Tellus Tales

Fadó fadó bhí sean-chúpla a raibh ag ghuí agus ag ghuí lá i ndiadh lae i gcóir pháiste dó féin. Faoi deireadh, freagraíodh a phaidreacha. Áfach, nuair a rugadh a pháiste, ní raibh sé ach orlach amháin ar airde, agus níor fhás sé ríomh. Mar sin, thug a mháthair agus a athair ainm dó go grámhar, an ainm “Issun-Bōshi”, an Buachaill Orlach Amáin ar Airde.

There was once an old couple that prayed and prayed for a child. Finally, their wish was granted. However, the child was born only one inch tall, and never grew any taller. So his mother and father lovingly named him “Issun-Bōshi”, the One-Inch Boy.

Agus é ag fás aníos, bhí brionglóidí ag an buachaill faoin a bheith ina laoch iontach.

Growing up, the boy dreamed of becoming a great warrior.

Gach uair a chonaic na pháistí san bhaile beag cois-farraige Issun-Bōshi, chuir siad ceist air:

Each time the children in the sea-side village saw Issun-Bōshi, they would ask:

“Buachaill beag, buachaill beag, cad is féidir leat déánamh?”

“Tiny boy. Tiny boy. What can you do?”

“Is féidir liom troid!” a déarfaidh Issun-Bōshi – agus le sin thosódh na pháistí ag gáire.

“I can fight!” would be Issun-Bōshi’s reply – to which the children would simply laugh.

Níor chuir an gáire isteach ar Issun-Bōshi, agus coimeád sé ar aghaidh ag traenáil gach aon lá.

Issun-Bōshi, however, was never discouraged, and trained each and every day.

Lá amháin bhí cailín ón baile beag fuadaithe ag ollphéist agus d’iompar an ollphéist í chuigh teach an ollphéist a bhí ar oileán. Bhí eagla ar na daoine sa bhaile beag faoin ollphéist, agus níor dhéan siad iarracht ar bith dul i ndiadh an chailín. Áfach lorg Issun-Bōshi babhla, cipín itheacháin, agus snáthaid ón a mháthair. Ag úsáid an babhla mar bád, agus an cipín itheacháin mar maide rámha, chuaigh sé chuigh an oileán. In uaimh dubh-dorcha, tháinig Issun-Bōshi ar an chailín beag i gcás, agus an ollphéist ollmhór dearg ag seasamh garda. Chuaigh an buachaill suas chuigh an ollphéist agus dúirt sé “Ollphéist! Tugaim dúshlán duit troid liom! Má buaim, caithfidh tú an chás a oscailt!”.

One day a girl from the village was kidnapped by an ogre and taken to the ogre’s island home. The village-folk feared the ogre and dared not go after the girl. Issun-Bōshi, however, asked his mother for a bowl, a chopstick, and a needle. Using the bowl as a boat, and the chopstick as a paddle, he made his way to the Island. In a dark cave, Issun-Bōshi found the girl in a cage, guarded by the giant red ogre. The boy approached the ogre and said “Ogre! I challenge you to a fight! If I win, you must open this cage!”.

Ach thosaigh an ollphéist ag gáire, dúirt sé “Buachaill beag, buachaill beag. Cad is féidir leat déánamh?”

But the ogre simply laughed and said “Tiny boy. Tiny boy. What can you do?”

Phioc an ollphéist an buachaill suas ansin, agus shlog sé é ina iomlán. Áfach, ní raibh an buachaill buartha.

The ogre then picked up the boy and swallowed him whole. The boy, however, was not discouraged.

Istigh i bholg an ollphéist, d’úsáid sé an snáthaid a thug a mháthair dó ar nós claíomh, agus ghearr sé bolg an ollphéist. Bhí an ollphéist i bpian ollmhór, thosaigh sé ag casacht agus amach a tháinig an bhuachaill beag. Ar buile, iarraidh an ollphéist an bhuachaill a bhascadh chun báis lena lámh, ach ag an soicind deireanach d’ardaigh Issun-Bōshi a chlaíomh agus sáigh an ollphéist é féin in ionad an bhuachaill a bhascadh. Nuair a thit an ollphéist siar i bpian, rith an buachaill beag suas lámh dearg na hollphéiste. Rith sé thar a uillinn, thar a gualainn, thar na starrfhiacail géar a bhí aige agus suas chuigh srón na hollphéiste. In aon iarraidh amháin, luasc sé an claíomh beag síos agus ghearr sé gránú ollmhór i súil dearg mór na hollphéiste – bhí an buachaill taréis é a dalltú. Rith an ollphéist go ciotach as an uaimh, as an eagla a bhí ar faoin buachaillín.

From inside the ogre’s stomach, he used the needle his mother had given him as a sword and slashed at the ogre. This caused the ogre so much pain that he coughed out the boy. Angry, the ogre tried to squash the boy with his hand, but at the last moment, Issun-Bōshi raised his sword and the ogre stabbed himself instead. Whilst the ogre fell back in pain, the one-inch boy ran up the ogre’s red hand. He ran past the ogre’s elbow, past the shoulder, past the sharp tusks, and onto the ogre’s nose. In one fell swoop slashed both the ogre’s giant red eyes, blinding the ogre. The ogre, now fearing the boy, clumsily ran out of the cave.

Agus é mar an buaiteoir, chuaigh Issun-Bōshi suas chuigh an gcás ina raibh an chailín, ach níorbh sé ábailte é a oscailt pé rud a dhéán se.

Victorious, Issun-Bōshi then approached the girl’s cage, but try as he might, he could not open it.

“Ó!”, a dúirt an chailín, ag síneadh lámh chuigh mailléád ildaite a raibh an ollphéist taréis a ligeadh ar an talamh go ciotach, “Bain triail as sin!”

“Oh!” said the girl, pointing at a colorful mallet the ogre had clumsily dropped. “Try that!”

“Cad é?”, a cheistigh an buachaill.

“What is that?” asked the boy.

“Is mailléad draíochta é, a bhfuil ábailte do ghuí a freagrú!”

“It’s a magical mallet that can grant wishes.”

“Conas a úsáidim é?”

“How do I use it?”

“Buail an talamh leis, tiocfaidh do ghuí amach!”

“If you can strike it on the ground, your wish will come out!”

Mar sin, lena láidreacht ar fad, d’ardaigh an buachaill orlach amháin ar airde an mailléád thar cheann dó, agus dúirt sé “Ghuím go bheidh rud agam chun an chás seo a oscailt!”

So the one-inch boy, using all his might, lifted the mallet above his head, and said “I wish I had something to open this cage”.

An soicind a bhuail an mailléad an talamh, thosaigh Issun-Bōshi ag méadú agus ag méadú. I nóiméád, bhí sé troigh amháin ar airde, ansin dhá throigh, trí…Ar deireadh bhí sé taréis ardú chuigh sé troigh ar airde.

As soon as the mallet hit the ground, Issun-Bōshi started growing in size. Soon he was one foot tall, then two, then three… eventually he grew to six feet tall.

D’oscail Issun-Bōshi an cás go réidh – níorbh sé an buachaill orlach amháin ar airde a thuilleadh. Chuaigh sé agus an chailín ar ais chuigh an baile beag, agus bhí féásta ollmhór acu i gcóir an bhuachaill a raibh ábailte bua in aghaidh an ollphéist. Thug an mailléád draíochta saibhreas ollmhór chuigh an bhuachaill, agus bhí saol sona sásta aige agus ag a chlann ón lá sin amach.

Issun-Bōshi, no longer the one inch boy, opened the cage with ease. He and the girl returned to the village where he was celebrated for defeating the ogre. The magical mallet brought great fortune to the boy, and he and his family lived happily ever after.

Tá an scéal bunaithe ar “Issun-Bōshi”, Síscéal Béaloideas Seapánach ón 12ú hAois.

This story is based on “Issun-Bōshi”, a Japanese Folktale from the 12th Century.