Sonata of Spring Melancholy [Cafe Romanticism 4]

[Cafe Romanticism]
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On those rare, balmy, sunny days brought about by climate change, I want to enjoy the passing of spring by having an outdoor coffee—not quite a tea ceremony, but an outdoor coffee session. I will sit on the grass, savoring the lingering presence of small spring flowers, and as I lie down to watch the clouds drift by, I will immerse myself in a sweet spring melancholy.

Beside a field of spring melancholy, a book of poetry criticism from the pre-war Showa era, which could be called the adolescence of colloquial free verse, would be appropriate. Even for those who do not read or fully understand poetry itself, I think simply pondering poetry criticism, as Hideo Kobayashi does, is enjoyable and makes this spring feel even more beautiful.

Although it is called poetry theory, this book by Sakutaro Hagiwara is closer to an essay based on a poet's actual experience. It is far easier to read than the prose filled with abstract concepts often found in literary criticism, and it makes me want to change the title from "Pure" to "Pure-hearted." His critical eye for Japanese classics, not to mention Western poetry, is exceptionally keen.

He was an enthusiastic admirer of Izumi Shikibu and Princess Shikishi, the greatest poetess of the Shin Kokin Wakashu, and later he himself would declare a return to Japan. I will leave that for you to discover by reading his "Famous Love Poems Collection," but while this "Pure Poetry Theory" was written from a position that had to lead Japanese free verse, the longing for traditional Japanese poetry that can be glimpsed throughout is both sad and beautiful.

I also want to praise the romantic life of this poet, who worshipped the literary-style rhythmic poetry of his senior, Ariake Kambara, while turning toward colloquial free verse himself, and who spent his days and nights immersed in the intoxication of alcohol. The mandolin melodies he often played must have been filled with the tone of spring melancholy. It was a happy era when the worries of youth were more in tune with the times than the wisdom of the elderly, and I feel as though I can hear the passionate literary debates of the literary youth of that time.

The coffee set is a French Art Nouveau flower-shaped cup from the same era as the books. I love using it for tea parties in the fields with the flower spirits in my own paradise in the valley.

The other book is a famous poetry collection that introduced many young girls in the early Showa era to the sweetness of lyricism.

Yaso Saijo wrote many poems every month for magazines aimed at boys and girls of the good old pure-hearted generation. The divine-sounding "Girls' Pure-Hearted Poetry Collection" is a truly beautiful small book with gold-leaf edges and velvet binding, and it is also delightful for its many lyrical illustrations by the popular artist Masao Kato.

One might dismiss the poems as mere trifles for girls, but what is astonishing about Yaso Saijo is his ability to accurately distinguish between serious poetry, translated poetry, and poetry for the masses or children.

A little later, he would go on to have a string of massive hits, from children's songs to military songs and popular music, and his name as a lyricist would become even more prominent. I wonder what the fans who knew the symbolic poetry of "Gold Dust" from his debut and the mysterious world of his masterpiece "Canary" thought of that.

His girls' novel series, which was even more popular than that, has had an immeasurable influence on the post-war girls' manga artists who grew up reading them. At this point, I would love to collect all of his works and uncover the secrets of the diversity of his techniques and ideas.

Holding this most lovely poetry collection, produced in an era when this romanticism was beginning to decline, and thinking of the world today, my spring melancholy sinks deep into my soul. The streets of youth, where students gathered in cafes to battle over book reviews and art theory, exist now only in movies.

Music that seems likely to color such thoughts even more beautifully would be Scriabin's "Fantasy Sonata (Piano Sonata No. 2), First Movement."

It is said that this piece expresses the moonlight shimmering in the twilight by the seaside, which Scriabin visited while in the Black Sea, but it also fits well with the flickering of the warm spring sun. The beautiful chords and grace notes in the latter half, crafted by the color-sensitive Scriabin, are like the radiance of light in a fantasy world, just as the name suggests.

The performance by Alexander Melnikov, which I have introduced, has a certain lyricism within its tranquility, and it conveys the shimmering of light and the emotions of youth very well. If you like Chopin's "Nocturnes" or Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata," I highly recommend you listen to this piece as well.

The sunlight pouring boundlessly onto the spring fields is no different from when these books were written and read by many, but people who slowly savor such ordinary wildflowers, butterflies, breezes, and spring sunshine have drastically decreased today. I would like at least the readers of this manuscript to cherish this shortened spring and let the beautiful feelings of spring melancholy soak deep into their own beings.

[Cafe Romanticism]
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