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Το όνειρο μιας καλοκαιρινής ημέρας...
«Η σκέψη μου ταξίδεψε ξανά στον Ουράσιμα. Συλλογίστηκα τις ζωγραφιές, τα ποιήματα και τα γνωμικά που μαρτυρούν την επίδραση του Θρύλου στη φαντασία ενός λαού. Συλλογίστηκα μια χορευτριούλα του Ίζουμο που είδα σ' ένα επίσημο γεύμα· έπαιζε το ρόλο του Ουράσιμα, κρατώντας ένα λακαριστό κουτάκι απ' όπου, την τραγική στιγμή, ξεχύθηκε η άχνα του Θυμιάματος του Κυότο. Συλλογίστηκα πόσο παλιός ήταν ο ωραίος χορός και, μοιραία, τις γενιές των χορευτριών που είχαν πλέον εκλείψει, γεγονός που οδήγησε τη σκέψη μου στη σκόνη, στην αφηρημένη της μορφή, και κατόπιν στη χειροπιαστή σκόνη που σήκωναν τα σαντάλια του κουρουμάγια, στον οποίο όφειλα να δώσω μόνο εβδομηνταπέντε σεν. Και διερωτήθηκα πόση ανθρώπινη σκόνη περιείχε ο κουρνιαχτός του δρόμου, και κατά πόσον, μες στην αιώνια τάξη των πραγμάτων, η ψυχική διέγερση ενδέχεται να έχει μεγαλύτερη βαρύτητα από την έγερση της σκόνης. Στο σημείο αυτό, η προγονική ηθική μου έκρουσε τον κώδωνα του κινδύνου. Προσπάθησα να πείσω τον εαυτό μου ότι μια ιστορία που άντεξε χίλια χρόνια, ανανεώνοντας τη σαγήνη της στο πέρασμα των αιώνων, δεν μπορεί παρά να επιβίωσε επειδή εμπεριείχε κάποια αλήθεια. Ποια ήταν, όμως, αυτή η αλήθεια; Προσώρας, δεν έβρισκα απάντηση στο ερώτημα». (Από την παρουσίαση της έκδοσης)
32 pages, Paperback
First published August 13, 2015
15 people want to read
About the author
Lafcadio Hearn
1,458 books444 followersGreek-born American writer Lafcadio Hearn spent 15 years in Japan; people note his collections of stories and essays, including
Kokoro
(1896), under pen name Koizumi Yakumo.
Rosa Cassimati (Ρόζα Αντωνίου Κασιμάτη in Greek), a Greek woman, bore Patrick Lafcadio Hearn (Πατρίκιος Λευκάδιος Χερν in Greek or 小泉八雲 in Japanese), a son, to Charles Hearn, an army doctor from Ireland. After making remarkable works in America as a journalist, he went to Japan in 1890 as a journey report writer of a magazine. He arrived in Yokohama, but because of a dissatisfaction with the contract, he quickly quit the job. He afterward moved to Matsué as an English teacher of Shimané prefectural middle school. In Matsué, he got acquainted with Nishida Sentarô, a colleague teacher and his lifelong friend, and married Koizumi Setsu, a daughter of a samurai.
In 1891, he moved to Kumamoto and taught at the fifth high school for three years. Kanô Jigorô, the president of the school of that time, spread judo to the world.
Hearn worked as a journalist in Kôbé and afterward in 1896 got Japanese citizenship and a new name, Koizumi Yakumo. He took this name from "Kojiki," a Japanese ancient myth, which roughly translates as "the place where the clouds are born". On that year, he moved to Tôkyô and began to teach at the Imperial University of Tôkyô. He got respect of students, many of whom made a remarkable literary career. In addition, he wrote much reports of Japan and published in America. So many people read his works as an introduction of Japan. He quit the Imperial University in 1903 and began to teach at Waseda University on the year next. Nevertheless, after only a half year, he died of angina pectoris.
Rosa Cassimati (Ρόζα Αντωνίου Κασιμάτη in Greek), a Greek woman, bore Patrick Lafcadio Hearn (Πατρίκιος Λευκάδιος Χερν in Greek or 小泉八雲 in Japanese), a son, to Charles Hearn, an army doctor from Ireland. After making remarkable works in America as a journalist, he went to Japan in 1890 as a journey report writer of a magazine. He arrived in Yokohama, but because of a dissatisfaction with the contract, he quickly quit the job. He afterward moved to Matsué as an English teacher of Shimané prefectural middle school. In Matsué, he got acquainted with Nishida Sentarô, a colleague teacher and his lifelong friend, and married Koizumi Setsu, a daughter of a samurai.
In 1891, he moved to Kumamoto and taught at the fifth high school for three years. Kanô Jigorô, the president of the school of that time, spread judo to the world.
Hearn worked as a journalist in Kôbé and afterward in 1896 got Japanese citizenship and a new name, Koizumi Yakumo. He took this name from "Kojiki," a Japanese ancient myth, which roughly translates as "the place where the clouds are born". On that year, he moved to Tôkyô and began to teach at the Imperial University of Tôkyô. He got respect of students, many of whom made a remarkable literary career. In addition, he wrote much reports of Japan and published in America. So many people read his works as an introduction of Japan. He quit the Imperial University in 1903 and began to teach at Waseda University on the year next. Nevertheless, after only a half year, he died of angina pectoris.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 17, 2019
Ονειρικό. Δεν τρελλαίνομαι για την Ιαπωνία αλλά το βιβλίο ήταν καλό.
Displaying 1 of 1 review