HOME > Japanese > Japanese Elegies > 荒城の月 / The Moon over a Ruined Castle

土井晩翠 (詞) ・ 滝廉太郎 (曲)
Doi Bansui (lyrics) · Taki Rentarō (music)
(1871-1952) (1879-1903)

土井晩翠：仙台生まれ。漱石門下の英文学者、詩人。本名、林吉。苗字はもと「つちい」と読むのだが、誤読する人が後を絶えないので 1934 年に自ら「どい」と改名することとしたそうである。 詩集『天地有情』(1899年)のうち史詩「星落秋風五丈原」は病臥して危篤の丞相・諸葛亮（孔明）を歌った長史詩。 バイロンの『チャイルド・ハロルドの巡礼』の訳者であり、ホメロスの『イーリアス』・『オヂュツセーア』をギリシア語より全訳。

また、カーライルの『衣裳哲学』を吉野作造に贈呈していたというのも興味深い。
滝廉太郎：多くのなつかしの曲を作ったが、結核との闘病の末、わずか23歳で夭折。

晩翠は、会津鶴ヶ城跡を訪れてのをきっかけに作詞したのであって、廉太郎は、出身地の大分県竹田市にある岡城址をイメージして作曲したとのこと。 映画『荒城の月』(監/1958 年)は、廉太郎の短い生涯をドラマ化した作品。

Bansui Doi: born in Sendai . Poet and English literature scholar, schooled at Tokyo University where Natsume Sōseki taught English and is counted among his disciples. Real name, Rinkichi. Although his family name was actually pronounced "Tsuchii" so many people misread it that in 1934 he declared he was officially changing his name to "Doi". He published a poetry collection Tenchi ujō ("Heaven, Earth and sentient beings", 1899) which includes a long historical poem, "Seiraku Shūfū Gojōgen" about the dying of the famous war-strategist Zhuge Liang of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Translator of Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimmage as well as Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. Interestingly, he had given a copy of his translation of Carlye's Sartor Resarutus to the political activist Yoshino Sakuzō.

Rentarō Taki : Composer of many nostalgic tunes. He was only age 23 at the time of his untimely death: he had succumed to tuberculosis.

The lyrist was inspired by the ruins of the Tsuru-ga-jo castle in Fukushima Prefecture up north, while the composer employed the imagery of Okajo ruins in Takeda City, Oita Prefecture, which was his place of origin down south. The (dir. Teinosuke Kinugasa 1958)

荒城の月1

1.
Haru Kōrō no Hana no En
春高楼の　花の宴
meguru Sakazuki, Kage sashite;
めぐる盃　かげさして
chiyo no Matsu-ga-E, wake ideshi,
千代の松が枝　わけいでし
Mukashi no hikari, ima izuko?
昔の光　いまいずこ
2.
Aki Jin'ei no, Shimo no iro,
秋陣営の　霜の色
nakiyuku Kari no, Kazu misete;
鳴き行く雁の　数見せて
u'uru Tsurugi ni, terisoishi,
植うる剣に　照りそいし
mukashi no Hikari, ima izu ko?
昔の光　いまいずこ
3.
ima Kōjō no Yowa no Tsuki
今荒城の　夜半の月
kawaranu Hikari ta-ga-tame zo
かわらぬ光　誰がためぞ
Kaki ni nokoru wa tada Katsura
垣に残るは　ただかつら
Matsu ni utau wa tada Arashi
松に歌うは　ただ嵐
4.
Tenjō Kage wa kawaranedo
天井影は　かわらねど
Eiko wa utsuru Yo no Sugata
栄枯は移る　世の姿
Utsusan tote ka ima mo nao
写さんとてか　今もなお
Aa kōjō no Yowa no Tsuki
ああ荒城の　夜半の月
注釈：

1

The Moon over a Ruined Castle1

1.
In spring, at the tall tower, the blossom[-watching] carousel,
The rounds of drinking-cups, the shadow's cast
Parting the millenial pine-bough, [the moon is] arising,
But where is gone the light of the past?
2.
Autumn, at the [soldiers'] camp the frosty hue,
The gander gaggling by, they show up in numbers
On the planted swords it used to shine,
But where is gone the light of the past?
3.
Now the castle ruin's nightfallen moon
Unchanging light, for whom might it be?
Remaining on the hedge are only vines,
Singing on the pine only the winds.
4.
The ceiling shadow may be unchanged, but
The rise and fall transpire, the guise of this world
Do you persist in showing this, even onto now?
Oh, the castle ruin's nightfallen moon.
Notes:

1

　人口にひろく膾炙した歌なので、さまざまな文学や映画作品で使われていると思う。 例えば、太宰治の劇作「春の枯葉」の中で、国民学校の児童が歌っていて、教師（野中先生）が問うている。 また、映画『ビルマの竪琴』(監/市川崑 1956 年)のワンシーンで、部隊が「荒城の月」を合唱していると、 どこからとものあく竪琴の伴奏が流れてくる。これは同胞の歌であるし、ぜったい（行方不明の）水島にちがいない。 隊員たちはやっきになって探すが、相手は空洞の寝仏像のなかにいるので結局見つからずじまいになる。 ビデオの英語字幕は、格調高い訳でこんな文章だった:
. . O'er castle casting / its lovely light,
the moon 'twixt its boughs, / of ancient pine
on cups of wine.
From lips to lips
Wither gone / the glory of the past..
　なんとか全訳や、誰の手による訳かをつきとめたいものだが、いまのところ不明。
　たまたま英語以外では⇒ドイツ訳 (渡辺美奈子さん) があることに遭遇した。
　This is a popular tune, and undoubtedly show up in a number of literary works and cinematography. In the film The Burmese Harp (dir. Kon Ichikawa, 1956), there is a scene where the platoon begins the chorus of this song, and then out of nowhere they start hearing an accompanying harp music. Convinced that it must be Mizushima (their harp-playing comrade gone missing), the men start scrambling to find him. But the man is inside a hollowed-out reclining Buddha statue, and fail to find him before they are rounded up back to camp. The lyrics were subtitled in elegant English as follows:
. . O'er castle casting / its lovely light,
the moon 'twixt its boughs, / of ancient pine
on cups of wine.
From lips to lips
Wither gone / the glory of the past..
Unfortunately I have been unable to uncover its translator or the full text.
Meanwhile, I did find a website that had a German translation of the song: ⇒ Deutsche Übersetzung (von Minako Watanabe).

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