2019年04月04日朝刊
奈良時代から來た元號
New Era name linked to joys of viewing ume, drinking sake
[中文譯文]
大伴旅人(665-731)是一位奈良時代的宮廷貴族，同時也是一位學(xué)識超人允扇，對現(xiàn)世充滿美好愿望的上流社會教養(yǎng)人士。他曾經(jīng)吟歌一首：“寧為酒缸不為人唱矛，酒缸之中永沉淪”。意思是說，當(dāng)什么人呀铭拧，我最大的愿望是當(dāng)一只酒壺破托，永遠(yuǎn)被美酒泡著谜洽，多爽呀阐虚。他就是這樣一個人序臂。
旅人天平2(730)年春，在他九州大宰府的公宅舉行宴會奥秆。受邀赴約的是整個九州地區(qū)公職人員咸灿，醫(yī)生囊榜，陰陽師等共31人孔庭。這是一場大家一起欣賞庭院之中盛開的梅花芽淡，然后比賽作詩稱贊梅花的盛宴《股停“初春令月挣菲，氣淑風(fēng)和，梅披鏡前之粉抚岗、蘭薫珮後之香“或杠。日本新時代的年號「令和」就是從這首據(jù)說是大伴旅人詠的開宴詩中來的。
這首詩還有下文宣蔚，”以天為蓋向抢，以地為廬，“
[日文原文]
＜なかなかに人とあらずは酒壷（つぼ）になりにてしかも酒に染みなむ＞胚委。いっそ人間をやめ挟鸠、ずっと酒に浸れる酒壺になりたい。突拍子もない願望を歌にした人がいたものである亩冬。大伴旅人（おおともたびと）艘希。奈良の昔、公卿にして一流の教養(yǎng)人だった硅急。
旅人は天平２（７３０）年春枢冤、九州?大宰府の公邸で宴を催している。招かれたのは九州一円の役人や醫(yī)師铜秆、陰陽師（おんみょうじ）ら３１人淹真。庭に咲く梅を詠み比べる歌宴だった×耄「初春の令月（れいげつ）にして核蘸、気淑（きよ）く風(fēng)和（やわ）らぎ」巍糯。旅人の書き殘したとされる開宴の辭から取られたのが、新元號「令和」である客扎。
辭には続きがある祟峦。「天空を覆いとし徙鱼、大地を敷物として宅楞、くつろぎ、膝寄せ合って酒杯を飛ばす袱吆。さあ園梅を歌に詠もうではないか」厌衙。枝を手折り、雪にたとえ绞绒、酒杯に浮かべる公卿らの姿が浮かぶ婶希。
「令和」にどのような感想をお持ちになっただろう。令や和の字を名に持つ方は蓬衡、これからしばらく話題にこと欠くまい喻杈。ここを商機(jī)と萬葉集コーナーを設(shè)けた書店もある。お祭り騒ぎはしばらく続きそうだ狰晚。
さて筒饰、萬葉の昔に戻れば、６０余年の大伴旅人の生涯に壁晒、元號は驚くほど頻繁に変わっている瓷们。やれ吉兆の亀が発見されたと言って「神亀」。奇跡の水が見つかったと「養(yǎng)老」。他に「朱鳥」「大寶」「慶雲(yún)」「和銅」「霊亀」「天平」。まるで改元のインフレ期のようである浓领。
そんな時代を知る旅人だが犯戏、酒席で述べた挨拶（挨拶）が１３００年後の元號になってしまうとは。二日酔いの夢にも想像しなかったことだろう娘汞。
[英文譯文]
Otomo no Tabito(665-731), a Nara Period court noble and a man of extraordinary learning, expressed an outlandish wish in a poem.
"I wish I could stop being a human and become a jug, so I can remain immersed in sake forever."
In the spring of 730, Tabito hosted a party at his official residence in Dazaifu on the southern island of Kyushu. His 31 guests included bureaucrats, physicians and yin-yang diviners from across Kyushu.
The participants recited poems of their own composition, admiring ume Japanese apricot flowers blooming in the garden.
An excerpt from the party's opening remarks, attributed to Tabito, went: "Hatsuharu no reigetsu ni shite kiyoku kaze yawaragi" (In this auspicious early spring month/The air is clean and the breeze is gentle.)
Reiwa, the new era name announced on April 1, is derived from two kanji characters in the remarks: "Rei" in "Reigetsu", and "Wa" in "Yawaragi."
The message went on to this effect:"With the sky serving as a canopy and the ground as a carpet, we are sitting relaxed and close together and exchanging sake cups. Let us make this ume garden the subject of the poems we compose."
In my mind's eye, the noble guests snap off branches of flowering ume and float white petals in their sake cups, pretending that they are flurries of snow.
I wonder what people's impressions are of this new era name. Anyone whose name contains the kanji for "rei" or "wa" will not be lacing a conversation topic for some time to come.
Since the above remarks are contained in "Manyoshu"(The Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves), business-savvy bookstores have already set up sections dedicated to copies of the nation's oldest poetry anthology.
I imagine all this hoopla will go on for a while.
During the six decades or so of Tabito's life, era names changed with surprising frequency.
The discovery of an auspicious tortoise ushered in the jinki(Divine tortoise) Era, and the discovery of a miraculous spring resulted in the era name Yoro.
Other names that came and went included Shucho, Taiho, Keiun, Wado, Reiki, and Tenpyo. As far as era names are concerned, one might say it was an "Inflationary period."
And here we are, where the poetic remarks supposedly made by Tabito have given birth to the new era name 1,300 years later.
He never would have imagined it, not even in his wildest dreams, while nursing a hangover.
