昔、中国に、たいへん立派な磁器の宮殿に住む一人の皇帝がいた。その宮殿は世界でも比べるもののない美しさを誇り、四方には広い庭園が広がり、その奥には深い森と海とがあった。
Long ago in China, there lived an emperor whose palace was made of the finest porcelain, a grand and splendid sight. The palace was of a beauty without equal in the world; vast gardens stretched on every side, and beyond them lay deep forests and the sea.
森の奥には、一羽のナイチンゲールが住んでいた。その鳴き声は聞く者の胸を打ち、海辺で働く漁師たちさえ、夜更けに網を引く手を止めて、その歌に聞き入るほどだった。
In the depths of the forest lived a single nightingale. Her song struck the hearts of all who heard it, and even the fishermen working by the sea would pause, late at night, in the middle of hauling in their nets, to listen to her singing.
外国からこの宮殿を訪れた旅人たちは、帰国するとすぐに、口々にその素晴らしさを書物に書き残して伝えた。中でも、彼らが「最も美しかったもの」として記したのは、宮殿の豪華さでもなく、皇帝の権威でもなく、ただ一羽のナイチンゲールの歌だった。
The travelers who came to the palace from other countries, on returning home, wrote about what they had seen in books and praised its splendor. And what they wrote of as "the most beautiful of all" was neither the magnificence of the palace nor the power of the emperor — but the song of a single nightingale.
書物を手に取って読んだ皇帝は、たいそう驚いた。「私の庭の奥に、そのような尊い歌い手がいるとは、これまで知らなかった。すぐにここへ連れてきなさい」と、彼は家来に命じた。
When the emperor read these books, he was struck with wonder. "In the depths of my own garden there is so noble a singer, and until now I never knew. Bring her here at once," he ordered his attendants.
家来たちは宮中を探し回ったが、ナイチンゲールのことを知る者は一人もいなかった。ようやく、台所で皿を洗っていた一人の少女が、毎晩、家へ帰る道でその歌を聞いていると申し出た。彼女の案内のもと、家来たちはついに森の奥の小鳥に出会えたのだった。
His attendants searched the palace, but not one person knew of the nightingale. At last, a young girl who washed dishes in the kitchen came forward to say that every night, on her way home, she would hear the song. Guided by her, the attendants at last found the little bird in the depths of the forest.
ナイチンゲールは、皇帝の前へと招かれた。地味な灰色の体だったが、ひとたび歌い始めると、その澄み切った声は宮殿のすべての耳を震わせた。皇帝は深く心を動かされ、目には涙さえ浮かんだ。
The nightingale was brought before the emperor. Though her body was a plain gray, the moment she began to sing, her clear voice set every ear in the palace trembling. The emperor was deeply moved, and tears even came to his eyes.
「これほどの歌は、聞いたためしがない。褒美に金の首飾りを授けよう」と皇帝は申し出た。しかしナイチンゲールは、「陛下のお目に涙が浮かんだのを見ました、それで私への褒美としては十分でございます」と澄んだ声で丁寧に断った。
"I have never heard a song like this. As a reward I shall give you a chain of gold," the emperor said. But the nightingale, in a clear voice, politely refused: "I have seen the tears in Your Majesty's eyes — and that is reward enough for me."
ナイチンゲールはそれから宮殿にとどまり、毎日皇帝のために歌を歌うことになった。鳥籠の中に住まわされ、足には金の鎖がつけられ、見張りの家来が常にそばに控えていた。しかし、その心は次第に、自由な森を恋しがるようになっていった。
From that time on, the nightingale stayed at the palace, singing for the emperor each day. She was kept in a cage, with a golden chain on her foot, and a watchful attendant always at her side. Yet her heart, little by little, began to long for the free forest.