| [I]What is tanka? (Primer course I) (2) What is tanka? In this chapter, I would like to discuss “What is tanka?” Kino Tsurayuki(872?-945), who compiled the Kokinshu, explained it in the preface of this anthology; tanka poems, which were written in olden times called the mist of time in Japan, were composed by people who had sensitive hearts to all beings. So, they tried to express their hearts in their poems with various words like leaves of trees. Anyone living in this world experiences so many kinds of things in their ordinary life that naturally they want to express their feelings in their poems. Who never composes poems when one hears the warbler sing among the blossoms or the frog in the fresh waters? It is tanka (waka or uta) that moves gods of heaven and earth, impresses heartily spirits whom we cannot to see, softens the relations between men and women and calm the hearts of fierce warriors. In the previous chapter I introduce you tanka poem, which is written by the poetess Wakahime to propose to her sweetheart, Omoikane-no-mikoto. So it made them the best couple and a son named Tajikarao-no-mikoto was born between them. Maybe you find that tanka softens the relations between men and women from this episode. Furthermore, I would like to I introduce you another episode from which you can find that tanka moves gods of heaven and earth: long times ago a sailor who rowed a boat in which an Emperor was also aboard. And it was caught in a storm. So he presented to gods of heaven and earth with the following tanka. As soon as he did so, the storm stopped and he was able to take the Emperor to the court: na ka ki yo no/ to o no ne fu ri no mi na me (za) me/ na mi no ri fu ne no o to no yo ki ka na (I found the grand ship,/ where I had slept long last night, pleasantly cutting/ the waves: a sound to rouse us all heartily this morning.) Now, I would discuss the story after Manyoshu was compiled. One of the great Japanese collections of poems, Manyoshu, which prevented various poems from being scattered and lost, was compiled in 759. But after that, tanka poetry lapsed into obscurity. For about one hundred and forty years before the Kokinshu, most people in those days were so influenced by the floods of high level cultures from China such as techniques of construction, paintings and handicrafts that the Chinese poems(kanshi) were rather more popular than tanka in The literary field. In 893 Sugawara Michizane(843-903), who was a kanshi specialist, published the translations of selected poems in Manyoshu into Chinese next year after he refused to go to China as an ambassador. It is said that this encouraged people in those days to be interested in tanka. Then, three imperial anthologies, the Kokinshu(905), the Gosenshu(951) and the Shuishu(998) were compiled. These collections became the acceptable examples for future poets so that they were named Sandaishu or ‘The three great collections.’Tanka thus became one of the major artistic poetry forms in Japan, its popularity spreading among the populance, not only aristocrats but also monks, warriors and merchants. Here I will show you the following examples of tanka by the typical poets in Kokinshu such as Oshikochi no Mitsune(?-900-?), Kino Tomonori(?-905-?), Kino Tsurayuki and Ariwara no Narihira(825-880). These may help you to appreciate the sentiment of Japanese poets of this time. |
春の夜の闇はあやなし梅の花色こそ見えね香やは隠るゝ In the spring evening/ the darkness seems so heartless because it makes it/ possible to smell fragrant but impossible to see. by Oshikochi no Mitsune 033久方の光のどけき春の日にしづ心なく花の散るらむ Why in a hurry/ have cherry blossoms fallen on the day in spring/ when the sun shines so brightly with the calm breeze fluttering? by Kino Tomonori 035人はいさ心も知らず故郷は花ぞ昔の香に匂ひける As cherry blossoms/ smell fragrant year after year without fail in spring/ they are in bloom this year, too in home town where parents are. by Kino Tsurayuki 世の中に絶えて櫻のなかりせば春の心はのどけからまし If it were not for/ cherry blossoms anywhere all over the world/ we could enjoy living in peace every time spring has come. by Ariwara no Narihira 第一章（〜短歌とは何か？〜）[入門講座I] 第 2節 短歌とは何か？ 本節では「短歌とは何か」について述べたいと思う。古今集を編纂した紀貫之は、その序文で「日本の古歌は人の心情を元として様々な言葉で表現されてきた。人がこの世の中で生活すると様々なことに出会うが、心に感ずることは歌に表現したくなるものである。花に鳴く鶯、水に住む蛙の声を聞いて、歌を詠まないことがあるだろうか。歌は力を入れずして天地の心をも動かし、目に見えない心霊を感動させ、男女の仲を取り持ち、荒ぶる武士の心をも慰めるものである」と述べている。 古歌の中で、前節で和歌姫が思兼命に詠んだ回歌を紹介したが、この歌は正に、貫之が序文で述べているように、歌が「男女の仲を取り持つものであること」を証明している。そこで、古歌の中から、もう一首をご紹介して、貫之が「歌は天地の心をも動かすものである」と述べていることを証明してみたい。 昔、天皇を舟に乗せている船頭が嵐に出会って、舟が転覆するようになった時咄嗟に、「長き夜の遠の眠りのみな目覚め波乗り船の音の良きかな」（ながきよのとおのねふりのみなめ ざ めなみのりふねのおとのよきかな）」という中央の文字「ざ」を中心に左右が完全に同じ文字で詠まれている回歌を詠んで朗詠すると、嵐が止んで天皇を無事に宮中に送り届けることが出来たというお話である。嵐は天地自然の現象であり、その天地の心をも（力を入れずして）動かすのが歌であるということになる。このことを知った西行は東北を旅していた時、雨に会い、「雨が止むように」と言ういう意味の歌を詠んで唱えたら実際に雨が止んだという逸話が残っている。 さて、前節で紹介した万葉集が編纂され、国風文化である和歌が集大成されたが、その後、優れた文化を中国から輸入した時代背景にあって、国風文化よりも外来文化を貴ぶ風潮にならって、詩歌の世界でも和歌よりも漢詩が興隆していった。 しかし、漢詩にも優れた才能を持っていた菅原道真は遣唐使を廃止した翌年、和歌を漢訳した「新選万葉集」を発刊した。これによって国風文化に対する関心が高まり、古今集への編纂と進んでいくのである。そして、万葉集以降、新古今集が編纂されるまでに、「古今集」「後撰集」「拾遺集」という三大勅撰和歌集が編纂されていったのである。これらの撰集は後世の歌人が歌を詠む上で最も適切な模範となるものであったため、三大集と呼ばれた。短歌はこのようにして日本の代表的な芸術的詩歌形式の一つになり、その人気は大衆の間に広がり、貴族だけでなく僧侶や武士や商人に及んだ。 今回は、古今集に集録されている凡河内躬恒、033紀友則、035紀貫之、在原業平の歌を参考に当時の歌の傾向をご理解戴ければと思う。（紀友則と紀貫之の歌は百人一首の歌である） |
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| 古典短歌講座（第１版） Classical Tanka composition in English (1) |
| プラボットの異端児（短歌入門部屋）に戻る 当サイトはリンクフリーです、どうぞご自由に。 Copyright(c) 2010 Yoshihiro Kuromichi(plabotnoitanji@yahoo.co.jp) |
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