[LAW Document 72 Hours] The Moon is the Dream of the Sun
Romanticism, which spread from Europe.
The unfinished novel "The Blue Flower" by the Romantic poet Novalis.
"The Blue Flower" (Iwanami Bunko) by Novalis, translated by Takao Aoyama
Novalis's
"The moon is the dream of the sun"
The sense of calling it that is wonderful, isn't it? (^^♪
"When night touches light, and light touches night, and they shatter into pieces, even more subtle shadows and colors drift about." (P31)
"Nature does not like to be monopolized by any one person, and once it seems to have returned to the possession of one person, it immediately turns into a poison." (P108)
"The moon hung over the hills, casting a gentle light, and conjuring strange dreams in the hearts of all living things.
As if it were itself a dream dreamt by the sun, it looked down upon this sunken world of dreams, and brought nature, divided into countless boundaries, back to that ancient age of fairy tales." (P121)
"The sense of fully recognizing human history is something that is only acquired with age, and it is born not so much from the vivid impressions of what unfolds before one's eyes, but rather from the gentle workings of memory." (P131)
"Love is the mysterious blending of the unique, mystery-filled existence that is humanity, isn't it?" (P194)
What is unfortunate is that because Novalis passed away at a young age while writing it, it is ultimately unclear what kind of novel it was...
<Reference Books>
"Hymns to the Night, The Novices of Sais, and Other Works" (Iwanami Bunko) by Novalis, translated by Fumiko Imaizumi
■ The moon is an existence that connects the 'past' and the 'present'
The 'Kana Preface' to the 'Kokinshu' by Ki no Tsurayuki concludes with the words:
‘Those who know the style of poetry and understand the heart of things, like looking at the moon in the vast sky, will look up to the past and yearn for the present.’
This is said to be read as an explanation of the compilation intent of the 'Kokinshu', but it is said that it also contains meanings that go beyond that.
‘Those who know the charm of poetry and have grasped the essence of things, like looking at the moon in the vast sky, must look up to the past and yearn for the present.’
It is a beautiful sentiment.
The "moon" is the past that has passed away.
On the other hand, it is precisely because of that past that we can yearn for the present.
In other words, it is also what connects the past that has passed away with...
"the present"
...as well.
Perhaps that is why.
It was also the moon that was reflected in Tsurayuki's eyes at the end of his life.
And the shadow of the moon, which he sang of in his death poem, brought to light both the days of his past life and the world itself.
Te ni musubu mizu ni yadoreru tsukikage no aru ka naki ka no yo ni koso ari kere (Shui Wakashu, Aisho 1322)
"In this world, which is as fleeting as the faint reflection of the moon in the water I scoop in my hands, I have come to see both the life of man and my own life."
The moon reflected in water refers to the metaphor of the world used in Buddhist teachings, known as 'the false borrowing of the water rabbit' (the illusory image of the moon floating on the water's surface).
However, in Tsurayuki's poem, it has become something that can only be expressed in Japanese.
'Musubu' carries two different meanings: 'to tie/bind' and 'to scoop (water)', and the poetic word 'mizu' (water) also possesses nuances unique to the Japanese language that cannot be expressed in other languages like Chinese.
Through its sound, it resonates with 'mizu' (not seeing), and through its characters, it evokes the exact opposite, 'mitsu' (to see/have seen).
Therefore, the image of the moon's shadow, which appears and disappears as the water's surface ripples, is conveyed realistically through both the eyes and the ears, deeply permeating the heart with the fleeting nature of life, which is 'there and yet not there.'
The content and expression blend magnificently, forming a perfect harmony.
As Tsurayuki's death poem shows, the 'shadow of the moon' can be considered to express the ontology of the ancients better than any other expression of the 'moon,' don't you think? (^^)
■ Saigyo's 'Sankashu' Moon Love Poems
Saigyo, who stood at a turning point in Japanese cultural and intellectual history.
Saigyo's waka poetry is not just about cherry blossoms.
If you happen to look up at the sky, longing for the moon as it approaches the new moon (the 31st).
I will introduce 10 poems from Saigyo's 'Sankashu' moon love poems (there are 37 moon poems in the love chapter of the Sankashu), okay? (^^)
If I could only know the end of my heart,
which wanders off into the moonlit sky.
A parting that I surely cannot forget,
leaving the lingering memory in the moon of that person.
Though I say that I remember it at any time,
my heart cannot bear the moon.
Oh, the longing; as I gaze, feeling my thoughts weaken,
the moonlight only breaks my heart further.
Pretending to look at the moon all night long,
I am lost in the darkness of my heart.
If there were someone who would see it as poignant, I would think,
my heart dwells on the face of the moon.
Does the moon make me think of things, telling me to lament?
My tears seem to blame it.
Even if ages pass, the memories that are hard to forget,
are they only the moon dwelling in my sleeves?
Although there is nothing to comfort me as I gaze,
I spend the time with the moon as my friend.
How I wish I could meet you, if only for a moment, to rival the moon,
and stand side by side in its light.
Why the moon and not the sun?
From Apollo to Amaterasu, in mythology, the sun has been an absolute existence.
And yet, when it comes to 'love,' it seems it just has to be the 'moon,' doesn't it?
We are creatures who cannot even understand ourselves correctly.
That is why we try to find meaning in the self-image reflected in the depths of another's eyes, isn't it?
And I feel that the most important thing was the 'self-image' that the 'person we love' throws back at us.
Therefore, couldn't we say that love is a lunar emotion, illuminated by the sun?
■ Kenji Miyazawa: 'Song of the Moon'
Looking back through time and researching Kenji's works, I learned that he left behind many fairy tales, poems, and tanka poems related to the moon.
Kenji called the moon 'Gattenshi' (Moon Deva), and it seems he held something close to a religious belief in it.
Also, it is said that the following was written in the notebook where 'Ame ni mo Makezu' was composed.
If one says that a person is their body,
it seems to be a mistake.
And if one says that a person is their body and mind,
this also seems to be a mistake.
And if one says that a person is their mind,
this too seems to be a mistake.
Therefore, even if I call the moon 'Gattenshi',
this is not merely personification.
Furthermore, in the fairy tale 'Night of the Oak Forest',
A pink moon rises, and the story begins.
The moon changes into a light blue kimono.
The moon becomes blue and transparent, and the surroundings become like the bottom of a lake.
The moon is hidden by pale blue mist.
The story unfolds in accordance with these scenes of the moon.
Perhaps this colorful moon is unique to Kenji, who was well-versed in mineralogy.
Finally, I have picked out all the poems related to the moon from his tanka collection.
There are quite a few eerie moons, though (^^;
Please try to feel Kenji's synesthesia.
The summer grass monument of Basho,
slept within the blue reflection of the moon.
Look with pity, the mountain snow reflecting the moonlight,
does it not resemble the death wax of a young nobleman?
The moonlight, containing lead and the like,
soaks into the heavy trees of the graveyard mountain.
When the crescent moon rises, faintly blue,
the crows awaken and cry out in wonder.
Fragments of frost falling in the twinkling of glittering stars,
the gravestones shine in the moonlight.
I alone cannot sleep, cannot sleep, in the middle of the night,
hanging in the window is a scorched-red moon.
Distorted and twisted, drawn on the window, the reddish-brown moon
I alone cannot sleep, truly it is sad
Falling to the ground, lamenting so much, without a heart
Does it go round and round, the silvery moon?
At the four-cornered mountain of the castle ruins, the clover's
Flowers have withered, silvery moon
The moon of the sixteenth night, with the scent of cold fruit
Has appeared
Though the light of the sunken moon remains
The crowd of dancers is already sad
The phosphorescence of the eyes of the deer fleeing back
And the half-black moon of the fifth day
Coming to the balcony of the crescent moon, I wished
To cast away all my sorrows
Especially, I pray again within the moonlight
That has melted and contains lead
Refreshing, a half-moon hangs in the twilight
On the way back through the Chichibu gorge
Thus, the night sky that will become winter again
Moonlight touching the drifting fog
Facing the crescent moon, wishing to quit everything
The fog comes falling down
The thin fog that the crescent moon quietly exhaled
I passed through, feeling frustrated
The silvery moon has moved to
The stagnant water in the fields of Fimas, the ruts of the wagon
Yellow leaves fall, and the ivory-crafted white birch
Is crowned by the midday moon
Black cypress, moonlight stagnates in the break in the clouds
Approaching, planning something
In the thin, crying moonlight gas
The cypress has brushed the snow from its branches
Among the kelp laid out, a large
Pot-like object is pulled by the moon
When the moonlight dims a little, my heart rushes
The smell of sulfur fills the road
Seeing the strange form of the dancer
Who shone in the thin moon, my heart weeps
The strange glitter of the sword dance
Dancing in a crowd in the thin moon, my heart is disturbed
Beneath the young man's blue mask, a breath is drawn
The crescent moon emerges into the deepening night
In the wind blowing with scattered rain
The thin moon fills, and the insects cry
The moon is weak, and though not clear, the curled clouds
Seem to be flying intently to the north
Facing the silvery moon, my eyes
Doubt the clouds in the cloudless sky
High in the sky, the silvery moon hangs
My sad eyes see clouds
Listen again, the moon spoke, so gently
Andersen's moon spoke
The black seaweed at the bottom of the water, all in the moonlight
Stretch out their strange arms
When the amber of dawn shines, pale and white
Andersen's moon sinks
The polished sky is lonely and grows cloudy
The crescent moon illusionist, it becomes dawn
Crescent moon, casting off the illusionist's robes
Clearly hanging in the dawn sky
Though the dawn moon remains, the pine grove's
Rustling is refreshing, and the sun is about to rise
The moonlight entering into the midday
Is the blooming of the Andromeda flowers
Blooming on the ridge, the moonlight in the midday
Though this is not how things should be
■ For ancient Japanese people, the moon was a special existence
Perhaps it is because that remnant remains in modern Japanese people as well.
One of the reasons why it is presumed that they cherish the moon more than perhaps any other ethnic group.
It is said that this is because Japan's humidity is high, making the moon appear faintly hazy.
This hazy moon sinks deeply into the heart.
That must be why...
The ancients associated its appearance with their own tears.
"Is the moonlight hazy because I am looking at it through eyes clouded by tears of love?" (From the Denjo Kurodo Uta-awase, Tokinobu, 25)
In many such poems,
"Is the moon appearing hazy because the sky is cloudy, or because the eyes of the observer are clouded?"
they would write, wouldn't they?
On the other hand, perhaps it is precisely because of these tearful, hazy moons that the joy of a harvest moon, shining with pure light in every corner, was so great.
"Bright, bright, bright, bright, bright, bright, bright, bright, bright, bright, bright, bright, bright, bright, bright, moon."
As in the poem by Priest Myoe, which echoes the very voice of that impression,
"The moon"
seems to have also been a moment of enlightenment. (^^♪