The Secret · American Version Page 6

Page 6 of the American edition of The Secret — Plate · page 6, American edition Zoom Full-size scan

THE TALE SIMPLY TOLD

THE TALE SIMPLY TOLD A long, long time ago, before the age when Man and Woman sailed in ships to lands they had never seen, there existed in the Old World two empires: that of Man and that of the Fair People. Man named his abode Civilization, for Man was an acquisitive creature and names were things he could possess. He could not fly on wings of gossamer , like a fairy; nor hide in the gentle slope of a mountain, like a giant; nor throw fire through a gust of wind, like a dragon. So Man often found his strength in words. The Fair People had no cities or towns or houses. Their home was Nature, and in it they could play or hide or make themselves unseen to Man, who feared Nature, for he could not control it. What Man could not control, he often sought to change. Thus, over centuries, Man built his cities, and his villages and diminished the Fair People’s domain. Where once lived a goblin, there rose a tavern. Where once swam a river maiden, a water wheel spun. Forest to lumber, earth to road . . . Man expanded

Two editions, one page

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Page 6 as printed in the Japanese edition — 日本語版 · Japanese edition

日本語版の本文

Prologue · The Legend of the Fair People

The Japanese text with an English back-translation.

Japanese text

プロローグ妖精たちの伝説はるかなるむかし、人間が船に乗ってまだ見ぬ大地にやってくるまえ、旧世界にはふたつの帝国ががあった。人間の帝国と汚れなき人びとの帝国だ。人間は、自分たちのつくったものを文明と呼んだ。名前さえも自分の所有物にしてしまった。妖精のように薄い紗の翼で飛んだり、巨人のようにゆるやかな斜面をもった山に姿を変えたり、竜のように火を吹いたりすることは、人間にはできないことだった。だから、人間はことばに自分の力を求めたのだった。汚れなき人びとは、都市も町も家ももってはいなかった。彼らのわが家は自然であり、その自然のなかで遊んだり、隠れたり、姿を消したりすることもできた。人間はその自然を、自分たちにはコントロールできないからといって、恐れていた。人間は、自分たちにコントロールできないものJOがあると、なんとかしてそれを自分たちに都合のよいものに変えてしまおうとすることがよくあった。そうして何世紀ものあいだに、彼らは都市や村をつくり、汚れなき人びとの領地を荒らしていったのだった。かつて小鬼が住んでいたところには、居酒屋ができた。かつて川の乙女が泳いでいたところでは、水車がまわった。森は材木に、大地は道路に･････人間は帝国の領土を広げ、汚れなき人びとはしだいに脅かされていった。イギリスから支那まで、プリストルからポンペイまで、文明に侵されていない新しい土地を求める汚れなき人びとの声がわき起こった。そうした土地を求めて、汚れなき人びとの代表が送り出された。小妖精や妖精たちが、旧世界の13の国々から新世界を求めて旅立った。そして、とうとう見つけだしたのだ。ここから、人間と同じように、自由と満足感とJPU

English back-translation

Long, long ago, before humans sailed ships to lands they had never seen, there existed in the Old World two empires. The empire of Man, and the empire of the Fair People. Man named what they created “civilization” — even names themselves became their possessions. Flying on gossamer wings like a fairy, transforming into a giant whose body became the gentle slope of a mountain, breathing fire like a dragon — these were things Man could not do. And so Man sought his power in words. The Fair People had no cities, no towns, no homes. Their home was Nature, and within it they could play, hide, and make themselves invisible. Man feared Nature, because it was something he could not control. What Man could not control……whenever something was beyond their control, Man would often find a way to change it into something convenient for themselves. And so over centuries they built cities and villages, encroaching upon the domain of the Fair People. Where once a goblin had lived, a tavern was built. Where once a river maiden had swum, a water wheel turned. Forest into lumber, earth into roads… Man expanded his empire’s territory, and the Fair People were gradually threatened. From England to China, from Bristol to Pompeii, voices arose among the Fair People calling for new, unspoiled lands. Representatives of the Fair People were sent out in search of such lands. Fairies and sprites set out from thirteen nations of the Old World in search of a New World. And at last — they found it. From here, just like Man, with dreams of freedom and contentment…

THE TALE SIMPLY TOLD

Two editions, one page

日本語版の本文

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