July 15, 2015

Cultivating the Field/田んぼを耕す

Note: The following text is subject to change without notice.
注: 下記の文章は予告なく変更することがあります。

Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale 2015 begins on July 26 and lasts until September 13.
大地の芸術祭(越後妻有アートトリエンナーレ)2015は7月26日に始まり、9月13日まで続きます。

One of my many favorite artworks in the Echigo-Tsumari art field is Rice Field. The following is the original poem for this artwork.
If the above link does not work for you, try this one:
http://www.echigo-tsumari.jp/eng/artwork/the_rice_field
Here's a link to a video on YouTube.
If it doesn't work, here's another link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_PlHGORofw

越後妻有アートフィールドの中で私が好きな多くの作品の一つが棚田(たなだ)です。次の文章は、この作品の元々の詩です。

Cultivating the Field

The April sun is shining,
The snow has almost all disappeared, there is a damp fog in the air;

A stunted horse
Is pulling the heavy plow with difficulty.

Springtime has arrived the land must be carefully prepared?

For new sowing and for planting seeds.

Sowing rice grains

In the beginning of May the sun begins to get very hot.

The field covered with water shimmers smoothly
in the morning rays.

And the seeds, scattered by an experienced hand,
lie down on the warm ground;

To sprout up thickly as green sharp stalks.

Planting rice sprouts

Leaves on the trees have already sprouted under the May sun.
The water in the fields has already been warmed up.

Tender stalks of shoots are plucked from the field
and brought in bunches.

In order to plant them into the ground in straight rows:

This order will be demonstrated by the antique wooden frame
TAWAKU.

Weeding

In August the sun is at its zenith,
The heat is merciless, sweat pours like hail.

But there is no time to rest and take shade:
Field after field, terrace after terrace must be weeded

So that the weeds do not crowd out

The tender stalks of rice.

Gathering the Harvest

The people in the field can barely be seen: That's how high the
stalks have grown.

The steel sickles are made very sharp in September: It is time to
gather the harvest, not losing even one grain.

The heavy sheaves are carried from the field with difficulty

In order to dry them and clean the grain Before the October rains.

***
The following is a tentative translation by me, NOT the Japanese text actually used in the artwork. Why did I have to translate the poem into Japanese when there is already a Japanese translation and it's actually used in the artwork? Well, I really don't think that the Japanese text used in the artwork is appropriate. The following translation is a tentative one; I may make changes to it later.
次の文章は、私の試訳です。作品に実際使われている和文ではありません。すでに和訳があり、それが作品に使われているのに、何で和訳する必要があったのか、と言うと、作品に使われている和文は適切でないと思うからです。下記の訳は試訳であり、後で変更するかもしれません。

田んぼを耕す

四月の太陽、輝いて、
雪は、ほぼ消え、湿った霧が漂う;

発育不良の馬
やっとのことで重い鋤を引く。

春が来た 土地をよく準備しないと

新たな植え付けと種まきのために。

種もみを蒔く

五月の初め、太陽はとても暑くなり始める。

水をたたえた田んぼ、朝の光に
なめらかにきらめく。

手慣れた手で蒔かれた種は、
暖かい土に横たわる;


芽を出し、青く鋭い茎として生い茂るように。

田植え

五月の太陽の下、木々の葉がもう出た。
田んぼの水ももう温まった。

柔らかな苗を田んぼから引き抜き
束にして持ってくる。

田んぼにまっすぐに植えるため:

この順序を示してくれるのは、昔からの木の枠、
田枠。

草取り

八月、太陽は真っ盛り、
容赦ない暑さで、汗が雹のように吹き出る。

でも、日陰で休む暇はない:
田んぼから田んぼへ、棚田から棚田へ草刈りをしないと

雑草が柔らかな稲を

押しのけないように。

稲刈り

田んぼにいる人たちはほとんど見えない:それほどに
稲は成長した。


鉄の鎌は九月には鋭く研がれる: 今が
稲刈りの時、一粒たりとも無駄にできない。

重い稲束を田んぼからやっとのことで運び出す

十月の雨の前に乾かして、お米をきれいにするため。

4 comments:

  1. You are so talented in many areas from the kitchens, to outdoor photo shoots and writing poems indoor. You have a rich and colourful lifestyle which is great and meaningful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Twilight Man: As I suggested in the post, the Japanese version of the poem is not a good one, and contains some serious errors, and I'd like to correct them. I do like the artwork, and I think it deserves a better translation.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautiful piece of art. The suspended characters in the air, the sculptures, and the actual landscape work together so cleverly.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tea Apprentice: Yes, very beautiful. And, that't why I want the Japanese text corrected!

    ReplyDelete