Ooka Makoto / 大岡信- VI

To a girl, in spring

 

 

Look, when the mountain, with fire in its belly, raises joyous roars

beating billions of drums all at once, people pale and struggle to escape

 

But you must know that the very force pushing you up to the crest of the spring

of your life

is the force that propels flooding rivers in autumn and destroys men’s dykes

 

The force that keeps larvae of ant-lions and beetles underground to sleep until

spring drives fruits of autumn to the tips of tender tubes

 

I toured many fountains in the ancient cities of the West

and saw under domes the figures of people graced with sacred names

 

After long bloody nights of persecution and massacre

those with sacred names had become a deeply silent void

 

Even so their paintings remained on walls as mementos of consecrated suffering

as if to boast that greatness can easily be trivial

 

I haven’t lived a frugal and upright life deserving to die a martyr –

the thought haunts me in the bone-chilling winter of my guts

 

If a man with fire in his belly spewed a hateful roar

shooting up just a few fireballs, that alone would turn me pale

 

But I want you to know that the very force to propel autumn rivers and destroy

men’s dykes

is the force that has put you at the crest of the spring of your life

 

 

 

春　少女に

 

ごらん　火を腹にためて山が歓喜のうなりをあげ

数億のドラムをどっとたたくとき　人は蒼ざめ逃げまどふ

 

でも知っておきたまへ　春の齢（よはい）の頂きにきみを押しあける力こそ

氾濫する秋の川を動かして人の堤をうち砕くカなのだ

 

蟻地獄　髪切虫の卵どもを春まで地下で眠らせる力が

細いくだのてっぺんに秋の果実を押しあげるのだ

 

ぼくは西の古い都で噴水をいくつもめぐり

ドームの下で見た　神聖な名にかざられた人々の姿

 

迫害と殺戮のながいながい血の夜のあとで

聖なる名の人々はしんかんと大いなる無に帰してゐた

 

それでも壁に絵はあった　聖別された苦しみのかたみとして

大なるものは苦もなく小でありうると誇るかのやうに

 

ぼくは殉教できるほど　まっすぐつましく生きてゐない

ひえびえとする臓腑の冬によみがへるのはそのこと

 

火を腹にためて人が憎悪のうなりをあげ

数個の火玉をうちあげただけで　蒼ざめるだらう　ぼくは

 

でもきみは知ってゐてくれ　秋の川を動かして人の堤をうち砕く力こそ

春の齢の頂きにきみを置いたカなのだ