HOME > Japanese > Japanese Elegies >

「永訣の朝」 けふのうちに とほくへいってしまふわたくしのいもうとよ みぞれがふっておもてはへんにあかるいのだ （あめゆじゅとてちてけんじゃ）1 うすあかくいっさう陰惨〔いんさん〕な雲から みぞれはびちょびちょふってくる （あめゆじゅとてちてけんじゃ） 青い蓴菜〔じゅんさい〕のもやうのついた2 これらふたつのかけた陶椀〔たうわん〕に おまへがたべるあめゆきをとらうとして わたくしはまがったてっぽうだまのやうに このくらいみぞれのなかに飛びだした 　（あめゆじゅとてちてけんじゃ） 蒼鉛〔さうえん〕いろの暗い雲から みぞれはびちょびちょ沈んでくる ああとし子 死ぬといふいまごろになって わたくしをいっしゃうあかるくするために こんなさっぱりした雪のひとわんを おまへはわたくしにたのんだのだ ありがたうわたくしのけなげないもうとよ わたくしもまっすぐにすすんでいくから 　（あめゆじゅとてちてけんじゃ） はげしいはげしい熱やあえぎのあひだから おまへはわたくしにたのんだのだ 銀河や太陽、気圏などとよばれたせかいの そらからおちた雪のさいごのひとわんを…… …ふたきれのみかげせきざいに みぞれはさびしくたまってゐる わたくしはそのうへにあぶなくたち 雪と水とのまっしろな二相系〔にさうけい〕をたもち すきとほるつめたい雫にみちた このつややかな松のえだから わたくしのやさしいいもうとの さいごのたべものをもらっていかう わたしたちがいっしょにそだってきたあひだ みなれたちゃわんのこの藍のもやうにも もうけふおまへはわかれてしまふ （Ora Orade Shitori egumo） ほんたうにけふおまへはわかれてしまふ あああのとざされた病室の くらいびゃうぶやかやのなかに やさしくあをじろく燃えてゐる わたくしのけなげないもうとよ この雪はどこをえらばうにも あんまりどこもまっしろなのだ あんなおそろしいみだれたそらから このうつくしい雪がきたのだ 　（うまれでくるたて 　　こんどはこたにわりやのごとばかりで 　　　くるしまなあよにうまれてくる) おまへがたべるこのふたわんのゆきに わたくしはいまこころからいのる どうかこれが天上のアイスクリームになって おまへとみんなとに聖い資糧をもたらすやうに わたくしのすべてのさいはひをかけてねがふ 注釈： 1 あめゆじゅとてちてけんじゃ＝あめゆきとってきてください、賢治[兄さん]。 2 蓴菜〔じゅんさい〕＝スイレンの近似種の水草で、それとよく似ているが小型の円形 の葉を浮かべる。花は紫紅色。ぬめりのある若芽は、春の珍味。 ここで「青い」というのは、呉須の染付けと取るべきだろう。

Morning of Final Farewell My little sister, About to depart to a place far beyond before the day is out. The sleet has fallen outside, and it's oddly bright. (Gemme some ameyuju willyoo Kenj'ya.）1 From the clouds of pale-red, that is all the more bleak, The sleet comes a-dripping and a-drizzling down (Gemme me some ameyuju willyoo Kenj'ya.） Gathering the sleet snow for you to nibble on, Inside two chipped porcelain bowls with The junsai[water-shield]2 plant painted blue, I, like a stray bullet, Darted out into the dark of the [falling] sleet. (Gemme me some ameyuju willyoo Kenj'ya.） From the bismuth-colored dark clouds, The sleet comes a-dripping and a-drizzling down. Oh Toshiko, At a time like this, When you're on the brink of death, You have asked me for a scoop-full of refreshing snow, Thank you, my little sister, so giving and brave, I too will continue ahead straight onward. (Gemme some ameyuju willyoo, Kenj'ya） In between the oh-so violent fevers and gasping, You asked me to get The last bowl-ful of snow, descended from the skies, The realm of galaxies and suns and atmospheres... .. Upon two quarry-blocks of granite, where the sleet are lonesomely deposited, I perched upon them precariously. And from the glistening pine-boughs Filled with cold transparent beads that maintain The hoar-white, two-phase equilibria betwixt snow and water, I shall take away the last food for my little sister. The indigo-colored patterns on the familiar bowls that We grew up with, You'll be parted from them too, after today. (Ora Orade Shitori egumo [I'll just go off on my own I will]) It's true, you really are departing from us today, Oh, within the enclosure of the patient's room, On the other side of the dark folding-screen and mosquito nets, You are burning away with pale blue light, My little sister, so brave. This snow is so awfully pure-white, wherever you might choose. From those frightful, roiling skies, This beautiful snow has come.   (I'm gonna be born again, and     next time, I'll make sure everything won't be so bad       I hurt so muuuch all the time.) To those two bowl-fuls of snow you're eating, I will now pray, from my heart. Oh may this [snow] now turn into a heavenly ice cream Providing you and everyone holy sustenance. This I pray with all the ability I can muster. Notes: 1 Inside the parentheses is the dialogue spoken Kenji's sister in a northeastern dialect, perhaps in somewhat of a kiddie language. I have attempted to replicate it by inventing an odd contraction gemme= get me, as a variant to gimme = give me. ameyuju is also a dialect for sleet. Kenj'ya is an affectionate way of addressing Kenji. It's hard for me to tell precisely, whether this corresponds to "Kenji-chan (Kenny)" or "Ken an-chan (brother Ken)". 2 The water shield is a sort of miniature aquatic water-lily, with less conspicuous lavender flowers. The round leaves spread out afloat on the surface of water, but when these shoots are still young buds, they are covered in a gelatinous substance and are picked and eaten as a spring delicacy. Here, "blue" should be construed as the blue on white porcelain called gosu or sometsuke in Japan.

HOME > Japanese > Japanese Elegies >