Travelogue of the Fragrant Breeze [Cafe Romanticism 5]

[Cafe Romanticism]
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During the season of fragrant breezes, books that stir the wanderlust are best. Since I cannot go on a wandering journey myself due to family circumstances, I have a particularly strong longing for books about poetic and pictorial travels.

When it comes to masterpieces of travel literature, Byron is the first name that comes to mind.

This "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" (today known as Harold) stirred a travel fever among the upper classes throughout Europe, especially a longing for the Mediterranean.

Fortunately, in Japan, we have the excellent translation by Bansui Doi. He himself studied abroad in various European countries as early as the Meiji era, learned seven languages, and later translated the Iliad and the Odyssey from the original Greek.

If I immerse myself in Lord Byron's writings on his travels through the European continent and the ruins of Italy amidst the early summer breeze, I am sure I will be able to dream of aesthetic beauty. I hope that you, too, will use this as a reference to experience a journey as beautiful as poetry at least once.

Accompanying this is "Venetian Scenes" by the 19th-century French poet Régnier. His bright and beautiful brushstrokes in describing the scenery are truly evocative of the travel mood.

I also love the poem "A Small Town" by Régnier, which is included in Kafu Nagai's translated poetry collection "Coral Collection," and it makes me want to live in the town he depicted myself.

The coffee cup is Agano ware from the early Showa period, and its green-glazed rim suits the season of fresh green leaves perfectly.
The old, uneven texture gives it a depth not found in post-war kilns.

Hot coffee is only good until the time of young and green leaves, after which it will be replaced by iced coffee, so I want to savor the warmth of the coffee and the vessel deeply, thinking of it as the lingering memory of this spring. The flower vase is also early Showa period Unotoyaki ware, and the soft-toned green-glazed pottery is appropriate for the flowers of this season.

For the next book, I will read a masterpiece by a poet of sake and travel while out in the field.

The title of the book comes from the following poem by Bokusui.

This book can be enjoyed both as a travelogue and as a collection of travel poems, and it possesses a true sense of travel that can never be tasted in today's hot spring gourmet trips. I, too, have often traveled alone with poetry and pictures just like Bokusui, but reading this makes me yearn to chase the spring and set out on a wandering poetic journey to some mountain country where late flowers still remain.

A poor, unplanned journey where one follows one's whims is definitely superior as it allows one to immerse oneself more deeply in travel melancholy and solitude, but since the modern era is far safer and more convenient than the travels of Saigyo or Basho, the anxiety and loneliness are likely not that significant.

That said, as I cannot go on a trip for the time being due to my current situation, enjoying the travel mood through this book is the greatest pleasure I can have.

Now, music listened to alone in the mountains and rivers of a travel destination must have a special flavor. Secret Garden's "Serenade to Spring" seems like it would beautifully color the travel melancholy of the Shinano region in late spring.

Celebrating their 30th anniversary this year, Secret Garden is a duo consisting of Norwegian composer Rolf Løvland and violinist Fionnuala Sherry. 'You Raise Me Up,' composed by Løvland, has been covered by many singers. Secret Garden has many songs that make the most of simple melodies and the beautiful tone of string instruments, and 'Serenade to Spring,' introduced here, is one of their signature pieces.

Listening to the Celtic melodies of such songs gives one the feeling of wandering through a forest and traveling back in time. A solo trip in the spring would surely become a more mystical experience if you walk along mountain paths while listening to Secret Garden's music.

Despite the global warming, the budding of the trees is a bit late this year, and Kamakura this week feels like the late spring of a decade ago. The mountain wisteria, which had withered due to salt damage from a typhoon a few years ago, has grown significantly and is blooming as it crawls down the cliff like a small waterfall.

The beautiful voice of the Hwamei, the guardian bird of our valley, is heard most vigorously during this time of fresh green, and it is a blissful coffee time amidst the lush, vibrant colors of the young leaves.

[Cafe Romanticism]
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