夏の読書はこれかな。ルクレジオの著書２冊、革装のモーリシャス版。ルクレジオの父祖の地ロドリゲス島の本屋で購入したものを、西江雅之先生からいただいた。迷う精神の指針。 So these are my summer reading. Two masterpieces by Le Clézio, bound in leather. My mentor the late Professor Masayuki Nishie bought them at a bookshop in Rodriguez, Le Clézio’s ancestral island, and gave them to me. For my spiritual guidance in time of doubt.
オランダの夏の果実。 Soothing colors of the fruits in the Dutch summer.
オランダには独特な魅力があるね。ふつうであることの魅力、水と緑のゆたかさ。都会の夏も、こんなにのどか。 The Netherlands has a special charm. The charm of the ordinary embedded in the richness of water and greenery gives her cities suave tranquillity.
なんだか妖しいきのこ。食べたら笑うのか、死ぬのか。台湾・渓頭にて。 What kind of mushroom could this be? Does it make me laugh or die if I ate it? This is from central Taiwan.
むかしの６月に出会った花。どこかは忘れた。その光がこうして残っているんだね。 Here is a flower that I encountered in June of 2009 or thereabouts. Location forgotten. But the light of the flower remains in this fashion.
なんという種類の樹木だろう。松かな。切断面の美しさにしばし見とれる。 I don’t know what kind of tree is this. Maybe a pine tree? For a while I touched and admired the beauty of its cross section.
岩そのものが宇宙から飛来したと考えたくなるような。あるいは、この岩に乗って地球の外に飛び出せるような。そんなことを賢治さんも考えたのかな。種山高原にて。 Maybe this rock has flown in from the universe and landed here. Or we can use this as a vehicle to fly away from Earth’s gravity. I wonder if Miyazawa Kenji, too, had imagined such standing on this rock at Taneyama Kogen.
おやおや、こんなところで尊きお方にお目にかかれるとは！ お名前を存じ上げませぬが、この世に惑うわれわれへの寛大なお導きをありがとうございます。 Oh, hey, mister, I mean, sir! How lucky I am to meet you in such an unexpected place. Very sorry that I can't recall your name, but thank you all the same for your generous guidance in this harsh world for us lost souls.
大都市を歩いていて突然訪れるのは光の瞬間。反射光が地上を天国にしてくれる、かも。 Walking around in a big city in search for a moment of unexpected illumination. Reflected lights can make this earth otherworldly.
正統派サイミンぜんぶ載せ。リフエの葉村サイミンにて。 An authentic bowl of saimin with everything on. At Hamura Saimin in Lihue, Kauai.