雨の日

田中千鳥


- English -

のも 山も
きり雨につゝまれ
山のねの
なの花畠
雨にぬれ
かへるは
ころころ
ないてゐる


八歳(四月)



誠ちゃん(手紙より)

   大山に繪を描きに行つてゐ
   た叔父ちゃんに出したもの
   
 おぢちゃん げんきですか。
 私はげんきで、まいにち朝はやく、お星の出たくらいうちに、おばあちゃんと朝日をおがみに海にでます。お日さまが出るまで、うみの中に、はいって水をあびます。
 はじめには、なみのこないところまでも、よういきませなんだが、ふかいところまでもはいっていくやうになりました。
 すて犬をつれて、うみまでゆき、犬はかへるまでまちてゐて、かえる時にもついてかへりました。
 まっ赤な、朝日が空一めんに、こうせんをひろげ、きれいなきれいな海には、朝日がうつり、山にはかすみがかゝり、水と空がどつちがとつちだか、わからないやうになり、白濱が見え四方八方がきれいです。
 それをおぢちゃんに、ゑにかいてもらつたら、どんなに、りつぱに、かけるだろうとおもひました。    さようなら

 八月ニ日(八歳)
         チドリ

おぢちゃん


田中千鳥著「チドリ遺稿集」復刻版(気高町教育委員会/1998年)

[注釈]
おぢちゃんとは千鳥が慕っていた、母古代子の弟、卓のことで26才の若さで亡くなっている。田中千鳥の他の作品、その背景、生家の写真などが、目暢子さんの「ばら色のリボン」で、紹介されています。


田中千鳥 
大正6年(1917年)鳥取県気高郡気高町で、新聞記者で作家の田中古代子の長女として生まれる。強い感受性と個性に恵まれた子どもで、そのため学校は居心地の悪い場所だったらしい。幼いながら自分の好きなことをはっきりと自覚していて、そのことだけをしようとして生きていたようだ。大正13年、7才半のとき病気で亡くなり、母古代子の手で「チドリ遺稿集」が編まれた。自然を題材にした詩や散文、物語など約50編が収録されている。

Copyright by Chidori Tanaka



Rainy Day

Chidori Tanaka
Translated from the Japanese by Alexis Jones


- Japanese -


The fields and mountains
are covered in rain and mist,
At the foot of the mountain
the field of yellow flowers
is soaked by the rain,
A frog
is chirping.



by Chidori Tanaka (8 years old; written in April)



Letter


Sei-chan,
(sent to her Uncle who had gone to Daisen to paint pictures)

Uncle, are you well?

I am fine, and every day I get up early in the morning, while the stars are still out, and go to the sea with Grandma to pray to the morning sun[*].

Until the sun comes out, I get in the sea and go bathing in the water.

At first, I only went where there were no waves, but now, even though it's not easy, I am able to go into the deep water.

A stray dog followed us to the sea, then he waited until we went home, then he followed us home too.

The bright red morning sun spread out sunbeams everywhere, and the beautiful, beautiful sea reflected the morning sun, and the mountains were covered in mist, and I didn't know which was the sea and which was the sky, and the white beach was beautiful everywhere I looked.

I wondered what kind of splendid picture Uncle could paint if he painted it for me. Good-bye.

August 2nd (8 years old)

Chidori


[*] Note: The sun is traditionally an object of worship in Japan.



By Chidori Tanaka "Chidori Ikou-shuu" (Chidori's posthumous works) Reprint version (Ketaka town board of education 1998)

Explanatory note:"Uncle" was Chidori's mother's younger brother. Chidori adored him, but he died when he was only twenty-six. Chidori Tanaka's other works, and the background to them including photographs of her birthplace, are introduced in Nobuko Sakka's website "Barairo no Ribon" (Rose Colored Ribbon).

Chidori Tanaka
Born in the 6th year of the Taisho Era (1917), in Ketaka town, Tottori prefecture, Chidori was the eldest daughter of journalist and writer Koyoko Tanaka. She was blessed with a high degree of sensitivity and individuality, and perhaps felt uncomfortable at school. She had a clear awareness of what she liked from an early age, and did only the things she wanted to do. In the 13th year of the Taisho Era (1924), when she was seven and a half years old, she died from illness and her mother compiled "Chidori Ikou-shuu" (Chidori's posthumous works). It contains around fifty works that take nature as their subject matter, including poems, prose and stories.

Alexis Jones
Alex is an English teacher who lives in Kumamoto prefecture, Japan. He comes from the UK and has lived in Japan for about 3 years. He is currently studying translation to be a professional translator. Alex has translated several poems for Happano: "Dawn Cafe Au Leit", "At the Mountain" by Sansei Yamao, and "Rainy Day" and "Letter" by Chidori Tanaka.

Copyright by Chidori Tanaka
English translation Copyright 2004 by Alexis Jones

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