Saturday, July 24, 2021

7月23日(金曜日)2021

    N.Nさんから桃原の紅花(べにばな)をいただきました。トゲトゲの紅花を積むのは大変だったと思います。紅花といえば、ジブリのアニメ「おもひでポロポロ」をいつも思い出します。江戸時代、山形の貧しい農家の娘たちが朝早く指を血で真っ赤にしながら紅花を摘んだ悲哀が中で語られます。でもお話はハッピーエンディング。大好きなアニメです。それと、この「おもひでポロポロ」はアメリカの大学で教えていた時長く教材として取り扱っていたので、アニメを思い出すと同時に学生たちの様々な顔が蘇ってきて私自身の「おもひでポロポロ」なのです。経験を積みながら仕事をしている人、家庭をもった人、皆たくましくも美しい女性たちです。
 
    Ms. N.N. gave me BENIBANA (safflower) which she picked at Mobara mountain. It must have been hard to pick because a lot of thorns are there. Whenever I hear Benibana, I recall Ghibli's animation "Only Yesterday". In the film, a short story was introduced of young women in a poor farmer's family in Yamagata prefecture in Edo period who picked Benibana with their fingers, red with blood because of the thorns. It was a bit of a sad story, but the animation itself concluded with a happy ending. I like this anime very much. In addition, I used this anime in my Japanese class in the US for many years. Therefore every time when I recall this anime, I also recall many of my students' faces. Indeed it is also "Only Yesterday" to me. Many of them are working, gaining their experiences, many of them got married and have families. They are all tough and beautiful women.