naka ni mai orite, “Nanno you ga ate uti ni kite kodomotati o kowa ga
rasetari
sitanda?!”
to raion o
sikari hazimemasita.
Raion wa siranu kao o site aruki tudukemasita.
Soko de kono tiisana hana tu hasira no tuyoi
tori wa, raion wo issou hagesiku nazirimasita. “Omae wa konna tokoro ni
kuru riyuu
wa nainda,
wakattaka!
Mosi, matayatte kuru you na koto ga attara, me ni mono
o mise te yaru! Konna koto
wa hontou hasita kunainda ga” to ii nagara, oyatori wa
hen asi o agemasita. “Sore
de mo, matayatte kitara, kono asi de atto iu mani omae
no senaka o e si otte yaru!”
Sou itte oyatori wa su ni tonde kaerimasita.
“Saasaa, kodomotati, mou daijoubu da yo. Aitu
ni wa yoku iikikaseteyatta kara ne. Mou modotte kuru koto wa nai
yo.” to titioya wa iimasita.
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