The roses bloomed earlier than usual and have almost finished blooming, and now it’s the season of hydrangeas. Hydrangea gardens everywhere are in full bloom. Lately, there’s no time to leisurely reflect on the changing seasons, although Kenko Hosshi said, ‘It is precisely in the changing of the seasons that things are transient and flavor.’ Since the New Year, not only plants but also the natural changes have been occurring one to ten days earlier. Before you know it, flowers bloom, and before you know it, they scatter, making way for the flowers of the next season. The roses, sensitive to climate fluctuations, bloom earlier than usual, while the tranquil roses bloom as usual. Thanks to this, it feels like the period when roses are blooming this year was longer than usual. The world has completely changed compared to 40 or 50 years ago, and even the natural environment has undergone a complete transformation. I worry about the future, whether this change will bring good fortune or misfortune for the next generation.

例年になく早く咲いたバラの花も咲き切って、紫陽花の季節になりました。どこの紫陽花園も花は満開です。最近は兼好法師が言う様に「折節の移り変るこそ、ものごとにあはれなれ」なんて悠長なことを言ってられません。正月からこっち、草木はもちろん、自然の変化が１週間から１０日は早い。あれあれと言う間に花が咲き、あれあれと言う間に花が散り、次の季節の花が咲いている。気候の変動に敏感なバラは例年より早く咲き、おっとりしたバラは例年通り咲く。お陰で、今年なんか、バラの咲いている期間が何時もより長かった様な気がします。世の中も4、50年前とはすっかり変わってしまったけれど、自然環境まですっかり変わってしまいました。これから先、この変化が吉とでるのか凶と出るのか、次の世代の方々の事が気に掛かります。