稲美里佳の短歌：Tanka by Rika Inami (18)

January 2019, Tanka                   

2019年 1月 短歌

All rights reserved ©Rika Inami 稲美 里佳

 

1

たうたう冬になったかと注がれおく茶をすすりつつ吹雪みてをり

 

“… Finally, Winter has come”

Says, and sipping tea

poured into a cup

he watches the snow storm

through the window

 

 

2

雪かざし到来す冬将軍に諾(うべな)ふも心複雑なり

 

blowing snow up high

rigorous winter has come —

nodding and saying

“Surely, I accept”,

yet, I have mixed feelings

※

　当地の冬は例年雪が多く降ります。私は白く美しく輝く雪が好きです。積もった雪にさらに綿のような軽い雪が降ったりすると、それは無比の美しさともいえます。やがて春になると、山々に積まれた雪が解けて雪解水となり、それは、当地の植物、特になくてはならない水源になります。が、雪が降ると家前の除雪をしなければなりませんし、車の運転も危険になり、さらには、インターネットの接続も悪くなったり等々。あれやこれや雪国の生活は大変になります。雪は見たいし必要だが、苦は嫌だというそんな複雑な心境を１首にしてみました。

     We have a lot of snow here in winter.  I like snow sparkling white and beautiful.

When cotton light snow falls on the piled-up snow, it could be said to be of matchless beauty.  In due time, spring comes, and then snow on the mountains melts and becomes the melting snow water, which is the indispensable water source for plant life, in particular, rice plants here.  However, the life of the snowy land is hard: Dew to snow, I have to remove it in front of house, driving is dangerous, internet connection becomes bad and so on. I want to see and need snow but don’t like its hardships.

     I made such complex feelings into tanka.

 

3

叢雲をさき憂ひほどきつ冬空に久方の月うかび光(て)る

 

through a rift

in gathering clouds …

solving my cares

the lustrous moon

rises in the winter sky

 

 

雪雲がかかりしばらく月を見ることができなかった夜が続いた後に詠いました。
I composed this tanka after I had not been able to see the moon for many days because of snow clouds.

 

4

年の瀬の寒波到来 山並はおぼろ影して存在とおく

 

a cold wave arrival

at the end of the year …

mountain range

emitting faint luminescence

existence is far away

 

 

5

千両に時のしるしの松を添え出会ひ継ぎゆく新春迎へむ

 

as the sign of Time

adding a pine tree’s twig

to chloranthus

keeping up friends’ encounters,

I welcome Happy New Year

 

　※  <About the first line>

       We Japanese usually cerebrate on New Year’s Day with Pine -tree branches/ twigs and Chloranthus or Spearflower.  As for Pine tree, it is called 松in Japanese, whose pronunciation is “Matsu” and is the same pronunciation of 待つ, whose meaning is to wait.  So, Pine tree is a pivot word/ kake kotoba and I think that it could be said to express Time.

 

 

6

あらたまの日に降る雪は春を恋ふれば山かざる花と変ずや

 

snow falling

on new year’s day …

once I yearn for spring

ah…snow changing into flowers 

on mountains

 

 

※In Japanese, there is a word 雪花.  It means snowflake in English.  However, if I translate it literally, it is snow-flower, which is a word likened to flowers blooming in winter.  In this meaning, I composed the above tanka.  Another meaning of 雪花/ snow-flower is snowflake crystal.

 

7

ぬばたまの夢に思へば遥かなる背は我が歌に返しおきにし 

 

darkness …

thinking of you in a dream

I find

my beloved far away from me

left his reply on my tanka

 

 

※About the photograph, the tree is Cherry Blossom.

 

8

寒に入り霏霏(ひひ）とし降りて雪変化　牡丹雪ふぶき粉雪舞ひ凪ぎ

 

in the coldest season

snow has been falling and falling

how protean
large snowflakes, blizzard

… and powder snow is dancing in peace

 

9

冬帝の御守護なるかな朱に燃えてシャコバサボテン寒に咲き初む

 

winter emperor

might protect me …

blazing in vermilion

christmas cactus starts blooming

in the coldest season

 

 

10

しなやかに宇宙を語る君の苦を我は知るかも神の試練と

 

as if soaring gracefully

you tell about the universe

I know

your agony and pain

as the hardship of God

 

 

※写真は秋田県湯沢市皆瀬　奥小安の地から湧出する温泉です。

About the photograph, it is the hot spring from the earth at Okuoyasu, Minase, Yuzawa City, Akita, Japan.