Coral Flower is a good name.  The dark green leaves are seaweed and the flowers that sway on them are just coral.  It is surprising that it is native to Brazil and is said to have already come to Japan during the Edo period.  You can see how Japanese people like flowers.  Come to think it, I wondr what “Oyoge Taiyaki-kun” is doing  by now. Though the official sales of 4,536,000 records are officially certified by the Guinness World Records, he only got a contract of 50,000 yen, and a reward of 1 million yen and a white guitar. I’m sure that Masato Shimon, also known as “Oyoge Taiyaki-kun” had disliked the real world. Apart from that, I always sing this song at karaoke.

サンゴバナとは上手いこと名前を付けたものです。濃い緑の葉は海藻でその上で揺れる花はまさしくサンゴです。ブラジル産で江戸時代には日本に入って来たと言うから、これもまた驚きです。いかに日本人が花好きかが分かります。そう言えば「およげたい焼きくん」は今ごろはどうしているんでしょう。レコードの公式売り上げ枚数が453.6万枚はギネス世界記録に正式認定されているそうですが、「およげたい焼きくん」こと子門真人さんはこの事をどう思っているんでしょう。レコードがこれだけ売れたのに、彼が手にしたのは、契約の5万円と、報償金100万円と白いギターだけ。世の中が嫌になったんでしょうか。カラオケでは必ずこの歌を歌います。

At Todaiji Temple, the number of people decreases on weekdays, especially on the back streets. Few people pass each other on my way to Nigatsu-dou. A little along the side road of Tsuijibei (a mud wall with a roof) , a painter is drawing a picture by the red fire hydrant. Beyond his gaze, I can see a temple covered with colorful autumn leaves. I took a picture of him with permission to take. To thank you, there is an indescribable kindness in the gesture that nodded without a smile. I felt that I could communicate without words, and my heart became hot.

東大寺も平日は人出が少なくなり、裏道になるとなおさらです。二月堂に向かう道筋もすれ違う人もちらほら。築地塀の脇道を少し入ると、赤い消火栓のところで、絵描さんがひとり、絵を描いています。見つめる先には色とりどりに紅葉した木々がお堂を覆っています。撮影の許可を頂いて写真を撮りました。お礼を言うと、にこりともせず頷いた仕草に何とも言えない優しさがこもっています。心通じるものがあった気がして、胸が熱くなりました。

“The Last Rose of Summer”, written by Irish national poet Thomas Moore and composed by John Stevenson, has been sung all over the world, and Beethoven and other world-famous composers also incorporated it into the song. Mendelssohn composed the piano fantasy “The Last Rose of Summer” with the quite same name. Even in Japan, the rose was changed to a chrysanthemum and then to “Chigusa in the garden”, and it became an elementary school song, which was popular with many people.

This is the beginning of the original poem.

“Tis the last rose of Summer, Left blooming alone; All her lovely companions Are faded and gone; No flower of her kindred, No rosebud is nigh, To reflect back her blushes, Or give sigh for sigh! “

アイルランドの国民的詩人トマス・ムーアの「夏の名残りのバラ」に、ジョン・スティーブンソンが曲を付けた歌は世界中で歌われ、ベートーベンを初め、世界の名だたる作曲家も楽曲に組み入れました。メンデルスゾーンはその名もずばり、ピアノ幻想曲「夏の名残りのバラ」を作曲しています。日本でも、バラを菊に、さらに「庭の千草」に変えて、小学唱歌になり、多くの人々に親しまれました。

「夏の名残のバラ　一人寂しく咲いている　愛しき仲間たちはみな枯れ果てた　赤いバラ色を照らし返す　近しき花も芽も消え失せた　ただため息をつくばかり」—原詩の出だしです。

The white sardine clouds that received the rising sun just float high in the sky. Mt Fuji, which blocks the sunrise, and the landscapes around there are in the dawn and look still blue. What a beautiful dawn! The unpleasant events, worries, and bad physical conditions that I couldn’t get out of my head until I got to the bed last night are all gone, and I just feel refreshed. By the time the blue color gradually fades and the redness begins to fade, I feel like I’ll do my best today as well. Sacred Mt Fuji is an anchor of us Japanese in every respect.

朝日を受けた真っ白な鰯雲が空高く漂うだけ。日の出を遮ぎる富士山とあたり一面はまだ黎明の青一色。何と美しい夜明けでしょう。昨晩の床に付くまで頭から離れなかった嫌な出来事、心配事、身体の不調、そんなものは消し飛んで、只々心洗われる思いです。青色も次第に薄れ、赤みが差し始める頃には、よしっ、今日も一日がんばろうと言う気持ちになります。霊峰富士は、私達日本人にとって、あらゆる点で心の拠り所です。

Once upon a time there were two brothers. The older brother, who has been busy with work, tried to forget his memories with his father by offering flowers “Forget-me-please” (Kanzo) to his father’s grave. The younger brother cherished his memories with his father and offered flowers “Forget-me-not” (Shion) to the grave. The demon who protects the grave was impressed with the younger brother’s actions and gave him supernatural powers as a reward. The younger brother became more and more happy after that.

It is an episode that appears in the narrative literature “Konjaku Monogatari Shu” at the end of the Heian period.

The conclusion of the story says, “If you are happy, plant Shion, and if you are worried, plant Kanzo.”

昔二人の兄弟がいました。出世して仕事が忙しい兄は父のお墓に「忘れ草」(萱草)を供えて父との思い出を忘れようとしました。弟は父との思い出を大切にして、お墓に「思い草」(紫苑)を供えました。お墓を守る鬼は、弟の行いに感心してご褒美に弟に超能力を授けました。弟はその後ますます幸せになりました。

平安時代末期の説話集「今昔物語集」に出てくるエピソードです。

結びには「嬉しいことがあったら紫苑を植えて、憂いがあれば萱草を植えなさい」と書かれています。

I found a rare plant in the park. When I asked a park staff member who cares for the flowerbeds nearby, it was a plant called Mullenbergia. A slightly stronger wind is blowing, swaying to the right and to the left. The thin peduncles and flowers are pink to purplish red and look like a pale fog, shining beautifully in the autumn sun. It is a fantastic landscape. It is a gramineous plant that is widely distributed from the Midwestern United States to Florida, and is initially white, but becomes colored as autumn deepens.

公園で珍しい植物を見つけました。近くで花壇の手入れをしている公園職員に聞いたらミューレンベルギアと言う植物だそうです。少し強めの風が吹いていて、右に左に揺れています。細い花序柄と花はピンク色～赤紫色をしていて淡い霧のように見え、秋の陽光が当たりキラキラと美しく輝いています。幻想的な景観です。イネ科の植物で、アメリカの中西部からフロリダ州にかけて広く分布し、初めは白色ですが、秋が深まるに付けて色付きます。

This year, which was opened with a pandemic of the new coronavirus infection, Satoyama has entered a fruitful autumn as usual. The ear of rice grows, the persimmons ripen, and the sympetrum frequens fly around, which is peace itself. However, at this time of year, I can’t hear the bells of the autumn festival and the musical accompaniment of drums. It’s just quiet. It’s a historic tranquility. I’m sure it will be recorded in future textbooks. The number of people infected with the new coronavirus in the world is 40 million, and the number of deaths is 1.1 million. But things are still going on. Autumn in Satoyama is more peaceful and fruitful than ever this year, but Japan and the world are still in an unpredictable and difficult situation.

新型コロナウィルス感染症のパンデミックで開けた今年も、里山はいつもと変わらず実りの秋を迎えました。稲穂が実り、柿が熟し、アキアカネが飛び交い、平和そのものです。ただ、この時期には必ず聞こえてくる秋祭りの鐘や太鼓のお囃子が聞こえて来ません。只々静かです。歴史的な静けさです。きっと将来の教科書にもそう記録されるでしょう。世界の新型コロナ感染者数4000万人、死亡者数110万人とも。しかし、事態はいまも進行中です。里山の秋は、今年はいつにも増して、平和で実り豊かですが、日本も世界も予断を許さない大変な状況が続いています。

“Washigamine Cosmos Park” in Aridagawa Town, Wakayama Prefecture, is the largest cosmos spot in the prefecture where about 1 million cosmos flowers bloom every year in the fall. The cosmos blooming in the area of Washigamine at an altitude of about 586m sways in the breeze, the Arida River looks like it’s winding under my eyes, the Kii Channel sea is shining golden in the setting sun, this large panorama that spreads out in front of you is autumn in Japan.

和歌山県有田川町にある「鷲ヶ峰コスモスパーク」は、秋になると毎年約100万本のコスモスが咲き乱れる県下最大のコスモスの名所です。標高約586mの鷲ヶ峰の一帯に咲き誇るコスモスがそよ風に揺れ、眼下にくねる有田川、夕陽を受けて黄金色に輝く紀伊水道の海、これぞ日本の秋を思わせる大パノラマです。

Entering the mountain a little, the sweet scent of Akebi can be smelled. When I look up, there are many Akebi entwined with the trees, some of which are ripe and split vertically. It is said that Tengu (Japanese long-nosed goblin) came in the middle of the night and brilliantly split the largest Akebi in a straight line. And he would come to eat after one or two nights. It is said that if you eat this Akebi before the Tengu comes to pick it up, you will be able to spend the winter without any illness. There are many Akebi on Mt. Rokko, which is one of the 100 famous mountains in Japan in Kobe, and at that time, I often crossed the summit of Mt. Rokko (932m) from Ashiya and aimed at Arima Onsen.

山に少し入ると木通のほの甘い香りが漂ってきます。見上げると木に絡み付いた木通が幾つもぶら下がっていて、熟し切って縦に裂けたものもあります。その中のいちばん大きくて一直線状に見事に割けた木通は天狗が夜中にやって来て割いたそうです。そして一晩か二晩置いて食べに来るそうです。この木通を天狗が取りに来る前に頂いて食べると冬の間無病息災に過ごせると言い伝えられています。神戸にある日本百名山の一つに数えられている六甲山には沢山木通があって、その頃にはよく芦屋から六甲山頂(932m)を越え有馬温泉を目指したものです。

On the way back from Taima-dera Temple in Nara, as I walked along the winding slope, glittering flowers like Higanbana were shining in front of the house. There are still Higanbana, but I can’t find them anymore around here. Look closely, it is not Higanbana, but a flower that looks a lot like Licorice. But Licorice is not such a glittering flower. I took a picture with my smartphone that it might be a new variety, and went home to check it out. It was a flower called Nerine, and it was also a flower of a variety called Diamond Lily. It was a very lucky day.

奈良の当麻寺からの帰り道、曲がりくねった坂道を歩いていると、一軒のお家の前にキラキラと彼岸花のような花が、折からの夕陽に煌めいています。まだ彼岸花が残っている所もありますが、この辺りにはもう見当たりません。近寄ってよく見ると彼岸花ではなく、リコリスによく似た花です。でもリコリスはこんなにキラキラ光る花ではありません。新しい品種かも知れないとスマホで写真を撮り、家に帰って調べて見ました。ネリネと言う花で、しかも別名ダイアモンドリリーと言う品種の花でした。とてもラッキーな一日になりました。