Cheery blossoms on way to quake survivors

　僕は英辞郎を使って英語を読みまくり、インターネットラジオのNHKのラジオジャパン英語ニュースで時事英語を聞きまくってます。（＾＾；
参考「こんな感じで英辞郎を使ってます」

Cheery blossoms on way to quake survivors

04/09/2005

For two days, the weather in Tokyo has felt like summer. In some parts of the city, cherry blossoms that had just opened were already beginning to fall.

2005年04月08日（金曜日）付
【天声人語】

　東京では、２日続けて初夏を思わせる陽気となった。咲いたばかりと思っていた桜が、場所によっては散り始めた。

In a park in central Tokyo, petals whirled and danced high in the air in occasional gusts, and alighted on the ground among fallen leaves from surrounding trees. It was a pretty sight, but I could not help wishing the winds would just refrain from blowing for another two days or so.

　昨日都心の公園では、時折強く吹き抜ける春風に乗って花びらが高く舞っていた。周囲の常緑樹の枝を離れた春落ち葉と絡み合う。それも興趣だが、風よ、せめて２日ほど吹かずにおれないかという思いもした。

``The Tale of Genji,'' the famous 11th-century novel, features a scene of princesses and court ladies composing poems as they look longingly at petals being scattered by the winds.

``Shin Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei'' (New compendium of classic Japanese literature) paraphrases one poem:

``Because cherries are in bloom/ I feel restless whenever the wind gusts/ even though I know it's not worth feeling this way for these flowers.''

　『源氏物語』に、風に散る花を惜しみつつ姫君や女房が歌を詠むくだりがある。「桜ゆゑ風に心のさわぐかな思ひぐまなき花と見る見る」。桜ゆえに風が吹くたびごとに心も落ち着かない、思うかいのない桜とは知りながら（『新日本古典文学大系』）。

Cherry blossoms remind people of others who have gone before them. According to ``Ryokan no Hito to Uta'' (The personality and poetry of Ryokan) by Shuji Miya, the priest Ryokan (1758-1831) composed the following poem at the grave of Saigyo Hoshi, a 12th-century monk and poet:

``The flower I have picked and brought/ May not be outstanding in its color or fragrance/ But in your mercy please accept my heart.''

Miya notes Ryokan's poem was meant as a response to Saigyo's poem:

``Please make an offering of a flower to the Buddha/ If you will mourn for me after I am gone.''

　桜の花は、過ぎ去った人々の姿や思いを、後世の人々がしのぶよすがでもある。「手折り来し花の色香はうすくともあはれみたまへ心ばかりは」。この良寛の歌は、西行法師の墓前で詠まれた。西行の作「仏には桜の花をたてまつれわが後の世を人とぶらはば」に応じたという（宮柊二「良寛の人と歌」）。

Poet Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) wrote: ``Cherry blossoms make me recall many things.''

Cherry blossoms are like time capsules. They prompt people to think back on their lives and they jog memories of the year that has gone, as well as beyond.

They make people ponder about individuals they knew and things they once had that are now gone. They also open one's eyes to people and things they did not know in the past but do now.

　〈さまざまのこと思ひ出す桜かな　芭蕉〉。桜のタイムカプセルのような作用は、人が自らの生を振り返るのを促す。１年前や、そのまた１年前のことを桜が思い起こさせる。以前にはあって、今は無くなったものや人を思う。あるいは、前には無くて今あるものや人を見やる。

The ``cherry blossom front'' is expected to move to the Niigata area next week-a region tha was devastated by a earthquake. The cherry blossoms this year may bring back painful memories. But I pray this is the sort of year when these flowers that bloom so dutifully will comfort and provide cheer to the quake survivors.

　桜前線は、来週には新潟辺りに達するという。地震では多くのものや人が失われた。今年の桜は、つらい思いを誘うかもしれない。しかし、そういう年こそ、律義に花開く桜の姿が、人々の力を呼び起こすようにと念じたい。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 8(IHT/Asahi: April 9,2005)