三つ物連句の「なぜ」と「どうやって」―３月
数独にはまっている友人がいる。クロスワードのパズルも大好きだという。曰く、「この’三つ物’遊びってナ～ニ？」。この問いに応えるべく今月は 三つ物連句の何故と、 どうやってを記すことにした。
WHY- 「何故三つ物なんか？」
この問いに対して、「どうして数独を？」と聞き返す。「頭の体操と毎日の生活のリズムと、それに集中出来るから。。。楽しい」と。
確かにこの三つ物プロジェクトも自分で課す締切が、毎月のリズムを作るし、出来上がるまで集中力をかなり要するので、頭の体操になり、出来上がった時のホット感も大きい。が、取り掛かるまでと始まってから完成するまで続くストレスも結構なものだ。
それでも昨年創作したカレンダーを毎月振り返って、あれこれ考えたり感じたり、季節の推移を意識しながら過ごしていけてとても充実している。
独りで俳句を詠むのと違い一緒に句をつなげていくことにより自分１人では思いもつかない発想に出合いそれが予期せぬ展開をしたりする。今回の様にメール、手紙による場合は+アルファのやり取りに発展したりもする。
更に「場」で連句を完成する場合に、「出勝」といって全員の出した句から捌き（句を裁定して全体をまとめる責任者）が１つを選ぶと、まさに頭のあちこちが忙しく動いて赤くなっているはずだ。たっぷりの時間と体力そして忍耐があればだが。
HOW―「どうやってつなげるの？」
通常の「場」の連句と違いここでは３月の絵（当ブログの「年次プロジェクト―自家製カレンダー２０１６」）に対して発句を詠む事になる。３６句つなげる歌仙（方式）の最初の３句に定められている季に則って今回は春の句を３句つなげるということで、その最初の春の句の候補３句を淑子が詠んだ。
絵の中では理想の町と言われている、中部イタリアの町トディのなだらかな丘を青麦畑が覆い、赤い花といくつかの建物が点在している。そこを訪れてもそこに住んでもそこから写真が送られてきても、という具合に、想像の翼を広げることができる。
淑子の３つの候補句のうち次の句が最も目を引いた。
寝転んでジャックとジルの春の丘
イギリス伝承童謡マザーグースの中の指遊びをしながら歌う「ジャックとジル」、その登場人物ジャックとジルを絵から連想したという。歌詞とイラストも送ってきてくれた。
まずは「なんてユニークな発想！」と思ったが、英訳を見て頭を抱えた。英語のJadk and Jill は童揺の少年とその姉妹から転じて男女や恋人同士も意味する。それに寝転ぶ丘となると、恋がらみにもとれる。発句は何でも許されるとは知っているが、恋句がらみで始めることにちょっと躊躇う。
まずは「なんてユニークな発想！」と思ったが、英訳を見て頭を抱えた。英語のJadk and Jill は童揺の少年とその姉妹から転じて男女や恋人同士も意味する。それに寝転ぶ丘となると、恋がらみにもとれる。発句は何でも許されるとは知っているが、恋句がらみで始めることにちょっと躊躇う。
そこで、この句を２番目の候補句
春の雲向こうの丘の鐘の音
と合わせて
鐘霞む「ジャックとジル」の丘の果て
としてみた。
が、しかし、この折衷案では残念ながら、作者の感じたものから離れすぎるし絵から受けたイメージが伝わらないという事が判明した。曰く「ジャックとジルに寝転んだりお弁当を食べたりして欲しい。」
何となく英訳にこだわる捌き試行者としては、少し無難な２番目の候補句に少し手を加えて、
春の雲丘鳴り渡る鐘の音
で妥協点を見出したいところ。作者のokを得て発句が決まった。
脇句（第２句）は拙句
春水掬い午餐の支度（しゅんすいすくいごさんのしたく）
とした。教会の鐘が鳴り渡る日曜日、寄り集まる家族のための午餐（写真のような１皿）を用意する主婦。外の井戸で春の水を汲んでそれを掬いながら調理する景。
ここで、急きょゲストに第三句を頼もうと、ふと思い立つ。Google+でその素晴らしい作品を知るようになったHeike Gewi が私の突飛な思い付きに快く応じてくれた。第１，２句をメールして数時間後にもう見事な第３句が送られてきた。
a woman's laughter
again and again branches
scratched the budding moon
a woman's laughter
again and again branches
scratched the budding moon
第１，２句で作られた世界をうまく転じた詩的な句だが、日本語訳は容易でない。
笑う人芽木幾度も月触れて
と、逐語訳で何とか５ー７ー５節の英語を日本語１７音に盛り込んだ。原句の’laughter'（ 笑い）は、「笑い声」としたいと思ったが発句の鐘と障るので「笑う」とし、'woman'（女性）は第２句の主婦と少し距離を置くために「人」としてみた。
たった３句なれど３句、
だとつくづく感じた３月の三つ物だった。絵の解釈から始まり、様々な規定、日英語訳、等々色々な要素が絡みあい、３人の個性が輝きながらなおかつ調和が取れる連句、となると当然ながらたいそう複雑だ。
だとつくづく感じた３月の三つ物だった。絵の解釈から始まり、様々な規定、日英語訳、等々色々な要素が絡みあい、３人の個性が輝きながらなおかつ調和が取れる連句、となると当然ながらたいそう複雑だ。
ジャックとジルの句で、恋の三つ物を自由に、なんていう発想が何で浮かばなかったの？と今にして思う。規則からもう少し距離を置いて、自由な発想をもっと楽しめるように、が今後の課題だ。
春の雲丘鳴り渡る鐘の音 淑子
春水掬い午餐の支度 麻美
笑う人芽木幾度も月触れて ヘイケ
WHY - "Why such a thing as 'triplet'?" said her.
"Why 'number place'?",I said back to her. She said,
"For brain's workout, the rhythm of daily livinｇ and concentration...it's fun."
I can say for sure this triplet project, too, sets the monthly rhythm with the deadline I impose myself. It is also good for the mental exercise because it requires a lot of concentration and is followed by a big relief upon completion. The stress, however, is great before and after starting to work on it, which lingers till the final version .
And yet, looking back monthly at the calendar made last year, thinking and feeling one thing or another,I can spend a rich time consciously paying attention to the seasonal progress.
Ｗｈｙ ａｎｄ Ｈｏｗ ｏｆ Ｔｒｉｐｌｅｔ－Ｍａｒ．
One of my friends is a "number place" nut. She also likes the crossword puzzles and says "What's this 'triplet game'?" To answer it,this month why and how of the triplet are described here.WHY - "Why such a thing as 'triplet'?" said her.
"Why 'number place'?",I said back to her. She said,
"For brain's workout, the rhythm of daily livinｇ and concentration...it's fun."
I can say for sure this triplet project, too, sets the monthly rhythm with the deadline I impose myself. It is also good for the mental exercise because it requires a lot of concentration and is followed by a big relief upon completion. The stress, however, is great before and after starting to work on it, which lingers till the final version .
And yet, looking back monthly at the calendar made last year, thinking and feeling one thing or another,I can spend a rich time consciously paying attention to the seasonal progress.
Not like a solo haiku, by linking verses together, we can come across the conception unimaginable on our own, which could unfold in an unexpected direction. In case of linking by mail or letter like this one here, it can unfold into extra exchanges of views or news.
Moreover if the linking is completed on the spot(as explained in my blog 'triplet starting from the calendar - Feb.) all the members usually submit their verses, one of which is selected by the sabaki(a leader responsible for judging each verse and completing the whole linking).This so-called 'degachi' style gets the different parts of our brain to work busily and turn red here and there, if only we can afford plenty of time and are physically strong and patient enough.
HOW - How to link verses?
Unlike the linking on the spot, here we are to compose the starting verse to match the Mar.picture of the calendar(my blog - My Annual Project/Calendar 2016 of My Own Making) According to the rules of season stipulated for the first three verses of 'Ｋasen' style(linking 36 verses), we are supposed to link three spring ones, the first one of which Yoshiko proposed three alternatives for.
The picture depicts Todi(called an ideal town) in central Italy where the rolling hills are carpeted with green wheat fields, dotted with some red flowers and buildings. Assuming we visit it, live or receive photos from there, we can give full scope to our imagination.
Out of her three alternatives, what attracted me most was the following:
Jack and Jill went up the hill
and lay sprawled out
spring
"Jack and Jill" is an English nursery rhyme from Mother Goose which is sung with the fingerplay. This Mar. picture reminded her of its characters,Jack and Jill. Its words and illustration were sent over, too.
"What a unique conception!" I thought first and then worried a bit. Jack and Jill can also mean a man and woman or lovers, though originating from a little boy and his sister in the nursery rhyme. In addition, sprawling out on the hill can hint at a love verse. I know anything is acceptable to the first verse but I was a little hesitant to start with a love verse.
Then I managed to combine this first verse with her second alternative:
spring clouds
the church bell ringing
from another hill
The revised version reads,
hazy peal of bell
the hills of ’Ｊａｃk ａｎｄ Ｊｉｌｌ’are
stretching away
Unfortunately, this compromise proved to be a little distant from how she felt and didn't fully depict the image she got from the picture. "I want Jack and Jill to lie down and eat lunchboxes on the hill,"said her.
As a trial sabaki(leader), who is concerned with the implication of the English wordings, I tried striking a happy medium and chose the moderate second alternative of hers with a little change.
the spring clouds
the bell reverberating
across the hill
It finally got her go-ahead and the first verse was decided.
The second verse was composed by myself:
scooping spring water to get
Sunday roast ready
A housewife is preparing an early Sunday dinner(the above photo shows a typical plate) for the family's get-together, while the church bells are pealing. The warm spring water from the outside well is scooped for cooking.
Then suddenly I hit upon an idea of inviting a third person to compose the third verse. Ms.Heike Gewi, I came to know through her splendid pieces of artwork throuh Google+, readily responded to this abrupt idea of mine.
Some hours after the first and second verses were mailed, her beautiful third verse came back.
a woman's laughter
again and again branches
scratched the budding moon
It diverted skillfully from the world created with the first and second verses and looked poetic but wasn't easily put into Japanese. Literally I somehow translated the 5-7-5 English syllables into 17 Japanese words.
笑う人芽木幾たびも月触れて（warauhito megiikutabimo tsukifurete)
If 'laughter' is put into Japanese 'waraigoe' meaning laughing sound, which I was drawn to do, it goes back to and resonates with the bell in the first verse. Also 'a woman' was put into 'hito'(person) to leave a little distance from the housewife in the second verse.
"No more than three verses but as many as three"
was how I felt after the triplet for Mar. was over.
Various elements such as appreciation of the picture,rules, translation etc. are combined to compose a triplet with each individuality sparkling and yet in good harmony. Naturally it
is very complex.
Looking back now, I wonder why I didn't think of an idea to compose a free style triplet of love, starting from the Jack and Jill verse. My goal from now on is to set myself a little away from the rules and to enjoy free ideas much more.
the spring cloud
the bell reverberating across the hill Yoshiko
scooping spring water to get
an early dinner ready Mami
a woman's laughter
again and again branches
scratched the budding moon Heike
