◎夏休み特別企画。提案！こうして英語をゲットしよう。＋天声人語対訳ファイル付録【クエスチョンの呟きシリーズ第１３回】

　今回はその第１３回です。正式名称は、「クエスチョンのショウもないつぶやきシリーズ」です。パソコン関連で自分が気がついたことを書きます。基本的には自分が今まで知らなくて「知って得した」「これこれ」とか、「これ知らなかったのはまずかったな(^^;」とチョッとでも感激したりしたことや、今まで集積した知識を駆使してやったりしたことです。ですから、知っている人には実につまらない話題です。あくまでも、自分自身の備忘録メモ、ひとり言のようなものです。

　また、パソコンに限らず、その他のＩＴ関連の話題も書くことにしました。

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　2004年4月1日〜今日までのasahi.com/englishの天声人語とその元の日本語訳を対訳させた小生手作りのファイルです。

　去年2003年5月21日のasahi.com/english英語の天声人語からこのやり方をしています。元ファイルは1.25ＭＢほどのサイズがあります。そのほんの一部ですがご紹介しますので、コピペして「.txt」（テキストファイル）ファイルとして名前をつけて保存し、ご利用ください。

　但し、使うときには、下記投稿でご紹介したやり方をご推奨します。

>◎小生はこれを使ってます。おじさんですけれど、バンバン英語を読みまくってガンガン英語の実力を上げています。（笑）
>http://www.asyura2.com/0401/it05/msg/771.html
>投稿者 クエスチョン 日時 2004 年 7 月 16 日 06:51:50:WmYnAkBebEg4M

※英語ニュースなどを聞いて、ヒヤリング能力を高めようとする人がいます。かつての小生もその一人でした。しかし、このやり方は、労多くして効果が少ないです。とにかく沢山読むことがヒヤリング能力の向上にもつながります。つまり、脳細胞に英語をインプットし、その意味内容を理解するという処理過程は、基本的に読むのも聞くのも同じと考えます。仮に耳慣らしに英語ニュースを聞くとしても、文章としての英語読解を５としたら、聞く練習は１くらいの割合でよいと思います。

　このやり方をするようにしてから、ＮＨＫのニュースなどで時折出てくるブッシュのスピーチなどもかなり聞き取れるようになりました。ムカつきますけれど、、、。(^^;

【クエスチョンのしょうもない呟きシリーズ第１３回】完(^^;

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Bush's magnanimity at stake in Jenkins case

How many soldiers has the U.S. military lost through desertion in connection with the war in Iraq?

In one of the few cases reported by the media, a 25-year-old U.S. serviceman, who fled to Canada in January after refusing a tour of duty in Iraq, said, ``I am not willing to kill or be killed.''

07月19日付
■《天声人語》

　イラク戦争での米軍の「脱走兵」はどれくらいにのぼるのだろうか。表に出た数少ないひとりはこう語る。「ぼくは殺したくないし、殺されたくない」。イラクへの派遣を拒否して１月、カナダに逃げ込んだ２５歳の米兵である。

A Canadian newspaper quoted him as saying, ``The U.S.-led war is contrary to international law.'' He believes he would be ``a criminal'' if he were to take part, the newspaper reported.

Two soldiers, including that one, have so far deserted from the United States to Canada during the war in Iraq. During the Vietnam War, about 125,000 Americans-draft dodgers and deserters-crossed the border into Canada.

　カナダ紙によると、彼は「イラク戦争は国際法に違反しているし、戦争に加担すれば犯罪者になる」と主張してもいる。イラク戦争では、これまで彼を含めて２人が米国からカナダに脱出したそうだ。ベトナム戦争でカナダに越境した徴兵拒否の米国人や脱走兵は、１２万５千人にのぼったという。

The Vietnam War spawned a movement to help deserters in Japan. Critic Shunsuke Tsurumi hid two U.S. servicemen at his father's house. When one of them started talking of returning to his unit, Tsurumi took him to a public bathhouse at his request.

With pale sunlight coming in from the window, silence reigned inside, and the American wordlessly soaked in the bath. After a while, he told Tsurumi that he had decided against returning.

The critic said that the soldier had evidently changed his mind under the influence of Japanese culture embodied in the bathhouse.

　日本でもベトナム戦争時、脱走を助ける運動があった。評論家の鶴見俊輔さんは２人の米兵を父の自宅にかくまった。１人が軍隊に戻ると言い出した。彼の望みで銭湯に行った。窓から淡い日の光が差し込み、静寂のなか、無言で湯につかった。戻るのをやめる、と彼が言い出した。鶴見さんは、風呂屋という日本文化の威力を思ったという。

Repatriated abductee Hitomi Soga and her family arrived in Tokyo from Indonesia on Sunday evening. Her husband, Charles Jenkins, appeared to be very weak as he came down the ramp.

Where a Japanese would first seek a soak in the bath, the condition of Jenkins, who came here for medical treatment, probably precludes that. For the time being, I hope that he will make an all-out effort to recover his health.

　曽我さん一家が昨日夕、日本に到着した。タラップを下りるジェンキンスさんは、ずいぶん弱々しく見えた。まずは日本のお風呂に、というわけにはいかないだろうが、当面は体力回復に専念してほしい。

Jenkins crossed into North Korea from the vicinity of the demilitarized zone 39 years ago. The U.S. government still regards him as a deserter.

Explaining himself, he has reportedly said he wanted to avoid being assigned to a tour of duty in Vietnam.

　３９年前、軍事境界線付近から北朝鮮に越境したジェンキンスさんは、米政府からは「脱走兵」とみなされている。本人はベトナム戦争に行かされるのを避けるためだった、と語ったそうだ。

Vietnam-era draft dodgers were pardoned while Jimmy Carter was U.S. president. The Jenkins case poses a test of the Bush administration's magnanimity.

ベトナム戦争時の徴兵拒否などについては、カーター大統領時代、恩赦になっている。ブッシュ政権の寛容度が問われる。

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 19(IHT/Asahi: July 20,2004) (07/20)
　
　
　
Triangular car headlights a sign of the times

We have many idiomatic expressions concerning eyes. For example, when we say ``Me-o sankakuni suru'' (make eyes like triangles), we refer to the look of a furious person. To stretch the metaphor, the roads are filled with angry eyes-vehicular headlights, I mean.

07月03日付
■《天声人語》

　目にまつわる成句は多いが、「目を三角にする」は、激しく怒る様を表す。そんな怒っているような目が、街や道にあふれている。車のヘッドライトのことである。

A letter I recently received was titled ``Fukigen-na kao'' (Look of displeasure). Vehicular headlights, the writer noted, used to be circular or nearly square in shape. They were replaced with rectangular models, which were in turn succeeded by more slender ones. Now the number of headlights shaped like pointed triangles has increased. The writer concluded the letter by saying that a sort of hostility is sensed on the roads through the displeased and angry look of these headlights.

　「不機嫌な顔」と題した投書を頂いた。ライトは、以前は丸形か正方形に近かったのに、長方形のものが出て、それが細長くなり、とがった三角形が増えた。その不機嫌で怒ったような形に、何か敵意の表れのようなものを感じるとあった。

To be sure, cars that appear in American movies set in the 1950s usually have circular headlights. Sometimes, headlights almost look like popeyed goldfish, jutting out from the body. In those days, headlights were solid as well as facetious.

The recent displeased aura that seems to surround headlights is enhanced by a shift in car design from boxlike shapes to slick, round designs.

　１９５０年代ごろを舞台にしたアメリカ映画などを見ると、車の目は確かに丸形が多い。車体から筒状に出た出目金風のものもある。ひょうきんさと共に落ち着きも備えていた。車体のデザインが、一時の角形から丸っこい方へ流れてきた分、このごろの目の鋭さは印象的だ。

My renewed concern about the look of headlights has been provoked by Mitsubishi Motors Corp.'s seeming indifference to major safety problems. The company has made news daily for months since it was revealed the automaker repeatedly concealed defects in its products. Tires have come off moving trucks, while incapacitated vehicles have totally lost control. In other cases, Mitsubishi-built vehicles have caught fire. A disaster could strike anytime and anywhere. The situation is terrible to the point where we do not know how to show our anger beyond ``making triangle eyes.''

　車の顔が改めて気になるのは、三菱自動車の欠陥隠しなどのためだ。タイヤが外れる、運転不能の車が暴走する、炎に包まれる。惨事が、いつ、どこで起きても不思議ではないと思わせる。これ以上、目を三角にしようもないほどの、ひどい事態である。

A former Mitsubishi president along with other Mitsubishi officials have been indicted. What is worrying now is the slow pace of recalls to check on defects. More than a month has passed since the company reported defects to the authorities that cause parts to crack and fall off or brakes to fail.

Yet, only about 10 percent of the vehicles covered by the free checkup program have been brought in for inspection.

　元社長らは起訴されたが、欠陥の点検の遅れが心配だ。部品が脱落したり、ブレーキが利かなくなったりする恐れがあるという欠陥では、届け出から１カ月過ぎたのに、点検に応じたのは対象車の１割程度でしかない。

Perhaps, business pressures make it difficult to take vehicles out of operation, but keeping potentially dangerous vehicles on the roads amounts to consumers inheriting the risks from the defect-hiding automaker. Accidents resulting from a failure to have the defects fixed must be avoided. Everyone should keep that in mind.

Even without such avoidable accidents, nearly 8,000 human lives are annually lost on the roads of our vehicle-dependent society.

　仕事で車を休ませにくいのかも知れない。しかし、メーカーの欠陥隠しによって生じた危険の種を、消費者が引き継ぐ形で事故を引き起こしてはなるまい。そうでなくても、この車社会では、年に８千人近い命が失われているのだから。

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 3(IHT/Asahi: July 19,2004) (07/19)
　
　
　
Mr. Hashimoto, tell us about the 100 million yen

Let's say, I am 100 million yen. For now, let's say my name is LDP Hashimoto Faction's Bank Balance.

Originally, I lived with the Japan Dentists Federation, which is a political organization of dentists.

It was shortly before the Upper House election of three summers ago that I left home to take a short journey.

07月16日付
■《天声人語》

　吾輩（わがはい）は、１億円である。名前は、今は「自民党橋本派銀行口座残高」とでも言っておこう。元々は、歯医者さんたちの政治団体である日本歯科医師連盟というところに居たのである。吾輩が小さな旅をしたのは、参院選が近づいた３年前の夏だった。

One day, I became a check and was put into an envelope.

A federation official took me out on the town. Later, I heard that the person who appeared before me was former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto.

　ある日、吾輩は小切手になり、封筒に入れられた。連盟の人に連れられて、街へ出る。行った先に現れたのは、元首相の橋本龍太郎さんだったと、後に聞いた。

I seem to have been handed to the Hashimoto side there and then.

Soon, the Hashimoto side discovered me, in check form, inside the envelope.

Someone from the Hashimoto office took me to a bank where I became an account balance.

It's been a while since I was transformed into an electronically transferable balance. But even now, when I look back, I think it was a strange journey.

　その場で、吾輩は橋本さんの側に渡されたらしい。やがて、橋本さんの方では、封筒の中に小切手姿の吾輩を発見する。事務所の人に銀行へと持ち込まれ、そこで「残高」となった。電子的な数字に姿を変えて久しい今でも、あれはおかしな旅だったと思い起こすことがある。

It is the people more than the account balance who find the story very strange. Just the other day, we heard plans about the creation of the world's largest bank with total assets of 190 trillion yen. We also hear that there are still trillions of yen in bad loans.

Although it is no longer uncommon to hear stories about big money much greater than hundreds of millions of yen, it is quite rare for us to hear that 100 million yen was handed to a politician in a single delivery.

　おかしいと思っているのは、吾輩クンよりも国民の方である。総資産が１９０兆円などという世界最大の銀行ができるとか、まだ不良債権が何兆円もあるとか、億よりもケタの大きな話はいくらでもある。しかし政治家へ１回で１億円が渡るなどという話は、そう表には出てこない。

There is no way a sum as large as 100 million yen-with no strings attached-can change hands in the world of politics.

Not only as a former prime minister and leader of his own faction but as a politician, Hashimoto has a responsibility to explain how the money found its way to him.

Listen again to what the balance is mumbling:

　思惑や狙いをまとわない１億円などというものが、政治の世界にあるはずもない。橋本さんには、元首相としても、派閥の長としても、何より一政治家として説明する責任がある。吾輩クンが、また何かつぶやいているようだ。

I just told you what I heard during my journey. If I heard wrong, Mr. Hashimoto, please correct me and provide a clear explanation. What was the real purpose of my journey? I have yet to find an answer.

　さっき吾輩は、あの旅で聞いたことをお話しした。もし違っているのなら、橋本さん、それも説明して下さいね。それにしても、吾輩の旅の本当の目的は、何だったのだろうか。答えは、まだ無い。

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 16(IHT/Asahi: July 17,2004) (07/17)
　
　
　
Unsound logic can backfire on its advocates

Once upon a time, there was a very strong country. The country's president warned of a far-off dangerous country. It had a dangerous president and dangerous weapons, which could be used at any time to attack others.

07月15日付
■《天声人語》

　あるところに、とても強い国がありました。その国の大統領が常々、あそこは危ないぞと言っている国がありました。そこには危ない大統領がいて、危ない兵器を蓄え、いつ攻撃してくるか分からないというのです。

So the strong country decided to attack the dangerous one before it could do any damage. It beset the far-off country's soldiers and captured its dangerous president. But no matter how hard it tried, the strong country could not find the dangerous weapons. In the meantime, a report that the dangerous country did not possess the deadly weapons was submitted to the strong country's congress. Still, the president of the strong country justified the attack:

``We have not found stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, but we were right to go into Iraq. We removed a declared enemy of America, who had the capability of producing weapons of mass murder, and could have passed that capability to terrorists bent on acquiring them. In the world after September the 11th, that has a risk we could not afford to take.''

　強い国は、ついに先制攻撃に出ました。危ない国の兵を蹴（け）散らし、危ない大統領を捕まえました。しかし危ない兵器は見つかりません。それどころか、兵器の開発計画も無かったという報告が、強い国の議会で最近出ました。それでも、こう言うのです。「製造能力があり、危険なテロリストに能力を伝授できた敵を見逃せなかった」

The moral cause of the Iraq war initially advocated by U.S. President George W. Bush was to counter ``the danger of an attack by weapons of mass destruction.'' But with no weapons in sight, it was gradually downgraded and has now been reduced to ``a potential threat.'' Saying the United States can make a pre-emptive attack against a potential threat is like allowing potential enemies to apply the same logic to attack the United States.

　初めは「大量破壊兵器による攻撃の危険」だったはずのブッシュ米大統領の戦争の大義が、ついに「潜在的脅威」にまで落ちた。潜在的脅威があれば先制攻撃ができるなどと言い張るなら、米国を狙う側にも、同じ理屈を許すことにならないか。

Referring to the way Bush is making repeated excuses and sophistries, a Washington Post column said: ``When it comes to telling you right to your face that black is white, maybe no one compares with George W. Bush.''

　たび重なる言い訳や強弁について、ワシントン・ポスト紙のコラムが評していた。「黒を白と言いくるめることにかけては、ジョージ・ブッシュと比べられる者はいないだろう」

The prime minister of a country who claims to be close to the president of the strong country also jumped on the defense, saying, ``Just because dangerous weapons are missing, it doesn't mean they're not there.'' When his party was defeated in a recent election, he said, ``Even though the tide was against us, I'm grateful that we could secure a stable majority.''

　そういえば、あの強国の大統領と親密だという、かの国の首相は、危険な兵器が「見つからないからといって、ないとはいえない」などと弁護していた。そして最近、選挙に負けたはずなのにこう言う。「逆風の中で、よく安定多数を与えてくれた」

Close friends and couples who act alike make us smile and put us at ease. But when powerful leaders who are two of a kind use sophistry to justify themselves, it only makes us feel bleak and empty.

　気が置けない仲間内や夫婦の間なら、似たもの同士は微笑を誘い、周りをなごませる。権力の座にある似たもの同士の強弁には、危なさと、空（むな）しさが漂う。

July 15(IHT/Asahi: July 16,2004) (07/16)
　
　
　
Koguryo art rises above identity dispute

Even in a photograph, the angelic inhabitants of heaven that adorn the walls of the tombs of Koguryo-an ancient kingdom thought to have existed on Korean Peninsula-were stunningly beautiful. Whoever painted them used bold colors to depict weightlessly moving nymphs.

Judging from the quality of the picture distributed by a Chinese news agency last week, it is unimaginable that the nymphs now, thousands of years later, are any less vivid or beautiful than when the mural was painted.

07月14日付
■《天声人語》

　かつてはさぞ鮮やかで美しい天上界の光景だったのだろう。先週、中国通信が配信した高句麗壁画の写真である。大胆な色づかいと、描かれた「天女」たちの伸びやかな姿態に目を奪われた。

This year the Koguryo tombs, including the one with this painting inside, were named World Heritage cultural site by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Prior to this, though, the ancient tombs were engulfed in a wave of international politics. Because those tombs span beyond the North Korean border into China, an obvious dispute arose: Did the Kingdom of Koguryo exist in China or on the Korean Peninsula.

　この壁画を含む高句麗古墳群が今年、ユネスコの世界遺産に登録された。古墳群は、中国から北朝鮮に国境を超えて点在している。そのため「高句麗は中国か、朝鮮か」といった論争も起き、国際政治の波に巻き込まれもした。

Objections raised by China reportedly led UNESCO to put off its approval of a North Korean request for World Heritage classification last year. This year, China and North Korea agreed on a compromise, which allowed them to file separate applications.

Even so, protests against China have gained momentum in South Korea, partly because of a Chinese newspaper's assertion that Koguryo was a Chinese kingdom. Late last year, a South Korean academic society issued a statement of protest, fearing that Koguryo might eventually be incorporated into Chinese history.

　昨年、北朝鮮が申請した登録が見送られたのは、中国が反対したためといわれる。今年は、両国がそれぞれ登録することで妥協が図られた。韓国では、中国紙が「高句麗は中国の一部」と主張したことなどから抗議運動が広がった。「高句麗が中国史に組み込まれるのではないか」と危惧（きぐ）する学会が、昨年末に抗議声明を出した。

Japan played a hand in putting the Koguryo tombs on the World Heritage list. Well-known painter Ikuo Hirayama led an intensive lobbying effort in the hope that UNESCO's approval of the ancient tombs as World Heritage cultural site might prod the reclusive North Korea to open its doors to the world.

It may even be conceivable that Japan will emerge as a ``bridge'' for promoting joint research and mutual interchanges among China, North Korea and South Korea.

　世界遺産登録には日本も一役かっている。画家の平山郁夫さんらが尽力した。北朝鮮が世界に開かれるきっかけになるのではないか、との願いも込められる。さらに日本が中国、北朝鮮、韓国の共同研究の橋渡し役になることも考えられるだろう。

Don Shou, who sought asylum in 336 from China, is said to be buried in one of the largest Koguryo painted tombs on the Korean Peninsula. The giant tomb attests to his having held an exalted post in the kingdom.

According to Lee Sungsi, author of a book published by Iwanami Shoten that deals with ancient East Asian races and states, Dong Shou is thought to have played an important role when the kingdom faced a diplomatic crisis with China.

　朝鮮半島最大規模の壁画古墳の被葬者は、３３６年に中国から高句麗に亡命した冬寿といわれる。高い地位を占めていた証拠だろう。彼は、中国との「外交上の難局に大きな役割を果たした」と推測される（李成市『古代東アジアの民族と国家』岩波書店）。

The influence of Koguryo culture is strongly in evidence in the wall paintings inside the Kitora tumulus in Asuka, Nara Prefecture. Considering this, the registration of the Koguryo tombs as World Heritage site offers an excellent opportunity to look back over cultural links and the movement of people in ancient East Asia.

　日本のキトラ古墳も高句麗文化の影響が濃いと見られる。古代の東アジアを結んだ文化や人の動きを振り返るのにいい機会ではないか。

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 14(IHT/Asahi: July 15,2004) (07/15)
　
　
　
People may choose reform beyond Koizumi

An illustration of Junichiro Koizumi I saw three years ago on the cover of the weekend supplement of a British newspaper showed the prime minister dressed like Elvis Presley. He was wearing a flashy snow-white suit dotted with golden buttons and holding a guitar emblazoned with the Hinomaru rising sun flag.

07月13日付
■《天声人語》

　３年前のエルビス・プレスリー姿が懐かしく思い出される。純白に金ボタンというおなじみの派手な衣装に、日の丸ギターを抱えた小泉首相のイラストが英紙の週末特集の第１面に大きく出たときのことだ。

Koizumi was at the height of his popularity. He enjoyed exceptionally high public approval ratings, due to his articulate way of speaking.

Foreign media also lionized him as ``a maverick politician,'' alluding to the possibility that he may change Japan's politics. But referring to the results of Sunday's Upper House election, the British newspaper that once compared Koizumi to Presley observed coolly that ``Koizumi was dealt heavy blow'' and ``voters sent a message they are disenchanted with the party and its leader.''

　驚異的な支持率と歯切れのいい言辞で、人気絶頂のころだった。海外メディアも「政界の一匹オオカミ」ともてはやし、日本政治は変わるかもしれない、と期待をにじませた。今度の参院選の結果について、かつて小泉首相をプレスリーに見立てた英紙は「コイズミに重い一撃」「国民は幻滅」と冷ややかに報じた。

In Monday's news conference, Koizumi failed to deliver impassioned and obstinate arguments for which he is renowned. Rather, his attitude seemed no different from that of other LDP executives who were also with him. They included Mikio Aoki, leader of the LDP Upper House caucus. With the LDP's Upper House election setback hanging around his neck, Aoki looked uncomfortable as he rolled his neck to relieve tension again and again.

　昨日の記者会見でも小泉首相らしい熱弁、強弁は聞かれなかった。同席した自民党幹部らとの違いを感じさせない横並び感が強かった。首が気になるのか、しきりに首を回していた青木参院幹事長も含めて。

Still, the election may go down in history as one that marked the beginning of change. The Koizumi administration brought about a clash of interests within the LDP with proposals for reforms, including the privatization of postal services, and split its support base. Once the heat of high public approval ratings cooled, the rift became more visible. As if in keeping with the trend, clashing interests that remained hidden in Japanese society also began to surface.

　とはいえ後世、変動の始まりとして記憶される選挙になるかもしれない。小泉政権は郵政民営化をはじめ自民党内に利害対立を持ち込んだ。支持基盤に分裂が生じた。高支持率という熱がさめると亀裂があらわになってくる。つられるように日本社会に潜む利害対立も表に出てくる。

To quote Koizumi's speech on Monday, ``an administration cannot keep going without the support of unaffiliated voters.'' People who have no ties with conventional organizations or parties increasingly are the driving force for change. Moreover, the people may choose to follow the path of change beyond Koizumi's intent.

　昨日の小泉首相の言葉を引けば、「無党派層の支持を得なければ政権は成り立たない」。旧来の組織や政党の枠から外れた人々が政治を動かそうとしている。さらに小泉首相のねらいを超えて国民は変化への道を進むかもしれない。

The following are the words of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, whom Koizumi deeply admires: ``I do not like elections, but it is in my many elections that I have learned to know and honor the people of this island.''

　首相が尊敬するチャーチル元英首相の言葉である。「私は選挙が嫌いだ。だが数多くの選挙でこの国の人々のことを知り、彼らを尊敬することを学んだ」

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 13(IHT/Asahi: July 14,2004) (07/14)
　
　
　
Head wind against LDP, tail wind for Minshuto

About a month ago, an article in the prefectural news section of The Asahi Shimbun caught my attention: ``No one has yet bought a copy of the Liberal Democratic Party's campaign poster with a photograph of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, an item that sold like hot cakes in the previous Upper House election.''

I took it as a sign that the nation's mood was changing. The outcome of Sunday's latest Upper House vote shows that the velocity of the head wind against Koizumi and the LDP continued to gain.

07月12日付
■《天声人語》

　「前回の参院選で飛ぶように売れた小泉首相の写真入りの自民党のポスターが、まだ１枚も売れていない」。ひと月ほど前の、ある地域版の記事で風向きの変化を感じてはいたが、小泉・自民党への逆風は、その後も続いていたようだ。

Koizumi made his debut as prime minister with phenomenally high approval ratings. Riding on that tail wind, he advocated reforms and sought to impress the public with his ability to break the status quo.

Even now, the approval ratings for his Cabinet are by no means low, when compared with the figures for previous Cabinets. But his ability to sell himself to the people has clearly decreased.

　小泉さんは以前、高支持率という順風に乗って「改革」を唱え、「破壊力」を印象づけようとした。歴代内閣と比べれば、今でも支持率の数値は低くはないのだろう。しかし、その声を国民に届ける風力は衰えていた。

It is not hard to identify the factors that caused the wind to blow differently in this latest Upper House poll.

Voters were worried about a prime minister being too close to the Bush administration, as exemplified by Koizumi's decision to allow Self-Defense Forces members to join the multinational forces in Iraq. Voters were also concerned about the way Koizumi handled other nationally divisive issues, making irresponsible and irrelevant remarks when his record as a contributor to the pension system was questioned and ramming pension reform bills through a Diet panel to assure their enactment.

It would be natural to think that these concerns generated a tail wind for the main opposition Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan).

　今回、風向きを決めたものは何だったのだろうか。自衛隊の多国籍軍参加などでのブッシュ米政権との密着ぶり、年金改革での「いろいろ発言」や強行採決など、国論を分けた問題での有権者の懸念をあげることができるだろう。その懸念が、民主党への追い風になったと考えるのが自然ではないか。

In a comment on such a wind, James George Frazer, Britain's famed anthropologist, said that of all natural phenomena beyond control, the wind leaves civilized people most frustrated by a sense of powerlessness. (The comment appears in Lyall Watson's ``Heaven's Breath,'' whose Japanese translation has been published as a Kawade paperback with the title of ``Kaze-no Hakubutsushi,'' or a book of natural history on the wind.)

Which way the wind blows in a national election is determined by the sum of choices made by the electorate. Once the wind starts blowing in a certain direction, any amount of effort to change it by parties and politicians becomes futile. Trying to change the electoral wind's direction is like attempting to alter the path of a typhoon.

　風について、英国の人類学者フレーザーは、こう述べた。「自分の影響力が及ばず文明人が無力感にもっともさいなまれるのは、あらゆる自然現象のなかでも風にほかならない」（ワトソン『風の博物誌』河出文庫）。国政選挙での有権者の選択の総体という大きな風の向きは、政党や政治家が躍起になっても変えがたい。むしろ台風の進路に似たところがある。

Takeda Shingen (1521-1573) is known as a warlord who used kaze, or the wind, in the mottoes he devised for his soldiers. ``Strike fast like the wind'' was one of his mottoes, all taken from ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Zi's book and written on the colors carried by his vaunted cavalry and other troops.

Besides the wind, ``forest, fire and mountain'' provided key words for the ``Furinkazan'' mottoes championed by the famous warlord.

Getting back to reality, the question now is whether Koizumi's electoral setback will evolve into a political situation where raging gale-force winds could make it difficult for him to stay on in office.

　風を旗印に使ったのは武田信玄だ。「風林火山」は兵法書『孫子』を引いている。「疾如風（はやきことかぜのごとく）」。疾風吹きかう政局になるのかどうか。

Incidentally, I inquired about the above-mentioned LDP campaign posters.

I was told that by Saturday, no order had been received for the posters from non LDP-affiliated voters within that prefecture.

　冒頭の小泉・自民党ポスターは、昨日に至るまで、県内の一般有権者からの注文は、１枚もなかったそうだ。

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 12(IHT/Asahi: July 13,2004) (07/13)
　
　
　
Nation's tofu industry in for a sticky summer

Daizu Sojo (Archbishop Soybean), a Buddhist high priest in medieval Japan, was said to eat nothing but soybeans. According to one of many legendary episodes about this cleric, he was something of a medicine man who cured an emperor of an eye ailment. Some claimed he was a tengu (legendary mountain goblin) in human guise.

07月08日付
■《天声人語》

　中世の日本に大豆僧正という高僧がいた。天皇の眼病を祈祷（きとう）で治療するなど数々の伝説を残した彼は、大豆しか口にしなかったという。実は天狗（てんぐ）の生まれ変わりだったとの説もある。

Folk traditions and proverbs abound about the magical powers of soybeans. Japanese today still observe the mame-maki soybean-throwing ritual every year on Setsubun in February-the day before the beginning of spring according to the lunar calendar. An old record also shows that people ate soybeans and adzuki beans to ward off illnesses on the morning of Tanabata-the star festival held on July 7.

``Soybeans symbolized people's communion with the `other world' that transcended their humdrum daily lives,'' notes Kazuaki Komine in Iwanami paperback ``Setsuwa-no Mori'' (Forest of tales).

　大豆の呪術的な力については、様々な言い伝えや伝統がある。節分の豆まきがそうだし、七夕の朝、病よけの秘術として大豆や小豆を食したという古い記録もある。「日常を超えた異界との交流の象徴」だったのだろう（小峯和明『説話の森』岩波現代文庫）。

Many health-conscious people today continue to swear by soybeans, but their prices have been soaring for some time now. This worries me.

Due to last year's unseasonably cool summer and other climatic anomalies, domestic soybean prices jumped threefold this spring from the level of the year before. Imported soybeans, too, have nearly doubled in price partly due to a poor harvest in the United States.

　現代の大豆も、健康食品として信奉者が多い。しかし、このところ高騰が続いていて心配になる。昨年の冷夏など天候不順の影響を受けた国産大豆は今春、前年の３倍にまではねあがった。輸入大豆も、米国の不作などで２倍近くになった。

The United States is the world's leading soybean producer and accounts for about 40 percent of the global output. Next in line are Brazil, Argentina and China. The soybean market is said to be affected largely by what's happening in the United States, but the recent price hikes are also believed to be caused by China's transformation into a soybean importing nation because of growing domestic demand.

Including soy oil, Japan relies on imports for about 95 percent of its soyfood needs.

　世界一の大豆生産国は米国で、全体の４割ほどを占める。ブラジル、アルゼンチン、中国と続く。大豆相場は米国に左右されることが多いが、中国の内需が増えて輸入国に変わりつつあることも高騰の要因らしい。油用などもあわせると日本は約９５％を輸入に頼っている。

``The situation is severe for soybean farmers,'' lamented Emiko Taira, secretary-general of an Okinawa prefectural association of tofu and abura-age (fried tofu) makers. ``On top of the farmers' inability to find their successors, the soaring prices are hurting them badly.''

The price of shima dofu, an Okinawa specialty, began rising in some parts of the prefecture this month, and the trend could grow in August, Taira explained. Shima dofu is an essential ingredient for a uniquely local stir-fry dish known as champuru.

Not only in Okinawa but around the nation, the tofu industry, made up of small-time operators, is in for a rough ride this summer.

　「後継者難の上、高騰が直撃して厳しい事態です」というのは、沖縄県豆腐油揚商工組合の平良恵美子事務局長だ。７月から名物「島豆腐」の値上げが一部で始まり、８月にかけて広がりそうだという。チャンプルーには、欠かせない食材だ。沖縄に限らない。零細業者が多い豆腐業界は厳しい夏を迎えている。

I hope the situation will not deprive tofu lovers of the delight of eating chilled hiyayakko tofu on a muggy summer day. A haiku by Hino Sojo translates that pleasure: ``Soy sauce becomes thin/ Adding to the coolness/ Of chilled hiyayakko.''

　夏の暑さを、ひととき和らげてくれるこの光景に影響が出るかどうか。〈うすまりし醤油すゞしく冷奴〉（日野草城）

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 8(IHT/Asahi: July 12,2004) (07/12)
　
　
　
Grimm brothers' fairytale a timely lesson

What is the ultimate consequence of pursuing one's unbridled greed? ``The
Fisherman and His Wife,'' a fairy tale by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, is a timeless
and scary reminder of human weakness.

07月09日付
■《天声人語》

　次から次へとふくらんでゆく欲望は、最後に何をもたらしたか――。グリム童話の「漁
師とおかみさん」は、人間の弱さと怖さとを、時代を超えて語りかけてくる。

The story revolves around a fisherman and his wife who live in a very modest
abode. One day, a fish that the husband caught starts to speak and identifies
itself as an ``enchanted prince.'' The fisherman spares the fish's life and lets
it go.

When he recounts this episode to his wife, she nags him into asking the fish for
a ``little hut.'' The fisherman obliges, and returns home from his meeting with
the fish to discover his wife living indeed in a charming little cottage.

　「小便壷（つぼ）のようなあばら家」に住む夫婦があった。ある時、漁師の夫は、釣り
上げた魚が「自分は、本当は魔法をかけられた王子なのだ」と言うので、海に戻し助けて
やる。「なぜ、魚に願いごとをしなかったのか」と言い募る妻にせかされ、魚に「こぢん
まりした家」を頼む。帰ってみると、その家が出来ていた。

But the wife's contentment does not last long and she begins to want more.
Despite his qualms, the fisherman reluctantly continues to accommodate her, and
the fish continues to fulfill her every wish. She gets a ``great stone castle,''
and then goes on to become king. Next, she wishes to be made emperor, and
finally pope.

　やがて不満がふくらむ。夫は「こんなことをするのは、まっとうじゃない」と思いなが
ら、妻の言うままに「石造りの邸宅」「王様になりたい」「皇帝に」と願いはどんどん肥
大した。それでも皆願い通りになる。そして妻は「法王」にまでのぼり詰める。

In connection with the 1995 shooting of the then-chief of the National Police
Agency and other crime, the Metropolitan Police Department arrested a former
officer as well as three former Aum Shinrikyo cultists Wednesday. The latter
three held senior positions in what the doomsday cult called the Secretariat of
``Ho-o,'' the retired and sacerdotal emperor, the ``defense agency''and the
``construction ministry.''

　警察庁長官への銃撃事件などで、元警察官のほか、オウム真理教の元幹部３人が警視庁
に逮捕された。教団の「法皇官房」と「防衛庁」、そして「建設省」の幹部だったという。

It horrifies me anew to recall that as this once-insignificant cult grew in
status, its greed for power and delusions of self-grandeur escalated to the
point of styling itself as a ``nation'' with its own government ministries and
agencies.

The Tokyo police have yet to arrest a suspect for the actual shooting. I hope
investigators will follow due process in trying to solve this case.

　小さかった教団が、肥大しながら欲望をふくらませ、「省庁」を名乗り、「国家」まで
妄想していたことに、改めておぞましさを感じる。銃撃の実行犯に当たる容疑者が含まれ
ておらず、捜査は途上だ。慎重に、手順を踏んで解明してほしい。

Back to the story by the brothers Grimm. The fisherman's wife ultimately wishes
to become ``God who orders the sun and moon to rise.'' When the fisherman
repeats this wish to the fish, the couple find themselves back in their hovel.

The story ends there, but the terrible damage done by Aum Shinrikyo can never be
undone, nor will there be any end to the suffering of Aum victims.

　漁師の妻は、ついには「太陽や月を天に昇らせる神に」と望む。夫が、魚にそう告げた
時、ふたりは元の「小便壷」に戻される。童話は、それで「おしまい」だが、オウムによ
る幾多の惨害は、元には戻せないし、終わらない。

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 9(IHT/Asahi: July 10,2004) (07/10)
　
　
　
Campaign posters leave room for revision

Red seems to be the favorite color of ink among the parties and candidates vying
for votes in Sunday's Upper House election.

This was fairly obvious when I checked a campaign poster board erected near a
small park. Most of the 10 posters on the board used red to highlight the names
of candidates and their affiliated parties.

Red was also the color chosen to denote the names of many candidates who ran for
the Lower House four years ago. Those candidates' names were printed in red on
253 of the 685 campaign posters included in a survey discussed in the book
``Senkyo Posuta-no Kenkyu,'' a study on campaign posters published by
Bokutaku-sha.

07月05日付
■《天声人語》

　小さな公園の横にある参院選候補者のポスター掲示場の前に立つ。１０枚のほとんどが、
名前や政党名に赤い色を使っている。４年前の衆院選候補者のポスターについての調査で
は、６８５枚中２５３枚で、氏名の文字色に赤が使われていた（『選挙ポスターの研究』
木鐸社）。

Posters emerged as a popular campaign tool when the nation's first universal
suffrage election was held for the Lower House in 1928. Candidates were allowed
to use up to two colors in that election. Up until the day before the election
day, posters could be put up anywhere, and candidates were free to put up as
many as they pleased.

As a result, a total of nearly 35 million posters were plastered everywhere,
according to ``Posuta-no Shakaishi,'' a book on the social history of posters
published by Hitsuji Shobo.

Campaign posters count on arresting words as well as the color scheme to gain
the most effect.

What do the posters of the main parties have to say?

　選挙ポスターが広まった１９２８年の最初の衆院普通選挙では、使える色は２色までだ
った。投票前日までは掲示場所に制限が無く、枚数も自由だったため、総数は３５００万
枚近くに達した（『ポスターの社会史』ひつじ書房）。色づかいと並ぶポスターの要は、
引きつける言葉だ。主な政党のそれを見ると。

The Liberal Democratic Party's poster reads: ``Konokuni-wo omoi/ Konokuni-wo
tsukuru'' (Caring for this country/ Creating this country). This seems like a
concise and powerful message.

But on second thought, it strikes me as odd that the party that has in effect
been shaping this country for half a century should speak of ``creating'' it.

The LDP should remember the magical effect of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's
earlier words. A new poster that reads ``Caring for this country/ Destroying
this party'' would be more consistent with the secret of Koizumi's climb to
power.

　「この国を想い／この国を創る」（自民党）。簡潔で力強いようだが、待ってほしい。
いわば、この国を、ほぼずっとつくってきた側が「創る」というのは不思議な感じもする。
むしろ、小泉さんの以前の言葉を生かすのなら「この国を想い／この党を壊す」だろうか。

The main opposition Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) is trying to convey its
message by these words: ``Massugu-ni, hitamuki-ni'' (Going straight ahead with
devotion). This sounds nice, but the trouble is that it is not clear just what
the party proposes to achieve.

　「まっすぐに、ひたむきに」（民主党）。文句の付けにくい言葉を並べている。だが、
何に向かって「まっすぐ、ひたむき」なのかが伝わりにくい。

Just three Chinese characters, ``Jitsugen-ryoku'' (Ability to get things done),
sum up the message of New Komeito, the No. 3 party that has formed a ruling
coalition with the LDP. The slogan is followed by double exclamation marks to
attract attention. Somehow, that seems to be a little too much. A single
exclamation mark would likely have been enough. The move to double punctuation
was probably influenced by the last character ryoku, which can be translated as
``power'' as well as ``ability.''

The Japanese Communist Party uses a lot of words to make various points on its
poster, exemplified by its main slogan: ``Kaiaku nenkinho-no jisshi-wo
yamesaseyo'' (Let us stop the government from implementing its poorly revised
pension laws). Evidently, the party thinks the wordiness will induce voters to
read its campaign poster, but it remains to be seen whether voters will stop to
read it.

In contrast, the message from the Social Democratic Party is brief: ``Ima koso
`min'-ism'' (Now is the time for the people's will). I wonder if the party has
abandoned its entire platform in favor of this new ``ism.''

　「実現力！！」（公明党）。二重の感嘆符が目を引く。すぐ前の「力」につられて、少
々力み過ぎたのかも知れない。共産党は「改悪年金法の実施をやめさせよう」の他にも、
言葉の数が多い。読ませたいのだろうが、その前に立ち止まらせられるのかどうか。「今
こそ、民意ズム」（社民党）。新しいイズム（主義）なのか、と迷う。

Campaign posters may vary, but each voter has only one vote.

　ポスターはいろいろだが、選べるのは一つである。

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 5(IHT/Asahi: July 9,2004) (07/09)
　
　
　
Indonesia a fitting venue for the Soga family

Indonesia's Wayang shadow puppet show is probably one of the longest plays in the world. It begins around 8 p.m. and continues through the next morning. Besides manipulating marionettes made of water buffalo hides, the puppeteer, called dalang, improvises narratives and also directs the musicians on hand.

07月07日付
■《天声人語》

　夜の８時ごろから始まり、翌朝まで続く。インドネシアの影絵芝居ワヤンは世界最長の「演劇」の一つだろう。水牛の皮でつくられた人形を操るダラン（人形遣い）は即興の語り手でもあり、音楽の指揮もする。

In that country, Wayang-related words sometimes enter conversations between politicians. For example, when Suharto was president, Cabinet ministers likened him to the dalang. They said they were marionettes because whether they would leave the stage or remain, it was entirely up to the puppeteer to pick and choose as he saw fit.

Just before stepping down as president, Suharto, Sukarno's successor, said, ``Let us follow the Wayang philosophy about handing over political power.'' This was taken as implying that the outgoing president intended to continue pulling the strings.

　インドネシア政界では、ワヤンに託して会話がかわされることがある。たとえばスハルト大統領時代、閣僚は「私たちは人形だ。舞台から去るか残るか、すべてはダラン次第」と大統領をダランに見立てた。スハルト大統領は退陣直前「ワヤンの政治権力継承の哲学に身をゆだねよう」と院政をほのめかしもした。

Wayang plays are mostly performed on wedding and other celebratory occasions. Most children grow up seeing them, and Wayang narratives and puppets make up part of life in Indonesia.

``Wayang keeps changing. It's being renewed all the time,'' says Ryo Matsumoto, head of the Japan Wayang Association, of the puppet show. He has seen the shadow play in Indonesia for more than 30 years.

The Wayang stories are chiefly based on ancient epic poems. But there are no restrictions about the way they are presented. The flexibility puppeteers show seems to suggest that they are not afraid of shifting from the traditional patterns.

　ワヤンは結婚などのお祝いのときに演じられることが多い。多くの人が子どものころから慣れ親しみ、物語や人形は暮らしの中に溶け込んでいる。「どんどん変化し、新しくなっている」と語るのは、３０年以上にわたって現地で見てきた日本ワヤン協会の主宰者松本亮さんだ。古い叙事詩が物語の骨格だが、自在な演出で変化を恐れない柔軟さもある。

The genre includes a story of ``separation and reunion,'' a story running the gamut of the protagonist's sorrowful separation, the overcoming of hardships, and a tearful reunion at the end.

The protagonist's fate echoes the saga of repatriated abductee Hitomi Soga, who is set to see her family in Indonesia on Friday. The reunion is taking place a year and nine months after she left her family in North Korea to return home. She has been separated from her family longer than Vega (Shokujo, or weaving girl) and Altair (Kengyu, or cart-drawing bull), the two stars that are romantically linked in Japanese tradition and celebrated with the tanabata festival. Incidentally, their annual reunion across the Milky Way supposedly came about Wednesday night.

　「別離と再会」の物語もある。悲しい別れから、困難を乗り越えて感動の再会に至る物語は、インドネシアでの家族再会が決まった曽我ひとみさんに重なる。１年ぶりに再会する今夜の「織女と牽牛（けんぎゅう）」よりも長い、１年９カ月ぶりの再会である。

Indonesians are said to speak of ``rubber time,'' an expression that accounts for their ``generous'' sense about keeping time, according to Tadashi Ogawa's ``Indonesia,'' a paperback published by Iwanami Shoten. The author says that the opening time and duration of meetings and concerts can be changed freely and flexibly.

　かの地には「ゴムの時間」という言い方もあるそうだ。時間感覚がおおらかで、会合や公演の時間なども伸縮自在だという（小川忠『インドネシア』岩波新書）。

Soga seems determined to talk her family into living with her in Japan. I hope that she will be able to bring a Wayang-style happy end to her saga. I think the best way for her to succeed is to take a laid-back ``rubber time'' approach in her persuasion effort.

　曽我さんが「ゴムの時間」のようにゆったりと構え、ワヤンのようなハッピーエンドにこぎつけることを祈る。

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 7(IHT/Asahi: July 8,2004) (07/08)
　
　
　
Freedom Tower locked in by hasty decisions

During this year's American Independence Day celebration in New York City, the cornerstone of the Freedom Tower was laid on the site where the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center Building stood until the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

When completed, the Freedom Tower will be the tallest structure in the world at 1,776 feet (about 540 meters)-the figure matching the year of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

07月06日付
■《天声人語》

　完成すれば、高さが世界一になる「フリーダム・タワー（自由の塔）」の起工式が、米国の独立記念日の４日、ニューヨークであった。９・１１テロで崩壊した世界貿易センターの跡地に建てられる。独立した１７７６年に合わせて、タワーは１７７６フィート（約５４０メートル）になる。

While many Americans welcome the construction of this symbolic reminder of the Sept. 11 national tragedy, some 9/11 families are critical of redeveloping the former site of Twin Towers, which they refer to as ``footprints.''

A man whose brother was killed in the attack told CNN: ``We are not opposed to the rebuilding moving forward. We just don't want it to move forward and the physical remains of the footprints to be destroyed in that process.''

　タワーに追悼の思いを込める感情が広く共有されている一方で、犠牲者の「足跡」であるツインタワーが建っていた区域には再建しないよう求める遺族もいる。「我々は先へ進めることに反対しているわけではない。ただ、『足跡』が壊されることを望まないだけだ」（ＣＮＮ）

Kenneth Foote, professor of geography at the University of Colorado at Boulder, wrote ``Shadowed Ground: America's Landscapes of Tragedy and Violence'' in 1997. The book was translated into Japanese as ``Kinenhi-no Kataru Amerika-Boryoku-to Tsuito-no Fukei'' and published by the University of Nagoya Press in 2002.

In his foreword to the Japanese edition, Foote observes that in the haste to sanctify the former WTC grounds, hardly enough time was given to the discussion of plans for memorializing the site. As a result, he laments, the entire discussion became myopic and focused only on how best to extol the 9/11 victims.

　米コロラド大の地理学者、ケネス・フット教授は、９・１１の翌年に日本語訳が出た『記念碑の語るアメリカ――暴力と追悼の風景』（名古屋大学出版会）の序文に、こう書いた。「世界貿易センタービル跡地の記念計画などに関する議論はあまりに性急で、これらの場所を早く聖別しようとするあまり、議論がもっぱら犠牲者を称（たた）えることにのみ収斂（しゅうれん）してしまっている」

Foote's book researches and examines various historic landmarks as well as sites of tragedies, accidents and catastrophes in the United States. The author also points out that whereas a thorough, collective examination of conscience preceded the construction of the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington D.C., there was no such soul-searching for the Freedom Tower.

　教授は、米国内で犠牲者が出た様々な歴史的事件や悲惨な事故、災害の跡地と記念碑を調べた。本では、ベトナム戦没者記念碑の建設の時のような、徹底した自己省察を求める議論がない、とも指摘している。

In his Independence Day speech in Charleston, West Virginia, President George W. Bush declared, ``Because we acted, Iraq today is a free and sovereign nation.''

But in reality, Iraq's freedom seems to still be off in the future.

　ブッシュ大統領は４日、「我々が行動したからこそ、イラクは自由な主権国家になったのだ」と演説した。しかし、現実のイラクでは、自由は、まだ未来形のように見える。

Neither Iraq nor the Freedom Tower should be allowed to become a ``Tower of Babel'' erected without self-examination.

　イラクも、自由の塔も、省察のないまま築かれるバベルの塔にしてはなるまい。

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 6(IHT/Asahi: July 7,2004) (07/07)
　
　
　
Passionate Brando was always a contender

Those who watched ``The Godfather'' probably remember the scene in which Don Vito Corleone dies.

Death suddenly comes to him while he is clowning, with a piece of orange skin in his mouth, to please his grandchild, in a kitchen garden where plants heavily laden with tomato-like fruits are growing.

07月04日付
■《天声人語》

　そこは、屋敷の中の菜園である。トマトのような実がたくさんなっている。そばで遊んでいる孫を驚かそうと、オレンジの皮を口にはめこんでおどけてみせていた祖父が、突然倒れる――。ドン・コルレオーネの最期だった。

Marlon Brando, the actor who played the mafia boss in the movie directed by Francis Coppola, died last Thursday at age 80.

Even though his performance in ``On the Waterfront'' and ``Apocalypse Now'' made a lasting impression on audiences, Brando was probably the actor best suited to playing Corleone, with his presence in the film peerlessly commanding.

If he were a baseball superstar, the team to which he belonged would have honored him by retiring his uniform number.

　コッポラ監督の「ゴッドファーザー」で、マフィアの首領役を演じたマーロン・ブランドさんが８０歳で亡くなった。「波止場」や「地獄の黙示録」などでの演技も印象深いが、やはり、コルレオーネ役が、他の俳優には無い存在感を見せた「永久欠番的」な、はまり役だったのではないか。

But he was not satisfied with his acting as the mafia boss. When he watched ``The Godfather'' for the first time, he was horrified, he says in his autobiography, ``Songs My Mother Taught Me.'' All that he noticed, he said, were his goofs, and he got thoroughly sick of himself. (A Japanese translation has been published by Kadokawa Shoten.)

Brando won a best actor Academy award for his performance as Corleone. But he refused to accept it. The actor is said to have explained that it would be rediculous for him to take part in the movie industry's festivities because of the way Hollywood had treated American Indians.

　「初めて『ゴッドファーザー』を見たとき、わたしはぞっとした。眼に入るものといえば、自分のへまばかりで、心底いやになった」（自伝『母が教えてくれた歌』角川書店）。この演技でアカデミー賞に選ばれたが拒否する。長年、アメリカの先住民を中傷してきた映画産業の、お祭り騒ぎの片棒を担ぐのは、ばかげていると思ったからだという。

In addition to speaking up for American Indians, Brando joined the civil rights movement. He was intuitively hostile to those in positions of power.

Political corruption, he said, should be drastically reduced. Instead of letting politicians take their oath with a hand placed on the Bible, he said, it would be a good idea to tell them when they are sworn in that if they broke their promises, they would be thrown into the Potomac, with their feet in concrete.

　先住民への支援の他に公民権運動にも加わり、反権力の志向が強かった。「政治家には、聖書に手を置いて宣誓させるかわりに、約束を破ったら足をセメント詰けにして、ポトマック川に放りこむということで、誠実を誓わせたらどうかと思う。政治汚職は激減するだろう」

The actor's remarks and behavior often amazed the world. Some aspects of his private life were also amazing.

Few people were as passionate as he was. The mafia boss he played in ``The Godfather'' was taciturn, but it was apparent that profound sentiment was stirring inside him all the same.

　発する言葉も行動も私生活も、世間を驚かせることが多かった。そのたぐいまれな激情は、「ゴッドファーザー」では、ドンの沈黙の内側で、とぐろを巻いていた。

The occasional low mumbles he made in his role as Corleone sounded as if they were coming from the bottom of a dark pit.

　時に発せられるしわがれた低いつぶやきには、闇の底から響いてくるような趣があった。

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 4(IHT/Asahi: July 6,2004) (07/06)
　
　
　
Warps put new twist on Mona Lisa mystery

A health checkup for a 500-year-old woman? Of course, no human being can live that long. The checkup is starting for ``Mona Lisa,'' the picture drawn by Leonardo da Vinci early in the 16th century.

06月27日付
■《天声人語》

　５００歳のおばあさんの、健康診断が始まるらしい。もちろん生身の人間ではなく、１６世紀初頭にダビンチが描いた、あの「モナリザ」である。

Officials at the Louvre, the national museum of art in Paris, have admitted that the painting is in a ``somewhat worrying'' condition. The board on which da Vinci drew the famous painting has been warping over the years. Apparently, the problem now is that the board has warped unevenly, raising the possibility that the ``eternal smile'' worn by Mona Lisa might become distorted.

But that still seems to be a remote possibility. As assessed by Louvre officials, the picture has been damaged to a degree that should cause anyone to refrain from understating or overstating the gravity of the problem. So, there is no need to rush to pessimistic conclusions.

　ルーブル美術館が、保存状態に「いくらか心配な点」を認めた。絵が描かれている板の反る度合いが一様でなくなってきたらしい。この先、永遠の微笑がゆがんでいくようなら大事（おおごと）だ。しかし「過小評価も誇張も慎むべき程度の深刻さ」というから、慌てて悲観するほどではないのだろう。

When Mona Lisa's estimated age was about 480, I interviewed a woman staff member in charge of the painting at the Louvre.

The museum was closed on that day I went for the interview. The staff member and I had the normally crowded room to ourselves. We moved a bench, so that we could sit and talk in front of the picture in its bulletproof glass case.

　彼女の推定年齢が４８０歳だったころに、ルーブルのモナリザ担当の女性の職員から取材したことがある。休館日の昼間で、いつもは人があふれている部屋に、ふたりだけだった。防弾ガラスのケースに納められた絵の前に長いすを動かして、座りながら話を聞いた。

``Da Vinci painted directly on a poplar board, not on a canvas,'' she told me. ``That makes the painting very vulnerable to any change in its environment.''

There is a small room behind where the Mona Lisa hangs on the wall. Every spring, the painting is lowered from the wall and brought into this room for detailed examination by staff members of the Louvre's science laboratory.

Among others, they check on the board's warp and the cracks in the painting. No change had been found since 1961, when the Louvre began the annual inspections, to the year of my interview with the woman staff member.

　「カンバスではなくて、ポプラの木の上に直接描いてあるんです。だから環境の変化に極端に弱いの」。絵の掛かった壁の裏に点検用の小部屋があり、毎年春にモナリザを下ろして科学研究室の職員らが周りを囲む。木のゆがみや絵のひび割れなどを細かく調べる。点検を本格的に始めた６１年からその時まで、変化は見られないとのことだった。

Da Vinci's dissertation on paintings divulges the secret of his success with the Mona Lisa: ``When you draw a portrait of someone, the important thing is to show what purpose the person has in mind and to give the person an appropriate pose to show it. Otherwise, your work of art will not be worthy of commendation.'' (A Japanese translation was published by Atelier-sha.)

　ダビンチの「絵画論」には、こうある。「君の描く人物を、その各が心の裡にどのやうな目的を抱いてゐるかといふことを表現するのに適当な動作に表現せねばならない。さもなければ君の芸術は賞讃に値しないであらう」（アトリヱ社）

In the da Vinci masterpiece, Mona Lisa wears a faint smile, with her right hand placed over her left wrist. Da Vinci posed her in that way to express what she was thinking about. But what she had in mind may never be known, just as the meaning of her mysterious ``eternal smile'' may forever elude us.

　右手を左の手首に重ね、かすかにほほ笑む形で表された人の心の裡（うち）もまた、永遠の謎なのかも知れない。

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 27(IHT/Asahi: July 5,2004) (07/05)
　
　
　
Recent quotes that left a lasting impression

Below are some recent quotes.

``It's what I'd call a miracle when I find something at a garbage dump,'' said Titi Matsumura, a member of the Gontiti acoustic guitar duo who has been foraging for treasures in garbage for 20 years. ``I call it a miracle because it's a purely accidental encounter between myself and an object that was being used by someone and then thrown away.''

06月28日付
■《天声人語》

　最近の言葉から。「ごみ捨て場でごみに出会うとき、僕はそこに奇跡を感じます。誰かに使われてきたモノがあるとき捨てられ、それと僕が偶然の出会いを果たす」。「ゴンチチ」のチチ松村さんはごみ拾い歴２０年以上という。

Before a nationwide campaign kicked off to turn off excessive city lights at night, cartoonist Shigeru Mizuki observed: ``True darkness has ceased to exist in Japan. If you go to the remotest regions of New Guinea, for instance, you even begin to believe in the existence of ghosts. Total darkness and utter quiet can make you feel spooky, but it's also a fascinating experience.''

　「日本には本当の闇はなくなりました。ニューギニアの奥地なんかに行くと、今もお化けがいそうな雰囲気がありますよ。真っ暗でまったくの静寂というのは、怖いけれども魅力的です」。全国一斉消灯の催しを前に漫画家の水木しげるさん。

Bioscientist Keiko Yanagisawa: ``It scares us to think that perhaps we are all born with a capacity for cruelty or brutality. But should it ever be proven that we are indeed cruel by nature, then we must learn to rely on reason to try to control this primitive urge and accept it for what it is, rather than run away from it.''

　「私たちは、自分たちが先天的に残虐性を持っているという考えに恐れを感じる。……けれども、ほんとうに残虐性を持つことが証明されたら、それをただ否定するだけではなく、この事実を率直に受け入れて、理性でこの未開な感情をコントロールすることを考えなければならないのではなかろうか」。生命科学者柳澤桂子さんである。

Writer Kazutoshi Hando: ``We have the benefit of hindsight to understand that the Showa Era (1926-1989) underwent a major historic transition around the time of the Manchurian Incident in 1931, but the people who were living through it didn't know that. I think we are in the same boat today.''

　作家半藤一利さんは述べる。「後世からみれば、満州事変前後に大きな昭和の転回期があったとわかるが、当時の日本人は大いなる転回期を生きているとわかっていなかった。同様のことがいまの私たちにもあてはまる」。

Yukiko Hashida, the widow of slain Japanese photographer Shinsuke Hashida, met the media together with 10-year-old Mohamad Haytham Saleh after the boy's successful eye surgery. ``I want him to survive (the Iraq war) at all costs. I want him to keep looking at the world and Iraq in the place of the two Japanese who lost their lives in Iraq.''

　「とにかく生き延びてほしい。亡くなった２人の目の代わりに世界やイラクを見て……」。橋田信介さんの妻幸子さんが、目の手術後のサレハ君と一緒に記者会見して。

Senior high school student Sanenori Kinjo read his own poem during this year's memorial ceremony to mark the end of the Battle of Okinawa in June 1945. His poem went: ``We are alive/ Because we are alive/ We are able to think/ We are able to talk about things out among ourselves.''

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 28(IHT/Asahi: July 3,2004) (07/03)
　沖縄戦の追悼式で高校生の金城実倫さんは自作の詩を読んだ。「私たちは／生きている／私たちは／生きているのだから／考えることができるのではないか／話合うことができるではないか」
　
　
　
SDF turns 50 after many twists and turns

It's not an easy exercise to short-list places of major significance to modern and contemporary Japanese history. But if we limit the time frame to the Showa Era (1926-1989), Ichigayadai in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward definitely is worth mentioning.

07月01日付
■《天声人語》

　近現代の日本史の、主な舞台となった場所を絞り込むのは難しいだろう。しかし「昭和史の舞台」ならば、ここは外せないのではないか。東京都新宿区の「市ケ谷台」である。

During the Pacific War, Ichigayadai was home to the Imperial Headquarters Army Department, the War Ministry and the General Staff Office. In other words, Ichigayadai was effectively the nerve center for prosecuting the war.

The facilities were requisitioned by the U.S. military after Japan's defeat in the war. And it was at Ichigayadai that former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo and others were tried for war crimes by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East.

After the facilities were returned to Japan, the Ground Self-Defense Force established its Eastern District Army Headquarters there, and it became the site of novelist Yukio Mishima's ritual suicide in 1970. Today, the high-rise Defense Agency building soars into the sky

　太平洋戦争中は大本営陸軍部、陸軍省、参謀本部があり、戦争遂行の中枢だった。敗戦後は米軍に接収され、東条英機・元首相らを裁く極東国際軍事裁判（東京裁判）の法廷が設けられた。米軍からの返還後は自衛隊の東部方面総監部が置かれ、三島事件があり、今は高層の防衛庁がそびえている。

and Ichigayadai is automatically associated with the SDF.

On Thursday those forces marked the 50th anniversary of their founding.

From the start, there were questions about the SDF's legitimacy in relation to the war-renouncing postwar Constitution. Now that SDF troops are in Iraq as part of a multinational force, I am reminded of how drastically the SDF, Japanese politics and diplomacy have changed over the past half century.

　東京では市ケ谷台という地名と深く結びついた自衛隊が発足してから、今日で５０年になる。当初から、戦争放棄をうたう新憲法との関係を問われた自衛隊が、今は多国籍軍の一員としてイラクに駐留している。自衛隊や、日本の政治、外交の変遷の激しさを思わないわけにはいかない。

A survey by The Asahi Shimbun in the spring showed that 60 percent of respondents were opposed to revising Article 9 of the Constitution, while 73 percent said the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty should remain. Article 9 and the security treaty are basically incompatible, but these survey figures seem to indicate that the public has come to accept this situation as well as the SDF's existence.

　今春の本社の世論調査では「憲法９条を変えない方がよい」との答えが６０％ある一方で「日米安保条約はこれからも維持する」が７３％あった。この一見矛盾していそうな「安保と９条の同居」という環境のもとで、自衛隊の存在も国民に受け入れられるようになってきた。

The Self-Defense Forces were created during the Cold War. In the ensuing years, voters sometimes became anxious about the SDF's excessive expansion or participation in overseas missions and voted against such activities. Had the public not applied this sort of brake from time to time, I wonder if Japan could have remained in peace for as long as it has.

　自衛隊は、東西の冷戦を背景にして生まれた。その後、著しい肥大化を恐れたり、海外への派遣を危ぶんだりする国民が、選挙などで歯止めをかけたこともあった。もし、そうした歯止めがなかったなら、これほど長く日本の平和は続いていただろうか。

Hypothetical argument is useless in the discussion of history. But at this point in the history of the SDF, I would like to think, ``What if.''

　歴史に、仮定はなじまない。しかし、自衛隊の創設から半世紀の節目に、考えてみたい「もし」ではある。

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 1(IHT/Asahi: July 2,2004)(IHT/Asahi: July 2,2004) (07/02)
　
　
　
Bare-bones handover gives the skinny on Iraq

Apparently, a variety of plans had been worked out about the proper way to hold the ceremony for handing back sovereignty to Iraq.

It was to be a modest safety-first affair. No fireworks display, and no fanfare for hoisting the Iraqi national flag. Similarly, the Iraqi national anthem was not to be sung. Those were the planning prerequisites.

06月30日付
■《天声人語》

　イラクへの主権移譲の式典をいかに催すか。いろいろ作戦が練られたようだ。安全第一、控えめに、は決まっていた。花火は打ち上げない、国旗や国歌をめぐる行事もしない、なども。

A protocol official at the Coalition Provisional Authority told American reporters that the handover ceremony would be ``an event, a performance.''

He also said, ``The nebulous act of transferring sovereignty requires a tangible act that high and low alike can watch and applaud.''

　「式典はパフォーマンスだ」「テレビで見守る米国民のために誰もが拍手できるわかりやすい中身にしなければならない」。事前に米紙などにそう語っていたのは、占領当局の儀礼担当者だ。

The holding of the ceremony on Monday, two days ahead of schedule, must have been a bolt out of the blue to this official.

L. Paul Bremer, the top U.S. administrator in Iraq, handed a blue folder to the Iraqi prime minister, Iyad Allawi. Tucked inside the folder was a formal letter recognizing Iraq's sovereignty.

This procedure, the crowning moment in the ceremony, took place, just as the protocol official had reported in advance.

　３０日に催されると思い込んでいた彼には、寝耳に水の挙行だったろう。青いフォルダーに挟んだ主権移譲文書をブレマー代表がイラク側に手渡す。この中心行事は、儀礼担当者の予告通りだった。

Lauding the ceremony, the Iraqi president, Sheikh Ghzi al-Yawar, said, ``This is a historic, happy day.''

But it also seems likely to be remembered as an event that took five minutes behind closed doors.

For a ceremony dealing with the transfer of sovereignty, undoubtedly a serious business, everything about it was not what one would expect.

I asked myself: ``Did the occupation authorities rightfully take charge of Iraq's sovereignty? Did they rightfully hand it back?''

　イラクのヤワル大統領が「歴史的な日」とたたえる２８日の式典は、また「密室での５分間」としても記憶されそうだ。主権という重いものが譲り渡される儀式としては異例ずくめだった。はたして占領当局はイラクの主権を正当に預かっていたのだろうか、それを正当に返したのだろうか、と改めて考えさせられる。

On Monday, a Jordanian named Raed Jarrar who posts comments on the Internet came up with a scathing comment on the ceremony: ``In Arabic, we say the worst catastrophes make you laugh.''

He is a friend of Salam Pax, who has been written about in this column before because he posts his diaries from Baghdad on the Internet.

　「アラブ世界にはこんな言葉がある。最悪の破局には笑うしかない」。２８日、インターネットで流れた式典への酷評だ。発信者はヨルダンのラエドさん。かつて小欄でも取り上げた、バグダッドから日記をネットで発信し続けたサラーム・パックスさんの友人である。

Raed is conducting a survey on civilian casualties in the Iraq war.

He is driven by a question: ``What did we gain after all of those years of the war on terror?''

As he sees it, the answer is ``thousands of bodies and more hate.''

Every day, I vainly wait to see good news from Raed.

　ラエドさんはイラク戦争での民間人犠牲者の調査をしている。「テロとの戦争」が何をもたらしたかを問い続ける。「何千もの死体と憎悪の増幅だけではないか」と。ラエドさんから明るい便りが発信されることを願う日々が続く。

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 30(IHT/Asahi: July 1,2004) (07/01)
　
　
　
Extinct wolf a symbol of what Japan has lost

The Japanese wolf officially became extinct 99 years ago. More accurately, there has not been a confirmed sighting since the last of the species was captured in the village of Higashi-Yoshino, Nara Prefecture, in 1905.

But is the species really extinct? My thoughts turned to various extinct animals when the Paleontological Society of Japan last Sunday released a picture of a wolf's skull, said to be the largest ever discovered.

06月29日付
■《天声人語》

　９９年前に絶滅した。正確にいえば、１９０５年に奈良県東吉野村で捕獲されて以来、人前に姿を見せたことがない。だが、ニホンオオカミは本当にいなくなったのか。２７日の日本古生物学会で発表された過去最大という頭骨の写真を見ながら、絶滅動物について思いを巡らせる。

Two years ago, a forum titled ``Nihon Okami-no Sonogo'' (What's become of the Japanese wolf?) was held in the village of Otaki in Saitama Prefecture. There had been reports of wolf sightings and howls heard. In this village, they once tried to lure wolves by playing an audio tape of howling Canadian forest wolves.

　２年前に埼玉県大滝村で催されたフォーラム「ニホンオオカミのその後」では、目撃談や遠ぼえを聞いたといった体験談が語られた。この地では、カナダの森林オオカミの遠ぼえのテープを山中に流し、オオカミをおびき寄せようとしたこともある。

Folklorist Kunio Yanagita was also interested in the Japanese wolf. In the early Showa Era (1926-1989), Yanagita wrote in his book ``Okami-no Yukue'' (Wolf's whereabouts): ``I do not subscribe to the theory that this species is extinct.''

However, he was unable to conclude the animals were still around, either. With too little evidence to go on, he noted, ``My sense tells me we may never know the answer.''

　柳田国男の関心事でもあった。昭和初期、私は「絶滅論者」ではない、と書き記している（「狼のゆくへ」）。生存説にくみするかのようだが、結論はそう明快ではない。わかっている事実があまりに少なく、「このまゝ永遠に知られずに終りさうな気もする」と予感を書きとめた。

In Australia, a cloning project is under way to bring an extinct species back to life. The project team has taken a DNA sample from the preserved specimen of a Tasmanian tiger, and has succeeded in partially duplicating this sample. The Tasmanian tiger is believed to have been extinct for 68 years.

　オーストラリアではいま、クローン技術を使った絶滅動物の「再生」計画が進められている。６８年前に絶滅したとされるタスマニアン・タイガー（和名フクロオオカミ）の保存標本からＤＮＡを抽出、一部の複製にも成功した。

The concept of ``regeneration'' is the theme of ``Warai Okami'' (Laughing wolf), a novel by Yuko Tsushima published by Shinchosha.

The author draws a parallel between Japanese wolves and a boy and a girl who are living in the chaos of post-World War II Japan.

In the novelist's mind, the Japanese wolf is a symbol of what Japan is losing today, and the wolf also stands for the vitality that can ``regenerate'' contemporary society.

　「再生」は、ニホンオオカミと戦後混乱期を生きる少年少女とを重ね合わせた津島佑子さんの小説『笑いオオカミ』（新潮社）のテーマでもあった。オオカミは「いまの日本が失ったものの象徴」であると同時に、現代社会を「再生」させる生命力を示してもいる。

A monument inscribed with a haiku was erected in the village of Higashi-Yoshino five years ago. The haiku by Toshio Mihashi says: ``I walk/ With that wolf/ That is no more.''

　５年前、奈良県東吉野村に句碑が建てられた。〈絶滅のかの狼（おおかみ）を連れ歩く〉（三橋敏雄）

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 29(IHT/Asahi: June 30,2004) (06/30)
　
　
　
Cold War finally ending on Korean Peninsula

On the evening of June 25, 1950, novelist Akiyuki Nosaka, then a freshman at Waseda University, heard that war had broken out on the Korean Peninsula. He was in Tokyo's fashionable Ginza district when he learned the news.

06月26日付
■《天声人語》

　１９５０年６月２５日の夕方、早稲田大学１年の野坂昭如さんは、東京の銀座の辺りで、朝鮮戦争勃発（ぼっぱつ）を知った。

Nosaka later wrote about his fears and thoughts at that moment: ``I had expected something like this all along. The United States would strike with atomic bombs. So would the Soviet Union. From the Soviet perspective, there were enemy bases in Japan-Itazuke and Sasebo, if they looked at bases in Kyushu. In the vicinity of Tokyo, there are also bases for the Soviet Union to strike-Atsugi, Zama, Yokota and Yokosuka. The great majority of Tokyo citizens would die.

　「いよいよ来た――アメリカは原爆を使うだろう、されば、ソ連も用いる、向うからして、敵の後方基地といえば日本の、九州板付、佐世保――そして東京周辺には、厚木、座間、横田、横須賀がある、都民の大半は死ぬ」

'' (The excerpt is from ``Nijusseiki Seishin-shi,'' Nosaka's book on the spiritual history of the 20th century, published by The Mainichi Shimbun.)

Nosaka acted quickly to save his life. As soon as he heard the news, he took the subway to Ueno Station, where he caught a long-distance train out of Tokyo.

Just after the outbreak of the war, the Foreign Ministry convened a meeting of experts to discuss how the conflict might escalate. One participant direly predicted an 80-percent probability that World War III was about to erupt.

　すぐに地下鉄で上野駅へ行き、列車に飛び乗って東京を離れた（『２０世紀精神史』毎日新聞社）。この開戦の直後、外務省内の研究会で、ある専門家は、第三次世界大戦が起こる確率は８０％もあると予想していた。

Joseph Stalin, too, seems to have expected world war, according to his secret files, which were released about 10 years ago. The declassified files contain documents that show the Soviet dictator told Chinese leader Mao Zedong in the fall of 1950, when the tide was turning against North Korea, ``If we must make war, let us do it now, not a few years from now, because Japanese militarism will have made a resurgence by then.''

In the more than half a century since that time, military conflicts have broken out repeatedly around the world. None has escalated into a world war, and the Korean Peninsula remains divided.

　１０年ほど前に報じられた「スターリン秘密資料」にも、次の大戦を想定したかのような記録がある。北朝鮮側にとって戦況が悪化した５０年秋、スターリンは「戦争が避け得ないなら、日本軍国主義が再建される数年後ではなく、今にしよう」と中国の毛沢東に呼びかけていた。それから半世紀余、世界大戦こそ無かったが、戦争は世界の各地で起こり、半島の分断は続いている。

Yet, the two Koreas recently stopped making propaganda broadcasts after decades of mutually criticizing each other's system across the demilitarized zone.

In its final broadcast, the South said: ``We end this service today together with the North. Members of the (North Korean) People's Army, we thank each of you. And we wish you good luck for the future.''

The North's last broadcast responded in kind: ``Let us meet on the day of unification.''

　「本放送は北の放送とともに幕を下ろします。（北朝鮮の）人民軍の皆さんありがとう。末永い幸運を祈ります」。南側の最終放送に、北側のスピーカーは「統一のその日に会いましょう」と応じた。軍事境界線一帯で互いの体制批判を続けてきた宣伝放送が、先週終わった。

The two countries' delegations to this summer's Athens Olympic Games will march together in the opening ceremony, just as they did in Sydney four years ago, to the sound of the popular Korean song ``Arirang.''

The road to unification remains long and hard. Perhaps it can be said that only further joint action between the two Koreas will be able to help them reach that ultimate goal.

　アテネ五輪では、両国選手団はシドニーと同様、同時入場する。その時流れるのは、古歌「アリラン」。峠の道は、なおも険しいが、小さな「同調」の積み重ねに、望みをかけたい。

June 26(IHT/Asahi: June 29,2004) (06/29)
　
　
　
Saving Lake Biwako's reeds for ecology, art

By his own account, the late novelist Ryotaro Shiba was not a man who would take the first plunge concerning unfamiliar food and drink. So it was with great apprehension that at the urging of a guide, he drank water in Lake Biwako, the largest in Japan, by scooping it into a tea cup where there are reed fields.

``It was quite tasty,'' he later wrote of the experience in one of his long series of travel essays, published by The Asahi Shimbun. (The description of water in Lake Biwako appears in the 24th volume of the ``Kaido-wo Yuku'' old highway travel series.)

06月20日付
■《天声人語》

　「飲食物に勇気のあるほうではない」という作家の司馬遼太郎が案内人に勧められ、琵琶湖の水を茶碗（ちゃわん）にくんでおそるおそる飲んだ。ヨシが群生しているあたりの水だった。「じつにうまかった」と記した（『街道をゆく２４』朝日新聞社）

Reed fields do not just purify water. They serve as a cradle for the spawning and growing of fish. They provide a habitat for water birds. Further, they keep the lake shores from being eroded.

An encounter with an old fisherman and the reed fields has led Mitsuhiko Imamori, known as a photographer specializing in ``satoyama,'' or mountainous areas easily accessible by villagers, to publish two photo albums on Lake Biwako. One of the albums, published by Sekai Bunka-sha, is titled ``Mizube'' (Lake shores). The title the other bears is ``Aoi Uchu'' (A blue universe).

　浄水能力だけでなく、ヨシ原には魚が産卵し、育つゆりかごの役目もある。水鳥の生息地でもあり、湖岸の浸食を防ぎもする。「里山の写真家」今森光彦さんが、琵琶湖をテーマに２冊の写真集『湖辺（みずべ）』『藍（あお）い宇宙』（いずれも世界文化社）を出したきっかけも、老漁師そしてヨシ原との出会いだった。

``You feel good as if you were an infant in the arms of your mother,'' Imamori says, recalling the first time he was taken to the reed fields by the 80-year-old man fishing in Lake Biwako. The reed fields, he says, make a unique universe in which your tired body feels re-energized just by being there. To the photographer, these fields yield the same easy comfort as the mountainous areas he has shot for a long time.

　琵琶湖で漁をする８０歳の漁師に連れられて行ったヨシ原で今森さんは感じた。「包容されているような心地よさ」があり、「疲れた体の中に精気が甦（よみがえ）ってくる」独特の宇宙だ、と。長く撮り続けてきた里山にいるのと同じような安らぎだった。

Going through the photo albums, one finds that Lake Biwako plays out its complex and richly diverse aspects in the course of a day. Instead of just photographing the beautiful scenery, Imaizumi characteristically breathes life into the portraits of people living on the shores of the lake.

　写真集を見ていると、琵琶湖という湖が実に多様な顔を持ち、複雑な表情を見せることがわかる。美しい風景だけでなく、湖辺に暮らす人々の息づかいが伝わってくるのが、今森さんらしい。

The reed fields of Lake Biwako have been in steep decline in the postwar years. Last year, the government's urban renewal task force decided to launch a project for their rebirth. Private groups are going forward with similar attempts.

Imamori points to what he calls ``wisdom for symbiosis'' among the people living on the shores and depending on the lake's product for their livelihood like the old fisherman. This wisdom, he says, should be fully incorporated into renewal plans.

　戦後激減を続けた琵琶湖のヨシ原をめぐっては、政府の都市再生本部が昨年、再生に向けてプロジェクトを進めることにした。民間団体もいろいろな試みをしている。今森さんは、老漁師のように湖辺で暮らし、湖に頼って生活の糧を得ている人々の「共生の知恵」を大事にしたい、と語る。

Omi is the old name for Shiga Prefecture, in which Lake Biwako is located. A poem on the Sea of Omi by Kakinomoto-no Hitomaro, one of Japan's greatest poets, goes: ``Plovers skimming over the waves/ In the Sea of Omi/ Are something to see in the evening/ But sadness comes over me when I hear you sing/ I just cannot wrest my mind from the old affair.''

Indeed, the lake has been the source of diverse sentiments since ancient times.

　〈近江の海夕波千鳥汝（な）が鳴けば心もしのに古（いにしへ）思ほゆ〉（柿本人麻呂）。古来、さまざまな感慨を与えてきた湖だった。

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 20(IHT/Asahi: June 28,2004) (06/28)
　
　
　
Einstein tells us the real purpose of science

The American physicist Linus Pauling, who died in 1994 at age 93, won the Nobel prizes for chemistry and peace. According to ``Ainshutain wa Kataru'' (Einstein speaks, published by Otsuki Shoten), Albert Einstein once wrote to Pauling, ``I have made one mistake in my life.''

06月25日付
■《天声人語》

　「私は人生でまちがいをひとつ犯しました……」。ノーベル賞の化学賞と平和賞を受けた米国の物理化学者ライナス・ポーリングにあてて、あのアインシュタインが、こう書いているという（『アインシュタインは語る』大月書店）。

That mistake was his signing of a pre-World War II letter to U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt in 1939, recommending that an atomic bomb be developed.

Einstein had been driven by a sense of urgency, fearing the consequences of Nazi Germany developing a nuclear bomb ahead of the United States. Still, to later admit that his earlier thinking was a mistake took grave moral courage.

　第二次大戦が始まる３９年に、彼が、ルーズベルト米大統領に原爆を開発するよう勧める手紙に署名したことを指す。ナチス・ドイツの方が先に開発したらとの切迫した思いに駆られていたにせよ、この述懐は重い。

Recent advances in scientific technology have created more situations that require scientists and laymen alike to decide whether or not to allow scientific research that is medically feasible.

　科学技術が高度に発達するにつれて、「できる」ことと「すべき」こと、あるいは「すべきでない」ことを巡って、科学者や、社会の側の選択が問われる場面が増えた。

A bioethics subcommittee of the Council of Science and Technology Policy under the Cabinet Office on Wednesday approved research for the production of cloned human embryos. The panel says, however, that the project must be limited only to basic research and will remain frozen until thorough controls have been put in place to prevent the creation of cloned humans.

　日本の総合科学技術会議の生命倫理専門調査会が、ヒトクローン胚（はい）づくりを容認する方針を決めた。基礎的な研究に限定し、クローン人間づくりを防ぐための胚の管理の徹底といった枠組みが整うまでは実施を凍結する、とはしているが。

Because cloned human embryos can help minimize adverse reactions in cell and organ transplants, they promise great advances in regenerative medicine. Considerable research is being conducted in the United States and other countries.

On the other hand, many people automatically associate the government panel's decision with the inevitable birth of cloned humans down the road.

　クローン胚は、拒絶反応の少ない細胞や臓器を作る再生医療への期待があり、米国などでは研究が進んでいる。一方で、今回の容認の先に、クローン人間の出現まで連想してしまう人も、少なくはないのだろう。

Einstein cautioned us that all technological advancements must be motivated first and foremost by concern for human beings and their fate-what scientists create must be a blessing, not a curse.

He urged all scientists to always bear this in mind, even when deeply immersed in their charts and formulae.

　アインシュタインの言葉を、もう一つ記しておきたい。「人間自身とその運命への関心が、つねに、あらゆる技術的努力の主たる関心でなくてはなりません。……私たちの頭の創造物が人類にとって呪いではなく恵みになるようにするためです。図と方程式のまっただ中にいても、このことをけっして忘れないでください」

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 25(IHT/Asahi: June 26,2004) (06/26)
　
　
　
Pension reform laws face voters' judgment

If the pension reform laws were to be likened to one's life, one would probably mutter, ``Nothing ever goes right in my life.''

The laws were finally enacted after a number of twists and turns, but a clerical error has been found in one of the clauses. It has been one tough ride.

06月24日付
■《天声人語》

　「とことんついていない」。年金改革法を人生に見立てれば、そんなぼやきも出てくるだろう。紆余曲折（うよきょくせつ）を経てやっと世に出たと思ったら、条文にミスが見つかった。どこまでも「悲運」がつきまとう。

British writer Cyril Connolly once said, ``Life is a maze in which we take the wrong turning before we have learned to walk.''

The blueprint was defective to begin with. Officials used statistics that were unreliable at best, so that estimates of benefits and premiums kept changing. In fact, the blueprint was based on a birthrate that was miscalculated, and it is highly likely that the designers of these laws withheld information on the birthrate until after the Diet passage of the bills.

　こんな言葉がある。「人生という迷路では、歩くことに習熟する前に誤った道を選んでしまうことがある」（Ｃ・コノリー）。改革法も、そもそもの設計がずさんだった。基礎になる数字があやふやで、給付額や負担額の予測がぐらつき続けた。設計の土台になるはずの出生率の見込み違いまであった。データを出し惜しみした気配もある。

Politicians who supported these laws were also irresponsible and slovenly. Some resigned from their posts in a chain reaction triggered by the discovery that many politicians had not paid into the national pension program at some point or other. Others simply refused to take responsibility.

And though unrelated to the non-payment issue, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was nevertheless appallingly flippant when he remarked to the effect that people's lives vary.

There is no erasing the bitter awareness that the pension reform laws were made a plaything of politicians, and that they were enacted by sheer force of numbers.

　立法にかかわる政治家たちのずさんさも明らかになった。「未納ドミノ」で辞める者、開き直る者、いろいろいた。未納問題ではないものの、小泉首相の「人生いろいろ」発言の軽さにも驚かされた。政治家たちにもてあそばれた、との無念の思いは消えないだろうし、強行採決による成立という刻印もつきまとうだろう。

I am reminded of these famous words by novelist Ryunosuke Akutagawa: ``Life is like a box of matches-too trite to treat seriously, but dangerous not to do so.'' Koizumi and many others were obviously too insensitive to appreciate the gravity of the issue.

　芥川龍之介の有名な言葉を思い浮かべる。「人生は一箱のマッチに似ている。重大に扱うのは莫迦（ばか）々々しい。重大に扱わなければ危険である」。小泉首相をはじめ、重大さへの感覚の鈍い人があまりに多かったのではないか。

The pension reform laws have still to face tough times. During the Upper House election campaign that kicked off Thursday, the laws' many defects are bound to come under scrutiny. They will face voters' judgment as they are-flawed throughout, from the design stage to their enactment.

　改革法には、さらなる試練が待ち受ける。きょう公示の参院選では、いろいろ欠陥があげつらわれるだろう。設計から成立までのさまざまな不具合をかかえたまま国民の審判を受けることになる。

``Life is more hellish than Hell,'' wrote Akutagawa. Laws, however, are easier to redo than life.

　芥川は「人生は地獄よりも地獄的である」とも書いた。ただし法律は、人生に比べてやり直しが容易だ。

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 24(IHT/Asahi: June 25,2004) (06/25)
　
　
　
Remembering those who fell in Okinawa

With Typhoon No. 6 gone, cloudless blue skies returned to Tokyo on Tuesday, and the mercury climbed to mid-summer levels. It seemed as if the rainy season had come to an end.

What with the unseasonal frequency of approaching typhoons and the heat wave, the weather seems a bit crazy.

06月23日付
■《天声人語》

　台風が去った昨日、東京は梅雨明けのような青空と真夏を思わせる暑さに見舞われた。接近する台風の多さといい、この暑さといい、少々異常ではないか。

According to the Meteorological Agency, typhoons normally move northward along the western rim of the high pressure area prevailing over the Pacific.

Accordingly, most typhoons head for China during this season. This year, however, the high pressure area sits northeast of its normal location, and this is what is sending typhoons churning toward the Japanese archipelago.

As for the heat wave, agency officials say such temperatures are not so rare in late June.

　気象庁はこう説明する。台風はふつう、太平洋高気圧の西の縁に沿って北上する。いまの季節だと中国大陸の方へ向かうことが多い。今年は高気圧が例年より北東にずれていて、台風を日本列島に向かわせている。真夏のような暑さは、６月下旬には珍しいことではない、とも。

In Okinawa Prefecture, the rainy season is coming to an end.

A poem by Tokuzo Makiminato comes to mind:

``The rainy season comes to an end in June/ War came to Okinawa in June/ Throwing the whole island into a battleground.''

This poem, titled ``Shima-wo Amega Oouta'' (Rain enveloped the island), is one in a collection of poems, ``Okinawa-no Hikoku'' (The wailing of Okinawa), published by Shueisha.

The poem details the Battle of Okinawa, a savage 1945 land war in which residents were forced to play supplementary roles.

　沖縄はそろそろ梅雨明けだ。「六月は雨期のおわる頃」と始まる牧港（まきみなと）篤三さんの詩「島を雨が蔽（おお）うた」は「その六月に　島全体を　戦争が　蔽うた」と続く（『沖縄の悲哭』集英社）。住民を巻き込んでの地上戦を強いられた１９４５年の沖縄戦の描写だ。

As told by Makiminato, a war correspondent on the ground, conscripted civilians ``suffered from rain, mud and hunger.'' Some were caught by gunfire as they tried to escape.

After the end of World War II, Makimoto devoted himself to recounting Okinawans' brutal battlefield experiences.

The poet, who died this spring at age 91, asserted that ``the military never protects the people'' and that ``humans stop being humans in a war.''

　「雨と泥と飢えとにさいなまれ」逃げまどった人々が米軍の砲弾に倒れていった。従軍記者だった牧港さんは戦後、戦場の悲惨さを語りつづけた。「軍隊は決して国民を守らない」「戦争というものは、人間が人間でなくなるんですよ」。そう主張してきた牧港さんは今春、９１歳で亡くなった。

Organized fighting in Okinawa supposedly ended on June 23. So, Wednesday was a day to mourn for the victims of the Battle of Okinawa. It is estimated that more than 200,000 civilians and soldiers died during the battle.

Among dignitaries attending the memorial service was Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who has decided on Japan's participation in multinational forces in Iraq.

A local senior high school student recited a poem titled ``Senso-wo Shinaito Kimeta Konokuni-de'' (In this country that has renounced war).

　きょう２３日は、沖縄戦の組織的な戦闘が終結した日とされる。「慰霊の日」として、２０万人以上といわれる犠牲者を追悼する。イラクでの多国籍軍参加を決めたばかりの小泉首相も参列する。地元の高校生は「戦争をしないと決めたこの国で」と題した詩を朗読する。

The memorial day often coincides with an official announcement that the rainy season has come to an end.

Tuesday's dazzling sunlight in Tokyo was a reminder that utterly blue skies and a blazing sun were also looking down when I attended the memorial service years ago.

　「慰霊の日」は、梅雨明けと重なることが多い。昨日の強い日差しにかつて参列した追悼式の日の、抜けるような青空と太陽とを思い出した。

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 23(IHT/Asahi: June 24,2004) (06/24)
　
　
　
Tiny ants akin to humans in armies, altruism

Something inching up a wall caught my eye, and I stopped in my tracks to look. The wall was a white concrete retaining one, about the height of an adult, and it marked the property line of an elementary school.

On this wall, I saw tiny black dots moving around something that looked like a brown rubber band.

06月22日付
■《天声人語》

　通りかかった小学校の脇の路地で立ち止まった。路地よりも身の丈ほど高い校庭から垂直に下りたコンクリートの白い壁に、茶色い輪ゴムのようなものと、黒い点々がうごめいている。

Looking closely, I realized these were ants dragging a coiled earthworm up the sheer wall.

They'd already worked about 50 centimeters up, but they still had nearly 1 meter to go before they got to the top of the wall.

　それは、丸まったミミズを、アリたちが真上に引き上げようとしているところだった。路面から５０センチほど上で、校庭の高さまでは１メートル近くある。

Three ants pulled the earthworm from above, while two pushed from below.

From time to time, other ants came to help or crawled over the worm. Working on and off, they dragged their load millimeter by millimeter. The worm swayed in the breeze, but the work continued.

　３匹が上から引っ張り、下から２匹が押し上げる。時に別のアリが手を貸したり荷物に乗ったりして、休み休み、数ミリずつ持ち上げてゆく。風で荷が揺らいだが作業は続いた。

A formidable obstacle waited above. The top of the retaining wall formed an overhang about 7 or 8 cm deep. I wondered if the ants were aware of this obstacle when they started their climb.

Just when I thought they were going to give up, the earthworm dangling from the overhang, suspended by two ants that were clinging upside down to the underside of the ledge. Keeping this position, the two ants successfully inched their way to the edge of the overhang.

It was a stunt that seemed to defy the law of gravity, and I watched mesmerized. But had the day been windier, the load would have dropped to the ground.

　難所が待ちかまえていた。壁の最上部が路地の方に７、８センチ張り出している。このひさしのような障害を知っての上で、ここまで運んできたのか。作業もこれまでか、と思った瞬間、その輪が壁から離れて中ぶらりんのようになった。ひさしに仰向けに張り付いた２匹が、輪をぶら下げながら進み、ついに、ひさしのへりまで運びきった。重力を消し去るような離れ業に見とれたが、風が強ければ、荷は元の路面に落ちていただろう。

Maurice Maeterlinck, author of ``The Blue Bird,'' also wrote a book about social insects such as ants and bees. (The book has been published in Japanese as ``Ari-no Seikatsu,'' or ant life, by Kosakusha.)

Maeterlinck describes ants as ``the noblest and the most compassionate, tolerant, dedicated and altruistic'' creatures on Earth. Yet, he adds, ants are also the only insects that form armies to invade enemies.

　「青い鳥」で知られるメーテルリンクには、アリや蜜蜂などの社会的昆虫についての著作がある。「アリがこの地球上でもっとも高貴で慈悲深い、寛容で献身的かつ愛他的な存在である」（『蟻の生活』工作舎）。同時に、「あらゆる昆虫の中で、アリだけが軍隊を組織し、攻撃的戦争をくわだてる種族」とも記した。

Tiny as they are, they are capable of going from one extreme to the other. On this particular score, they remind me of humans.

The ants I watched disappeared behind a clump of ivy in the schoolyard.

　小さなアリたちが備えている大きな幅は、人類の方の幅と重なりあうように思われる。一団は、校庭のツタの茂みに消えて行った。

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 22(IHT/Asahi: June 23,2004) (06/23)
　
　
　
Ancient tomb's white tiger deserves rescue

The researcher at first thought it was perhaps a patch of blue mold. On closer inspection, what looked like tree roots or strings emerged on the wall.

06月21日付
■《天声人語》

　最初は「青いカビのようなものか」と思ったという。しかし、よく見ると何か木の根のようなものもあり、紐（ひも）のようにも見える。

After a while, Yoshinori Aboshi's eyes grew accustomed to the darkness inside the rock chamber as more sunlight entered.

As Aboshi, a professor emeritus of Kansai University, stared at the wall, he began to recognize the faint shape of a person dressed in blue clothes, held together by near-brown strings. ``It's a person! It's a mural!'' he cried.

　目が慣れてきた時、日差しが少し強まり明るくなった。凝視する。茶色に近い色の緒を結び、青い服を着た人の姿が、かすかに見えた。「人物だ！　壁画だ！」

Aboshi's March 1972 discovery of seventh-century wall pictures inside the Takamatsuzuka tumulus in Asuka, Nara Prefecture, is described in his book on the tumulus excavation published by Gakuseisha.

This month, another publisher released photographs taken 30 years later that reveal the shocking erosion that is destroying a mural of a white tiger on the west wall.

The pictures are contained in a book from Chuo Koron Bijutsu Shuppan which is called ``Kokuho - Takamatsuzuka Kofun Hekiga'' (National treasures-Wall paintings at Takamatsuzuka Tomb).

　７２年３月、奈良県明日香村の高松塚古墳での壁画発見の瞬間を、網干善教・関西大名誉教授が記している（『飛鳥高松塚古墳』学生社）。それから３０年たって撮影され、今月刊行された『国宝　高松塚古墳壁画』（中央公論美術出版）の写真で、西壁の白虎の部分が劣化していることがわかったという。

The whole situation reminded me of scenes in the 1972 film, ``Fellini's Roma.'' The camera goes into a subway construction site, where an excavator drills holes in a wall. Suddenly, an ancient wall emerges.

On the wall are pictures of people. No sooner does the viewer see them as a new discovery, than the images begin to dissolve and vanish, as if to exaggerate the effects of the modern air. The speedy dissolution made the scene memorable.

　映画『フェリーニのローマ』のシーンを連想した。カメラは地下鉄の工事現場に入ってゆく。掘削機が壁に穴を開ける。突然、その先に古代の壁が現れる。描かれた人物像が鮮やかだ。新発見と思う間もなく、色が急速に薄れ、像は消えてゆく。現代の空気の作用を極端に表すかのような印象的な場面だった。

Judging from the recently published photographs, the lines of the white tiger have faded tremendously. The animal's ferocious face has blurred, leaving it looking more like a house cat than a tiger.

I hope that steps will be taken to stop the discoloration. Fortunately, some other figures on the tomb's walls appear to be well preserved, apparently unaffected by the march of time. The lips of beautiful women from the Asuka Period (592-710) remain a bright, vivid vermilion.

　本の写真を見ると、確かに、白虎の像の輪郭は薄れているようだ。たけだけしい表情もぼやけて、虎というより猫の気配も漂う。退色が進まないことを願うが、姿形がしっかり保たれている絵もあるようだ。特に「飛鳥美人」たちの口元の赤は鮮やかだ。

Next to the Takamatsuzuka tumulus is a mural museum containing reproductions of the tomb's images. Even though copies, the pictures have a forceful impact on the senses. It's as if visitors can feel the ancient murals ``breathing'' in the darkness close by.

　高松塚古墳の隣接地に、「壁画館」がある。掲げられた絵は模写だが、それでも、胸に迫ってくるものがある。それは、はるかな古代の絵が、すぐ隣り合った闇の中で、今も確かに息づいているとの思いから来るようだった。

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 21(IHT/Asahi: June 22,2004)(IHT/Asahi: June 22,2004) (06/22)
　
　
　
Ox-walk drama in Diet fails except as a farce

If you are a theatergoer, the scene of lawmakers walking at a snail's pace to the ballot box in the Diet was perhaps not an entirely unfamiliar sight. You might have watched similar scenes before in a series of pantomimes staged in the 1980s under the direction of Shogo Ota.

Inching to the ballot box is a time-honored delaying tactic in the Diet. After years of disuse, the gyuho senjutsu, or ox-walk tactic, was revived earlier this month when parties clashed over a package of pension reform bills.

Among Ota's pantomimes, ``Mizu-no Eki'' (Watercourse station) particularly impressed me. It was a play in which actors walked at an amazingly slow speed. As I watched the slowly moving lawmakers on television, stage scenes from the series came back to mind.

They came back with a sense of guilt. Whereas Ota's pantomimes were hailed as epoch-making theater, in the Diet, the revived delaying tactic might have struck some people as an anachronism. So it occurred to me that recalling the stage performance might be impolite to the director.

06月06日付
■《天声人語》

　太田省吾さんが演出した８０年代の一連の演劇を思い浮かべるのは彼に失礼かもしれない。国会での伝統芸「牛歩戦術」の復活を見て、驚異的な遅さで俳優が歩く「水の駅」など沈黙劇の情景が浮かんだのだった。時代を画した演劇と、時代錯誤にも見える牛歩劇との落差を痛感しつつ。

A newspaper headline on the ox-walk tactic that I found dates back to 1946, the year after the end of World War II. The headline says: ``Plenary session called off as ox-walking lawmakers time their pace to the clock.'' Apparently, it was the first time the tactic had been used in the Diet.

Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida, who had organized his first Cabinet, was at the helm of state then. The Japan Socialist Party and other opposition parties submitted a motion of no-confidence against the speaker of the Lower House. Yoshida's numerically superior ruling party sought to kill the motion by putting it to a vote promptly, while the opposition countered by resorting to the ox-walk tactic. The opposition tactic proved a success as the voting continued past midnight, causing the plenary session to be called off.

　戦後すぐの４６年に「時計と睨（にら）めつこで牛歩、本会議を流す」の記事がある。牛歩の最初らしい。第１次吉田内閣で、社会党など野党が衆院議長の不信任案を提出した。数でつぶそうとする与党に野党は牛歩で対抗、深夜０時を越えて流会に持ち込んだ。

The following years yielded a run of headlines rather unfavorable to the opposition, such as: ``Japan Socialist Party resorts to ox-walk tactic again.'' Another example: ``Ox-walk drama leaves even players sick and tired.'' The tactic rarely succeeded, leaving the participants with a sense of unrewarded labor and futility.

　以来、こんな見出しが並ぶ時代が続く。「社会党また牛歩」「役者もうんざり　牛歩劇」。牛歩が成功を収めたことはほとんどなく、徒労感とむなしさばかりが残ることが多かった。

This month, the ox-walk drama was re-enacted for the first time in long years. In the run-up to it, players had quit one after another for failing to pay pension premiums. The nonpayment controversy was not scripted in advance. Although important themes relating to the lives of people a long time into the future were at stake, the deliberations conducted on the substance of the bills were hardly sufficient.

Also disappointing was that the curtain was dropped as in an old play, with the opposition resorting to the ox-walk tactic to delay the plenary voting after the bills were rammed through a committee.

　今回、久しぶりの「牛歩劇」再演である。未納騒動で役者が次々交代したのは筋書きにない展開だった。長い将来の生活にかかわる重要テーマをかかげながら、中身の掘り下げが足りなかった。強行採決から牛歩戦術へと旧劇風に幕を下ろしてしまったのにもがっかりした。

Ota's pantomimes earned a favorable comment: ``Ota slows the movement of players to extremes as if to challenge the patience of the audience. By following a style of impatiently slow expression, he has succeeded in letting areas missed by the conventional eye emerge quietly.'' (From Akihiko Senda's ``Gendai Engeki-no Kokai,'' or The voyage of contemporary theater, published by Libro Port)

　太田さんの沈黙劇にはこんな評がある。「観客の忍耐力に挑戦するかのように極端に遅くし、そのじれったいほどゆるやかな表現のなかから、日常の眼では見えにくい領域を静かに立ちあがらせた」（扇田昭彦『現代演劇の航海』リブロポート）。

What has emerged from the slapstick over the pension reform bills? If the end result was that voters, the genuine leading players, were ignored, it is an unbearably depressing conclusion.

　年金法案をめぐるドタバタ劇から立ち上がってくるものは何か。真の主役、つまり主権者の私たちが無視された、ということだったとすればむなしい。

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 6(IHT/Asahi: June 21,2004) (06/21)
　
　
　

Demanding answers-before it's too late

What if Japan had also been a target of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks? Reading the report released by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, I could not help but ask myself.

06月18日付
■《天声人語》

　「９・１１同時多発テロ」が、日本でも起きていたとしたら。そんな恐ろしい想像に駆りたてるのが、米議会独立調査委員会の報告書である。

According to the report, the mastermind of the attacks had originally planned not only to attack the U.S. mainland, but also to hijack and blow up U.S. airliners flying over Southeast Asia. The extremists also planned to attack U.S. targets throughout the world, including Japan. It brought to mind the ``Bojinka'' plot I read about in ``FBI wa Naze Terorisuto ni Haiboku Shitanoka'' (Why did the FBI succumb to terrorists?), written by Fukiko Aoki, a Japanese journalist living in the United States, and published by Shinchosha.

　首謀者は、米本土だけでなく、東南アジアから太平洋を飛ぶ米航空機を同時にハイジャックし、爆破や日本などへの攻撃に使うことを検討していた。米在住のジャーナリスト、青木冨貴子さんの『ＦＢＩはなぜテロリストに敗北したのか』（新潮社）で読んだ「ボジンカ」計画が、すぐに思い浮かんだ。

According to Aoki, Ramzi Yousef, who was arrested in 1995 for masterminding the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York and is now serving a prison sentence, planned to simultaneously blow up 12 U.S. commercial airliners over the Pacific, including six departing from Narita International Airport. If the plan had succeeded, it would have killed an estimated 4,000 people.

　９３年、世界貿易センタービルの爆破事件が起きた。９５年に逮捕された主犯格のラムジ・ユセフ受刑者は、太平洋上で１２機の米旅客機を同時爆破する計画を立てていた。４千人の死を見込み、成田発の６機が含まれていたとある。

With Yousef's arrest, the Bojinka plot supposedly fell apart. Then how did it come to be revived? According to the report, Yousef is the nephew of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the man apparently behind the 9/11 attacks. The two apparently developed the Bojinka plot while taking refuge in the Philippines.

　ユセフ逮捕で「ボジンカ」計画は消えたはずなのに、なぜ息を吹き返したのか。委員会の報告に、こうあった。９・１１首謀者のハリド・シェイク・モハメド容疑者のおいがユセフ受刑者で、ふたりはフィリピンで合流して「ボジンカ」計画を練った。

But what I find even more difficult to understand is the ``moral cause of the Iraq war'' that U.S. President George W. Bush advocates. Just like the case of the ``missing'' weapons of mass destruction, investigators have not been able to find evidence to prove the link between al-Qaida and the Saddam Hussein regime.

　これで、復活した訳は分かったが、ますます訳が分からなくなったのが、ブッシュ大統領の「イラク戦争の大義」だ。大量破壊兵器と同様、アルカイダとフセイン政権の協力関係を示す証拠も見つからなかった。

Criticizing the Bush administration's seemingly vague justification of the war and the way it puts so much confidence in military force, former U.S. diplomats and retired military officers issued a statement demanding a policy review. Although such a move is uncommon before a presidential election, they must have thought the matter could not wait. In Japan, too, the administration will soon face a test as the Upper House election approaches.

　ブッシュ政権による戦争の誤った正当化や軍事力への過信を批判して、米国の元外交官や退役将校らが政策転換を求める声明を出した。大統領選を前に異例だが、選挙の後では間に合わないという思いが感じられる。日本でも、政権を問う節目が近づいてきた。

-The Asahi Shimbun, June 18(IHT/Asahi: June 19,2004) (06/19)
　
　
　
No applause for Koizumi's cheap magic show

``The Prestige,'' a novel by Christopher Priest, has been published in Japanese under the title of ``Kijutsushi'' (Magicians) by Hayakawa Shobo.

There is one section where the author describes the inner torment of talented magicians who pull off spectacular tricks that awe the audience. The torment arises because the magicians themselves are fully cognizant of the cheapness of the tricks they use. They are often disgusted, and even horrified, at the shallowness of their art.

06月17日付
■《天声人語》

　奇術師の苦悩というのがあるそうだ。観客をあっといわせる素晴らしい奇術をしてみせる。しかし裏にあるのは、往々にして「あまりにばからしくて、奇術師自身恥ずかしくて認めたくない」ようなトリックだという（Ｃ・プリースト『奇術師』早川書房）。その落差におののく。

Listening to the government's ``basic understanding'' of the role to be played by the Self-Defense Forces in the multinational force in Iraq, I felt as if I was being forced to watch a bad magic show.

　イラクでの多国籍軍への自衛隊「参加」について政府が「基本的考え方」を示した。憲法の枠をいかにすり抜けるか。「奇弁」をもってのつじつま合わせに、下手な奇術を見せられているような気分に襲われた。

The government has shamelessly resorted to every cheap verbal trick to cheat the Constitution.

The word ``participation'' is a case in point. By strict definition, SDF participation in the multinational force violates the Constitution. So, the government tried to justify its position by arbitrarily stretching the meaning of the word. Realizing this trick was not working, the government simply dropped the word from its official statement.

　まず「参加」という言葉の伸縮に着目した。狭義の「参加」だと憲法に抵触する。意味をあいまいに広げてすり抜けようとした。それにも無理があるのだろう、「考え方」からは「参加」という言葉が消された。

``Command'' is another word the government had to skirt around. If the SDF comes under the unified command of the multinational force, Japanese troops may be ordered to engage in armed action, which is in violation of the Constitution.

The government, therefore, went the traditional, tried-and-tested route of ``liberal interpretation.'' In translating into Japanese the U.N. Security Council resolution concerning ``unified command,'' the government took the liberty of translating this expression liberally to suit its own purpose.

Because of these cheap tricks, I could not possibly applaud this cheat-the-Constitution magic show.

　「指揮権」も障害だ。多国籍軍の指揮下に入ると、憲法が禁じる武力行使を命ぜられる恐れがある。ここは伝統芸の「自在訳」で切り抜ける。国連安保理決議の指揮権のくだりを翻訳で薄め、独自解釈を可能にした。陳腐な仕掛けで彩られたこの「憲法すり抜け術」に、とても拍手を送る気にはなれない。

Priest's book features a Chinese magician famed for his dazzling act of pulling a fish bowl out of thin air. But his trick was quite primitive: Under his flowing Chinese costume, he held the fish bowl between his knees.

Naturally, he had to drag his feet when he moved on stage. And lest he give away his secret, he walked like that everywhere throughout his life.

　先の小説『奇術師』に登場する中国人は、虚空から金魚鉢を出現させる華麗な技で有名だった。仕掛けは簡単で、中国服の下、ひざに金魚鉢をはさんで運んでいた。舞台では足を引きずりながら歩かざるをえない。秘密がばれないように、彼は舞台を離れても足をひきずって歩いた。生涯続けた。

Any attempt to fool people by covering up blatant inconsistencies is bound to cause trouble in the future.

　無理な仕掛けやつじつま合わせはその場だけではすまない。将来に禍根を残す。

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 17(IHT/Asahi: June 18,2004) (06/18)
　
　
　
A breakfast buffet of literature and history

The gun tower eternized by Irish novelist James Joyce in ``Ulysses'' is not far from Dublin. Take a train southeast about 10 kilometers from central Dublin. Get off at a small station and walk just a few minutes along the coast. Then, the low cylindrical tower, built by the British military to prepare for Napoleon's invasion, comes into view.

06月16日付
■《天声人語》

　アイルランドのダブリンの市街から１０キロほど南東へ、電車で行く。小さな駅から海岸沿いに数分歩くと、丈の低い円筒形の塔が見えてくる。ナポレオンの侵攻に備えてイギリス軍が設けた砲塔の跡だ。

The famous novel gets off to a start with a conversation between young men living in the Martello Tower on June 16, 1904.

In real life, Joyce is said to have had his first date with his future wife, Nora Barnacle, on that day.

The principal characters include Leopold Bloom, a middle-aged salesman for newspaper ads, his wife Molly, and Stephen Dedalus, a literary-minded young man. With Dublin as a backdrop, the novel documents what these people do, think and imagine in a single day.

　アイルランドの作家ジェイムズ・ジョイスの小説「ユリシーズ」は、１９０４年６月１６日、このマーテロ塔に住む青年たちの朝の会話で始まる。この日は、後に妻となるノラとジョイスが初めてデートした日だという。ダブリンを背景に、中年の新聞広告勧誘員ブルームと妻モリー、文学青年スティーブンらの織りなす１日の物語がつづられる。

The novel's title comes from the hero of the Greek epic poem ``Odyssey,'' Ulysses being the English name for Odysseus. Joyce borrowed only the structure of the ancient epic poem for his story and kept it free from the great and heroic adventures and wanderings.

As an alternative, he counted on a technique, known as ``the stream of consciousness,'' for his narrative. Readers and researchers around the world have been drawn to ``Ulysses'' as one of the greatest literary achievements in the genre.

　ユリシーズはギリシャの叙事詩「オデュッセイア」の主人公オデュッセウスの英語名だ。小説は叙事詩の構成を下敷きにしているが大冒険や漂泊は無い。しかし「意識の流れ」の手法で描いた文学の極みの一つとして世界の読者や研究者を引きつけてきた。

According to ``James Joyce'' in the Penguin Critical Studies, ``Ulysses'' represents the essence of everything he saw and heard of, only expressed in sanctifying or sacrilegious ways, the novelist being dead serious and comical at the same time. At one time, readers hear the rythmic lapping of little waves on the shore. Sometimes, they see a horse galloping or a bull walking lazily across the pages.

　「『ユリシーズ』は、彼が見、聞き、小耳に挟んだことのすべての精髄であり、聖化であり、冒涜であり、大真面目であると同時に喜劇的で（略）小波が寄せて来て韻律を刻み、馬が駆け牡牛がのそのそと歩く」（『ジェイムズ・ジョイス』ペンギン評伝双書）

It also strikes me as a novel in which you find yourself in a labyrinth, turning corners one after another and still unable to reach your destination. It may be said that a city itself constitutes a maze, given the fact that it is a hive of intricately connected human activities. The same thing may be said of human relations and the human body's organs.

　角を曲がるとまた角で、曲がっても曲がっても行き着かない迷路の感じもある。人々の営みが複雑に交錯する都市そのものが迷路であり、人と人との関係も、人間を形作る器官もまた迷路と言えなくもない。

A free breakfast meeting was held in Dublin the other day to commemorate Bloom's century-old breakfast scene in the Martello Tower and drew many people, according to a British newspaper.

　ダブリンでは先日、１００年前のあの日のブルームの朝食にちなむ無料朝食会が開かれ、大勢でにぎわったと、英紙にあった。

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 16(IHT/Asahi: June 17,2004) (06/17)
　
　
　
Is it really the last inning for 2 Japan leagues?

``Each spring when the cherry blossoms come into bloom, the Land of the Rising Sun starts its annual love affair with the game of baseball,'' writes Robert Whiting in ``The Chrysanthemum and the Bat: The Game Japanese Play.'' (The Japanese translation was published by Simul Shuppankai under the title of ``Kiku-to Batto: Puro-Yakyu-ni Miru Nippon Sutairu.'')

06月15日付
■《天声人語》

　「毎春、梅の花が咲きだすと、『昇る朝日の国』は、野球相手に、恒例の全国的な恋愛事件を開始する」。「プロ野球にみるニッポンスタイル」を副題にしたロバート・ホワイティングさんの『菊とバット』（サイマル出版会）の一節だ。

In this 1977 publication, Whiting makes an illuminating cultural comparison between Japan and the United States, using baseball as his reference point.

``Almost overnight, Japan is transformed into a nation of starry-eyed pitchers, catchers and home-run hitters; a nation of besuboru nuts.''

　プロ野球を通じて日米文化比較に踏み込んだこの本が出たのは、７７年だった。「日本は、ほとんど一夜のうちに、目のキラキラ光るピッチャーやホームランバッターたちの国に、ベースボール狂たちの国に、変貌する」

One of the teams that shone during that era of Japan's love affair with the sport was the Kintetsu Buffaloes.

But now that era may be over. Kintetsu officials announced Sunday the Buffaloes were planning to merge with the Orix BlueWave, another Pacific League team.

Skippered by Yukio Nishimoto, arguably one of the greatest managers of his time, the Buffaloes clinched the league pennant in 1979 and 1980, but lost the Japan championship series both times.

　こんな熱狂の時代に輝いていたチームの一つ、近鉄バファローズが合併するという。名将・西本幸雄監督に率いられ、７９、８０年と連続してリーグ優勝しながら、日本一への壁を越えられなかったことを思い出す。

The national love affair with baseball cooled during the 1980s. According to ``Puro-Yakyu-yo!'' (Oh pro baseball!) published by Tojusha, essayist Shigeru Ekuni was asked during the mid-1980s to predict the future of professional baseball in Japan.

``Whatever will be, will be,'' he responded with resignation, and went on, ``I have to wonder if a small nation like Japan really needs two leagues. And if I may wax nostalgic a bit, I miss the good old days when we had only one league of eight teams.''

　熱狂の時代は、その後長くは続かなかった。「なるようになれ、って心境ですね」。プロ野球はこれからどうなるかと問われた随筆家江國滋さんが答えたのは８０年代半ばだった。「狭い日本に果たして二リーグ制が必要なんでしょうかね。ちょっと古いかもしれませんが、一リーグ八チームの頃のことが懐かしいですね」（『プロ野球よ！』冬樹社）

The Kintetsu-Orix merger suggests the possibility of Japan reverting to the one-league system. This may indeed be in keeping with the times, given the recent exodus of star ballplayers to the U.S. major leagues and people's growing enthusiasm for soccer over baseball.

Still, I prefer not to jump to conclusions. Just because one team has disappeared doesn't mean that the whole league must go, too.

　近鉄とオリックスの合併で、１リーグ制になるという観測があるようだ。スター選手の脱日本や、人々のサッカーへの傾きを見れば時代の流れのようにも思われる。しかし「１チーム減即１リーグ減」では短絡的過ぎないか。

And I certainly sympathize with the players who have been told about the merger when the season is not even halfway through.

It couldn't be pleasant for them to realize there will be no second chance if they don't win the Japan championship this season.

　戦いのさなかに、合併を宣告される身もつらいだろう。これまでに果たせなかった日本一の夢を成就する機会が、今年で最後になるとしたら。

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 15(IHT/Asahi: June 16,2004) (06/16)
　
　
　
The other side of the late Ronald Reagan

When Ronald Reagan's daughter went into her father's room as a child, he would often lift his eyes from memos he was reading and greet her with the look of a man wondering who the girl was. Patti Davis recounts the experience in ``The Way I See It.'' (A Japanese translation has been published by KK Bestsellers with the title of ``Waga Musume-o Aisenakatta Daitoryo-e,'' meaning ``To the president who could not love his own daughter.'')

06月13日付
■《天声人語》

　「よく私が父の部屋に入っていくと、父は読んでいたメモから目を上げて、いったいこの子は誰なのだろうという顔をしたものだ」。レーガン元米大統領の娘パティ・デイビスさんが幼いころの思い出を『わが娘を愛せなかった大統領へ』（ＫＫベストセラーズ）でつづっている。

Her mother, Nancy, was drug-dependent and ``abused'' Patti. Her father, indifferent to his children, insisted that any form of ``abuse'' was just impossible. As Patti saw it, gloom ruled the Reagan household environment when she was a girl.

　母のナンシー夫人は薬物依存で、娘を「虐待」していた。父は「虐待」などあるはずがないと言いはり、子どもたちには無関心だった。娘時代のパティさんが見たレーガン家の風景は暗かった。

Yet, the home of an actor-turned-politician had to be different from ordinary homes. When there was a guest, Patti recalls in the book, the Reagans would promptly transform themselves into a happy family. The guest became a spectator and watched the ``show.''

For a long time, Patti rebelled against her parents. The reason she became an anti-nuclear activist was that she had been offended by her father's pronouncements as U.S. president that denounced the Soviet Union and advocated a massive American arms buildup. She was also hooked on narcotics in those years.

　とはいえ、俳優・政治家の家庭である。客が来ると「突然わが家は幸せな家庭に早変わりし、来客は観客となってそのショーを見物するのだ」。パティさんは両親に反抗を続けた。大統領になったレーガン氏がソ連を非難し、軍備増強を唱えるのに反発、反核運動をした。麻薬にもおぼれた。

In the 1990s, Patti stepped up her efforts to reconcile with her parents as Alzheimer's disease made Reagan more sick.

When the coffin of the former president returned to California Friday evening, Patti offered affecting words of farewell, recalling a small cross her father made from twigs for the burial of a dead goldfish she had kept as a pet.

　９０年代、レーガン氏のアルツハイマーが進行するとともに、パティさんは両親との「和解」を進めた。１１日夕、カリフォルニア州に戻った父の棺（ひつぎ）を前に、パティさんは心優しい別れの言葉を述べた。自分が飼っていた金魚が死んで埋葬するとき、父が小枝で十字架をつくってくれた思い出を語りながら。

In a Time magazine article, Nancy Reagan described her husband as an ``eternal optimist.'' So, the former president probably had a vision of his family different from that of his daughter. Looking at old family portraits, Reagan always said his was not a broken family, as indicated by the mutually loving looks of everyone in the pictures.

　ナンシー夫人が「永遠の楽観主義者」（タイム誌）だったと語るレーガン氏には、パティさんとは違う家族像が映っていたのだろう。家族で撮った昔の写真を見て「崩壊家庭ではなかった。皆愛し合っている」というのが口癖だった。

The Reagans were a specially destined family, even though they seemed like an ordinary one at a glance. With Ronald Reagan dead, the family went through a ritual of bidding farewell to that fate.

　一見どこにでもありそうな、しかし、特別な運命を背負わされた一家の別れの儀式だった。

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 13(IHT/Asahi: June 15,2004) (06/15)
　
　
　
G-8 photo glosses over pushy U.S. attitude

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi stands right behind U.S. President George W. Bush in the official group photo for this year's G-8 Summit at Sea Island, Georgia. This is the 30th summit of advanced industrialized democracies since the first such gathering at Rambouillet, France, in 1975. And this is the fifth summit hosted by the United States.

Before Koizumi, Yasuhiro Nakasone was the only Japanese leader who ever stood so close to his U.S. counterpart.

06月11日付
■《天声人語》

　小泉首相がブッシュ大統領のすぐ後ろで記念写真に納まっていた。７５年にフランスのランブイエで開かれて以来、サミットは３０回目になる。米主催での会議は５度目だが、中央に立つ米大統領にこれほど接近した首相は中曽根さんぐらいだろう。

In the 1983 Williamsburg summit group photo, Nakasone stands next to then-President Ronald Reagan. The headline of a newspaper article on the subject says, ``Yasu in high spirits, takes center spot with Ron.''

The two were positioned so closely together that some photographers voiced surprise, according to the article.

I suppose Koizumi's display of ``intimacy'' with Bush is a repeat of what Nakasone managed with Reagan at Williamsburg.

　８３年のウィリアムズバーグで、中曽根さんはレーガンさんの真横に写っている。記事の見出しには「“ヤス”大張り切り／“ロン”と並び中央で」とある。カメラの放列の中からは、意外なほどの接近ぶりに「オヤ」という声も出たという。小泉さんは、それ以来の親密さを見せたことになるのかも知れない。

Television coverage of the Sea Island summit shows the leaders conferring in a relaxed atmosphere. That's fine in itself, but fighting is continuing in Iraq. Watching television, I thought of a passage from a book I read recently.

　シーアイランドのサミットで、首脳たちがくつろいだ雰囲気で話し合う様子がテレビで流れている。それはそれでいいのだが、イラクでは戦闘が続いている。画面を見ながら、近刊の本の一節を思い浮かべた。

Titled ``Iraku: Tairyo-hakai Heiki Sasatsu-no Jijitsu'' and published by DHC, this is the Japanese edition of ``Disarming Iraq'' by Hans Blix, a former Swedish foreign minister who led the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) in the hunt for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.

Blix says to the effect that it was clearly a mistake to conclude that WMD existed, and then to reject any question that was raised about that conclusion.

　「大量破壊兵器が存在するとの断定的な主張をしたこと、そしてその主張に対する疑問を退けたことは明らかに誤りだった」（『イラク　大量破壊兵器査察の真実』ＤＨＣ）。著者は、元スウェーデン外相で、国連監視検証査察委員会（ＵＮＭＯＶＩＣ）の長としてイラクでの査察を率いたハンス・ブリクス氏だ。

He then goes on to criticize the leaders of the United States and Britain, and points out they and their advisers lacked the power of critical thinking.

Reagan wanted a ``strong America,'' and the United States eventually became the world's sole superpower. America's ``go it alone'' attitude probably began then.

　米英の両首脳を批判し、本人や顧問たちには批判的な思考力が欠けていたと指摘する。レーガンさんの「強い米国」への志向を経て、「唯一最強の米国」が実現した時、独断への傾きもまた生まれたのだろうか。

Summit talks ought to be held in earnest, but one part of the group should not take the liberty of soaring above the rest.

　サミットは「頂上」だが、頂上の一角だけが勝手に高くならないような、厳しいやりとりが必要だ。

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 11(IHT/Asahi: June 12,2004) (06/12)
　
　
　
D-Day ceremonies high on symbolism

Many speeches were delivered on the 60th anniversary of D-Day.

``France will never forget those men who made the supreme sacrifice to liberate our soil, our native land, our continent, from the yoke of Nazi barbarity and its murderous folly,'' said French President Jacques Chirac.

06月08日付
■《天声人語》

　記念の日に、幾つもの演説がなされた。「フランスは決して忘れない。我々の国土を、我々の祖国を、我々の欧州を、ナチスの蛮行のくびきと凶悪な愚行から解放するため至高の犠牲を払った人たちを」

The Associated Press reported U.S. President George W. Bush as responding: ``The nations that battled across the continent would become trusted partners in the cause of peace. And our great alliance of freedom is strong. ... America would do it again for our friends.''

　仏大統領に米大統領が応える。「大陸を横断して戦った諸国は、平和の大義の下、信頼しあったパートナーとなる。我々の偉大な自由連合は強固であり…アメリカは友人のために再びそうする」（ＡＰ）

It was as if the distance between France and the United States had shrunk for the first time since the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

Attending the 60th anniversary of one of the most significant military campaigns in history, perhaps the two leaders imagined how they themselves would be remembered in history.

　イラク戦争以来の両国の隔たりが縮んだかに見えた。「Ｄデー」から６０年の節目に立ち会い、ふたりとも歴史に刻まれるのを意識したのだろうか。

``Perhaps the most moving of all the speeches of the day was given by (German Chancellor) Gerhard Schroeder, at a Franco-German commemoration in Caen last night,'' The Independent of Britain reported.

Schroeder spoke at a peace memorial museum in the Normandy city, away from the main international celebration site at Arromanches.

　「おそらく、この日のすべての演説で最も感動的なものは、シュレーダー独首相から、もたらされた」（英紙インディペンデント）。場所は昼間の国際式典ではなく、ノルマンディーの都市カーンの平和博物館「カーン記念館」だった。

The first leader of a former Axis nation to attend a D-Day ceremony, Schroeder was born in 1944-the year of the Normandy landings-and his father died in action in Romania.

``We Germans know we unleashed the heinous war,'' The Independent quoted him as saying. ``We recognize the responsibility our history has laid upon us and we take it seriously. ... Thousands of Allied soldiers ... paid the ultimate price for freedom. German soldiers died because they had been sent on a murderous campaign to crush Europe. But in death soldiers were united, regardless of the uniform they wore.''

　旧敵国の首相として初めて式典に出席した。上陸作戦があった４４年の生まれで、父はルーマニアで戦死した。歴史がドイツに科した責任を深刻に受け止めていると述べ、続けた。「連合国の兵士は…自由のために究極の代償を支払った。ドイツの兵士たちは欧州を破壊しようという残忍な作戦に送られたため命を落とした。しかし死の中にあれば、兵士たちは一体であるし、着ていた軍服にとらわれることもない」

According to The Financial Times of Britain, Schroeder and Chirac ``embraced emotionally in front of a crowd of students, mixed with war veterans from both countries.''

I wondered whether the embrace was just a matter of protocol, or a spontaneous expression of feelings for all fallen soldiers ``regardless of their uniforms.''

　独仏の首脳は、両国の生徒たちや元兵士の前で「熱く抱き合った」（英紙フィナンシャル・タイムズ）。儀礼の範囲なのか、軍服の別を超えた兵士への思いがあふれたのかと考えた。

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 8(IHT/Asahi: June 11,2004) (06/11)
　
　
　
Putting rare event into historical perspective

Venus was pitch black as I observed it passing between Earth and the sun for the first time in my life. With a white sun as a backdrop, the solar system's sixth-largest planet appeared as a black dot. The rare transit of Venus, as the phenomenon is known, was last observed in Japan 130 years ago.

06月09日付
■《天声人語》

　真っ黒な星というものを、初めて見た。背景は白い太陽だ。日本では１３０年ぶりとなった金星の日面通過現象である。

Rain-soaked skies prevailed over Tokyo on Tuesday. When the veiled sun peeped through the clouds, I went to a building adjacent to The Asahi Shimbun that is occupied by a Japan Coast Guard department that deals with oceanographic information. I asked to see telescopic images of the transit in progress.

　昨日、東京は梅雨空だった。薄日の差す合間に、本社に隣り合う海上保安庁海洋情報部にお邪魔して、望遠鏡がとらえる映像を見せてもらった。

The sun engulfed most of the screen. Venus was a black dot that had moved slightly from the sun's rim toward its center. It seemed like a small table tennis ball floating in front of a white disk the size of a basketball. The sight provided graphic confirmation that Earth, the sun and Venus were on a straight line.

　画面の大半が太陽で、輪郭の線から中心へ少し入ったところに、黒い金星があった。バスケットボールぐらいの直径の白い円盤の前に、黒い小さめの卓球の球が浮かんでいるような感じだ。二つの星と地球が一直線になっているのを実感した。

The previous transit of Venus occurred in 1874, or the seventh year of the Meiji Era (1868-1912). We can see how Japan played host to teams of astronomers from the United States, France and Mexico from old records kept at the oceanographic information department.

These teams had chosen Japan as a vantage point to observe the rare celestial event. The names of senior government officials, such as Prime Minister Sanjo Sanetomi (officially, still known by the archaic title of Dajo Daijin) and Minister of the Navy Katsu Yasuyoshi (alias Kaishu), often crop up in the old documents, titled ``Kinsei Shiken Tenmatsu'' (Accounts of Venus observation programs in Japan).

　海洋情報部には「金星試験顛末（てんまつ）」という文書がある。前回の現象は１８７４年、明治７年だった。この時を前に、各国の天文学者が観測の準備に入り、基地の一つとして日本が選ばれた。来日した米、仏、メキシコ隊への対応を記録したのが「顛末」で、三条実美太政大臣や勝安芳（海舟）海軍卿などの名がしばしば出てくる。

The five-member team from Mexico observed the transit of Venus in Yokohama. The leader was Francisco Diaz Covarrubias. A speech given by a Japanese official at a farewell party so impressed him that he kept a record of it. According to the astronomer, the Japanese official said: ``Unlike Europeans, you did not greet us with the boom of arms. Instead, you greeted us with a spirit of friendship like scientists. Diplomatic relations still do not exist between our two countries. Such state relations should be established sometime in the future. But it can be said with a certainty that thanks to your agency, a bond of friendship has come into being between us as individuals.'' (From a book titled ``Kinsei Kajitsu,'' or the passing of Venus.)

　メキシコ隊の５人は、横浜で観測した。隊長ディアスは、送別会で聞いて感動したという、日本側のあいさつを記している。「ヨーロッパ人とちがって、あなた方は武器の大音声をもって我々に接せず、科学の友情をもって接してくれた。我々互いの国の間にはいつの日にか成就すべき外交関係がまだない。しかしあなた方の仲介にてわれらの間にはすでに友情の関係が成就したことは確かである」（『金星過日』）

In a photograph taken by the Mexican team, Venus seems like a black stone for the board game go. Those words came back to me as I looked at the picture, and I pondered about how Japan later came to deal with foreign countries with the ``boom of arms'' itself.

　隊が撮った、金星が黒い碁石のように写った写真を見ながら、日本自身が「大音声」をもって外に接してゆく道のりを思った。

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 9(IHT/Asahi: June 10,2004) (06/10)
　
　
　
Old thanks, new rebuffs for Bush in Europe

Nazi generals running the occupation of Rome during World War II went to the opera one night. After the curtain came down, they began to pull out. That was on June 3, 1944.

The attendance at the opera was a ruse to deceive residents, according to Christopher Hibbert's ``Rome: The Biography of a City.'' (A Japanese translation has been published by The Asahi Shimbun.)

06月05日付
■《天声人語》

　ローマを占領していたドイツ軍の将軍らはその夜、オペラ見物に出かけた。幕が下りてから彼らは撤退を始めた。４４年６月３日のことである。オペラ見物は、市民の目をごまかすためだった（Ｃ・ヒバート『ローマ』朝日選書）。

The day after the Germans started to withdraw, Allied forces entered the city. There was no heavy fighting and Rome's cultural assets survived the war almost intact. One other probable reason the city was spared havoc was that it had declared itself to be undefended.

A papal warning also helped. The pope warned that anyone who attacked Rome would be guilty of committing matricide against the entire civilized world and faced God's eternal judgment.

　撤退開始の翌日、連合国軍がローマに入った。激しい戦闘はなく、文化遺産はほぼ無傷で生き延びることができた。ローマが無防備都市を宣言していたことも戦火を逃れた一因だろう。ローマ法王も「だれであれローマを攻撃する者は、文明世界全体に対する母親殺しの罪を犯すことになり、永遠に神の審判を受けるだろう」と警告していた。

The 1945 masterpiece movie ``Roma Citta Aperta'' (Rome Open City), directed by Roberto Rossellini, was set in Rome under Nazi occupation. It provides raw documentary-like sketches of citizens being brutally killed as they carried out their resistance movement activities. The film focused on people's suffering, not damage to the city.

　ロッセリーニ監督の名画「無防備都市」（４５年）は、ドイツ占領下のローマが舞台だった。抵抗運動をする市民が無残に殺されていくさまをドキュメンタリー風に生々しく描いた。都市の傷ではなく、人々の傷の深さを伝え続ける。

U.S. President George W. Bush arrived in Rome on June 4, the 60th anniversary of the city's liberation. While U.S. troops were enthusiastically welcomed as liberators 60 years ago, there was no hope that the president would receive such a welcome.

More than 60 percent of Italians support the withdrawal of Italian troops from Iraq. Pope John Paul has repeatedly expressed his opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

　解放６０年の４日、ブッシュ米大統領がローマ入りした。かつて米軍を迎えたような歓迎は期待できない。６割以上の国民がイタリア軍のイラク撤退を求めている。ローマ法王も、イラク戦争反対をたびたび表明してきた。

Giulio Andreotti, the postwar prime minister who served seven times, proposed a unique way for Italians to greet Bush.

According to Britain's Financial Times newspaper, he suggested that Italians should divide June 4 into two halves-``a morning when there is a united show of gratitude to the United States for the liberation, and an afternoon when whoever wants can express opposition to the pre-emptive war in Iraq.''

　戦後、首相を７度つとめたアンドレオッチ氏はこんな提案までしている。「午前中は皆がローマ解放への感謝を米国にささげ、午後はイラク戦争反対の抗議行動をしたい人がしたらどうか」（フィナンシャル・タイムズ紙）。

From Rome, Bush traveled to Paris and then on to Normandy. In these places, U.S. troops were welcomed as liberators 60 years ago.

But quite apart from the gratitude the local residents felt about liberation, the commander-in-chief's reputation has inevitably suffered from Europeans' dim view of the war in Iraq.

　ローマからパリ、ノルマンディーへ。かつて解放者として米軍が迎えられた地を、今イラクで苦戦する米軍の最高指揮官ブッシュ氏が巡る。

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 5(IHT/Asahi: June 9,2004) (06/09)
　
　
　
Olympic torch carries tidings of war, peace

Rain was falling quietly. As I watched, the runner slowly came down the road, holding the Olympic torch. The flame was brilliant against the rainy-season sky overhead. For the first time in 40 years, Tokyo witnessed a torch relay for the summer Olympics.

06月07日付
■《天声人語》

　梅雨入りした空から、静かに雨が降ってくる。ゆっくり近づいてくる走者の掲げるトーチの先に、炎が輝く。昨日東京で、夏の五輪では４０年ぶりの聖火リレーがあった。

As usual, the flame had come from Greece's Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic games. In Tokyo, the torch wound through crowded Ginza, Asakusa, Roppongi and other areas on the day the Meteorological Agency declared the start of the rainy season. After passing through five continents for the first time, the torch will head to Athens, site of the 2004 Summer Olympic Games.

The torches used this time to hold the sacred flame look like big olive leaves. It's charming to think that the flame atop them had its origin in ancient times and is being carried over long distances to wherever the next Olympics are held.

　オリンピック発祥のギリシャ・オリンピアで太陽から採られた火が、銀座や浅草、六本木を行く。今回初めて、五つの大陸を経て、開催地アテネへと向かう。トーチは、オリーブの葉を大きくしたような形に作られた。その先端に宿るのが「古代の火」であり、それが遠い道のりを行くという物語には、人を引きつけるものがある。

In ancient Olympic games, sacred flame relays took place as part of running events, according to a book on the subject, published by Kodansha. Being of a highly religious nature, such relays are thought to have been held since time immemorial.

　「古代オリンピックでは、聖火リレー（ランパドロミア）は、徒競走部門の一種目として、しかし多分に宗教的な側面を持ちあわせながら、太古から行われていたとみられている」（『ギリシアの古代オリンピック』講談社）

More often than in Olympia, flame relays served as an opening event at athletic festivals in places like Athens and Sparta.

Teams were organized, and members held lighted torches as they ran. The goal was the altar where sacrifices were offered. The final runner of the fastest team had the honor of kindling the symbolic festival flame with his torch.

　オリンピアよりは、アテナイやスパルタといった地方での競技祭の幕開けに多くみられた。チームを組み、松明（たいまつ）の火をかざしながら走る。ゴールは犠牲（いけにえ）を捧（ささ）げる祭壇で、トップの最終走者が自らの松明で点火する栄誉を得た。

Sacred flame relays for the modern Olympics began with the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, which Adolf Hitler used as a vehicle to enhance national glory.

As in ancient times, the torch flame was lit by sunlight at Olympia. The flame was then carried across the Balkan countries to Berlin. Three years later, Nazi Germany invaded Poland and began World War II.

　近代五輪の聖火リレーが始まったのは、ヒトラーが国威発揚に利用した、３６年のベルリン大会だった。やはりオリンピアで採火され、バルカン半島の各国を通って運ばれた。３年後、ナチス・ドイツがポーランドに侵攻し、第二次世界大戦が始まった。

On Sunday, though, a festive mood enveloped the Olympic torch as it passed through Tokyo. The date coincided with the 60th anniversary of the D-Day Allied invasion of Normandy, which led to Nazi Germany's defeat.

As I watched the Olympic torch, its shape a bit like the olive branch, a symbol of peace, I was struck by the thought that the first sacred flame relay in modern times was closely associated with the outbreak of World War II.

　ナチスの敗北を運命づけた「Ｄデー」から６０周年の日に東京を行く聖火は、お祭り気分に包まれていた。平和の象徴でもあるオリーブ型のトーチを見ながら、あの大戦と聖火との浅くない間柄を思っていた。

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 7(IHT/Asahi: June 8,2004) (06/08)
　
　
　
Disgraced Mitsubishi must `recompose' itself

Koyata Iwasaki, who led the Mitsubishi group in the prewar period, had a taste for haiku. According to ``Iwasaki Koyata,'' a Chuko Shinsho pocket book authored by Takayasu Miyakawa, a 1933 haiku by Iwasaki went: ``No newspaper delivery/ I am glad/ Snowy morning.''

06月04日付
■《天声人語》

　戦前の三菱グループを率いた岩崎小弥太は俳句をたしなんだ。こんな句がある。〈新聞の来ぬがうれしや雪の朝〉。１９３３年の作という（宮川隆泰『岩崎小彌太』中公新書）。

The year before, on May 15, Prime Minister Tsuyoshi Inukai was assassinated and Mitsubishi Bank was also raided the same day. At the time that haiku was written, zaibatsu business conglomerates were coming under increased criticism from the military and rightist elements, and Iwasaki must have been loath to see what was in the morning newspaper every day. In his haiku, Iwasaki frankly expressed his sense of relief when the morning paper could not be delivered to his home because of snow.

　前年、犬養毅首相が暗殺された五・一五事件では三菱銀行も襲撃された。軍部・右翼を中心に財閥への批判が高まっていたころで、毎朝の新聞を見るのも嫌だったのだろう。雪のため新聞が配達されない朝のほっとした気分を素直に詠んだ。

Perhaps the same reluctance to look at newspapers is shared today by Mitsubishi group employees. The revelation Wednesday of more coverups of defective products by Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (MMC) to escape recalls was effectively the final blow to the automaker, whose credibility has been thoroughly smeared already by a spate of recall scandals.

　昨今、三菱グループの人たちは、新聞を見たくないという点では同じ心境かもしれない。２日明らかになった三菱自動車の欠陥隠し、リコール逃れは、相次ぐ不祥事の総決算ともいうべき痛撃だった。

Four years ago, it came to light that the company was systematically concealing customer complaints and recalls from government inspectors.

The president at the time admitted ``secrecy'' had become something like a part of MMC's ``corporate culture.''

How difficult it is to outgrow that culture. The MMC chairman this week reiterated the word ``clean.'' He promised to ``clean up everything,'' insisting it was the company's priority.

The company will keep walking a tightrope, teetering between self-cleansing and self-destruction.

　４年前には、ユーザーからの苦情を組織的に隠し、リコール逃れをしていたことが発覚した。そのときの社長の言葉は、隠蔽（いんぺい）が「習い性になっていた部分がある」だった。「習い性」を変えるのはいかに難しいことか。今回、三菱自動車会長は「全部きれいにする」「きれいにするのが最優先だ」と「きれい」を連発した。自浄と自壊と、紙一重の綱渡りが続く。

``Shoji Komyo,'' which translates as something like ``all things to be exposed in clear light,'' is one of the slogans of the Mitsubishi group. This is said to mean all Mitsubishi people must shun anything that is illegal or lacks class, and always strive to conduct business fairly.

The spate of coverup scandals certainly went against this call for openness and fairness.

　「処事光明」。三菱グループの綱領の一つである。品のないことや不正を排し、公正な商売をしなさい、という意味が込められているそうだ。それにしても綱領の「光明」に反する「隠蔽」の連続だった。

In June 1945, a U.S. air raid burned Iwasaki's home to the ground. A haiku recalls his sentiments as he stood before the ruins: ``All my cherished belongings/ Burned to the ground/ The moon shines cool.''

MMC, too, has lost everything that was dear. The company must start again from scratch.

　〈愛惜の物皆焼けて月涼し〉。米機の空襲で全焼した自宅前に立った岩崎小弥太の心境だ。４５年６月のことである。三菱自動車も、「愛惜の物」すべてを失ったところから、再出発を図らねばなるまい。

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 4(IHT/Asahi: June 5,2004) (06/05)
　
　
　
Online chats undermine real communication

Tuesday's fatal slashing of a sixth-grader by her 11-year-old classmate at an elementary school in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, shook me deeply. The two girls are just children, and the scene of the crime was their school, of all places. But also disturbing is the possibility that the Internet may have played a part in this tragedy.

06月03日付
■《天声人語》

　長崎県佐世保市の小学校での女児死亡事件から受ける衝撃は、ふたりの年齢の低さや、校舎という現場の異様さにとどまらない。インターネットが、事件につながる可能性のある「舞台」として浮かんできた。

The 11-year-old reportedly told police she lured the victim to an empty room with the intention of killing her because the 12-year-old had offended her on a Web chat site. Whether this was her real motive for murder is still not certain, but it does appear to be a fact that the two girls chatted frequently on their Net instant-message board.

　１１歳の女児は「ホームページに面白くないことを書き込まれたので連れ出した。殺すつもりだった」と話したという。これが動機の核心かどうかは、まだ分からないが、ふたりは、パソコン画面の文字で会話ができる「チャット」で、よく遊んでいたそうだ。

This new type of cyberspace conversation is obviously devoid of the body language that accompanies any face-to-face exchange or the intonation of a telephone conversation.

People have traditionally resorted to letter-writing when trying to convey thoughts and feelings they'd rather not say to the other person's face or on the phone. Written words take the edge off expressions that could come across as harsh or too strong if spoken. And the time it takes a letter to reach the recipient also helps defuse tension.

　この新しい電脳上の会話には、面と向かった会話や、声を伴う電話とは異なる働きがあるだろう。古来、面談や電話では言いにくいことを手紙にする、という方法があった。思いを、文字という無言のメディア（媒体）に乗せることで、肉声の持つ強さや荒さを和らげる。相手に届くまでかかる到達時間にも、ことを静める効果があった。

In contrast, online chats are like exchanges of express-delivery mail, except there is effectively no waiting time for delivery. And because online chat users write what they would refrain from saying face-to-face or on the phone, the elimination of delivery time probably adds to the harshness of these messages, which may become stronger than face-to-face talks or telephone conversation.

　チャットでの会話は、いわば「即達」する手紙の連続だ。大胆なことも文字でなら書けるという手紙の特性が、配達の時間が消えることでむき出しになる。面談や電話以上の強さになるのかも知れない。

According to the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications, the nation's Net subscribers were estimated at 77.3 million people at the end of 2003-roughly 60 percent of Japan's population. Among youngsters aged 6 to 12, Net users accounted for 61 percent, while the correspondent figure was 91 percent for the 13 to 19 age group.

　総務省によると、日本のインターネット利用者は、０３年末で推計７７３０万人にのぼった。人口の約６割にあたる。年代別では６〜１２歳が６１％、１３〜１９歳では９１％に達した。

There is a growing generation of Japanese born and bred in this cyber era. It is vital that measures are taken to prevent further deterioration of human conversation and communication between flesh-and-blood people. Meantime, it will be just as important to teach people how to use the Net effectively and help them understand what that takes.

　物心ついた時からネットに取り囲まれ、育つ世代が増える。人間の生身の会話や思いの伝達が滞ることへの対策は肝要だ。一方で、ネットを使いこなす手だてや、その特性を教え学ぶ場も重みを増すだろう。

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 3(IHT/Asahi: June 4,2004) (06/04)
　
　
　
Final curtain for behind-the-scenes diplomat

Richard Sorge, who spied for the Soviet Union, had a glowing reputation in Moscow. In a recently published book, a former Soviet military intelligence officer is said to describe him as a man in a class by himself, with peerless talent, his only flaw being that he was reckless enough to ride a motorcycle in Tokyo.

06月02日付
■《天声人語》

　比類のない才能を持った超一級の人物だが、オートバイを東京で乗り回すような奔放さを憂慮――。元ソ連軍参謀本部員の近著で、リヒャルト・ゾルゲは、そう書かれているという。

Sorge was arrested on suspicion of spying on Oct. 18, 1941. On the same day, the Cabinet organized by Gen. Hideki Tojo took office. The Tojo Cabinet's foreign minister was Shigenori Togo. Toshikazu Kase, who died at age 101 on May 21, served Togo as a secretary.

Kase was a division chief in charge of North American affairs at the Foreign Ministry when Japan went to war with the United States. Thus, he was at the forefront of diplomacy in the turbulent days on the eve of World War II, specifically dealing with mounting tensions between Japan and the rest of the world.

　ゾルゲがスパイ容疑で逮捕された４１年１０月１８日に、東条内閣が成立する。外相に就いた東郷茂徳の秘書官で、日米開戦時に外務省北米担当課長だったのが、先日１０１歳で亡くなった加瀬俊一さんである。第二次大戦前後の激動期、日本と世界とがきしみ合う現場に身を置いた。

By his own account, Kase was a prized diplomat when he served two Japanese ambassadors to Britain, Shigeru Yoshida and Mamoru Shigemitsu. (This account is found in a book ``Janarisuto-no Nijusseiki,'' or the 20th century for a journalist, published by Dentsu.) When Shigemitsu signed papers formalizing Japan's surrender in World War II aboard the battleship USS Missouri, he was on hand as an aide.

Japan was admitted into the United Nations in 1956, the year after Kase was appointed the first ambassador to the world organization. ``After his acceptance speech,'' Kase recalls in the book, ``Foreign Minister Shigemitsu strongly embraced me and said, `You have granted my last wish in life. I have nothing more to do. Thank you.'''

　「私は吉田茂と重光葵の二代の駐英大使に寵（ちょう）用された」と記す（『ジャーナリストの２０世紀』電通）。重光の側近として終戦に臨み、ミズーリ号での「降伏文書調印式」に随行した。初代の国連大使になった翌年の５６年、日本加盟が実現する。「晴れて受諾演説をした重光外相は、私を強く抱擁し『これで思い残すことはないよ。ありがとう』と言った」

There is an anecdote about how Prime Minister Yoshida's residence in Oiso, Kanagawa Prefecture, came to be known as ``Umisen Yamasen Ro,'' which could be translated as ``the house of a sly old fellow.'' Kase was told by Yoshida to think up a name for the new residence when he was invited there before its completion. ``It must be a name befitting the master of the house,'' Kase said. ``How about Umisen Yamasen Ro?'' Yoshida accepted the proposal. (This snippet comes from ``Gekiteki Gaiko,'' or dramatic diplomacy, published by Seiko Shobo.)

　神奈川県大磯町の吉田邸の完工前に招かれて、名前を付けろと言われる。「ご主人にふさわしい名前でないといけないと思いますから、海千山千楼はどうですか」。それで決まった（『劇的外交』成甲書房）。

Kase played a behind-the-scenes role to have former Prime Minister Eisaku Sato awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1974, a nomination that was both surprising and baffling to most Japanese. Acknowledging what Kase did for him, Sato wrote in a diary, ``I cannot allow myself to forget that Mr. Kase's efforts were what brought me the award.'' (Sato's diaries were published by The Asahi Shimbun.)

When the world was divided into East and West blocs after World War II, Japan chose to join the West bloc. Not just observing the decision-making process up close, Kase used his influence to prod the nation to make that choice.

　世間を驚かせ、戸惑わせもした佐藤栄作氏のノーベル平和賞受賞の根回しにも動いた。「今回の受賞のかげに加瀬君の努力のある事を忘れるわけにはゆかぬ」（『佐藤榮作日記』朝日新聞社）。戦後、世界が東西に分かれる時代には、西の道を選ぶ日本の目撃者であり、推進者でもあった。

Roughly half a century since Japan's U.N. admission, the world has radically changed, with the East-West division during the Cold War years replaced by a new set of confrontations.

　国連加盟からざっと半世紀。東と西に代わる新しい対立が世界を覆っている。

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 2(IHT/Asahi: June 3,2004) (06/03)
　
　
　
Rewritten signboards shift the sands in Iraq

The encampment of the Ground Self-Defense Force troops deployed in southern Iraq is identified by a signboard that says ``Samawah Shukueichi'' (billeting area). The Japanese government has always explained that this unit is engaged solely in humanitarian relief work in Iraq, and that it does not belong to the coalition forces, of which the United States and Britain are principal members.

06月01日付
■《天声人語》

　「サマーワ宿営地」。イラク南部に派遣された陸上自衛隊が現地で掲げている看板だ。あくまで人道復興支援の部隊であり、米英などの連合軍には加わっていないと政府は説明してきた。

But something strange has happened.

The U.S. Department of Defense has renamed the coalition forces in Iraq ``multinational forces,'' and the official Web site of the coalition forces now identifies 33 nations, including Japan, as members of the multinational forces.

　しかし、おかしなことが起きた。米国防総省が、連合軍の名称を既に「多国籍軍」と改め、連合軍の公式ホームページでは、日本を含む３３カ国をそのまま、多国籍軍の参加国として並べている。

My understanding was that those multinational forces were to be formed by a United Nations resolution before the transfer of power to the Iraqi people at the end of this month.

As matters now stand, however, the GSDF unit at Samawah may well be regarded as a contingent of the multinational forces.

For Japan, whether to join the multinational forces is a decision that not only concerns the safety of GSDF troops, but also affects the nation's direction itself.

　そもそもイラクへの多国籍軍は、主権移譲の前に国連決議がなされて組織されるのではなかったか。このままでは、サマワに宿営する部隊は、その一部と見られかねない。多国籍軍に加わるかどうかは、隊員の安全だけではなく、日本の国のありようにもかかわってくる。

Assuming the multinational forces will come into being, they will probably be led by the United States. And the supreme commander of the U.S. forces-President George W. Bush-was reportedly showing off to White House visitors a handgun Saddam Hussein had at the time of his capture.

This is pretty pathetic for a man who alone is in a position to hang up a ``shop sign'' that says ``president of the world's sole superpower.''

　多国籍軍ができるとすれば、実質的には米軍が主軸になるのだろう。その軍の最高指揮官は、フセイン元大統領が捕まった時に持っていた短銃を、ホワイトハウスの来客に見せびらかしているという。唯一の超大国の大統領という「大看板」を背負った人がこれでは、心もとない。

In Japan, the first documented reference to shop signs or signboards is said to be in an annotative document called ``Ryonogige,'' concerning an eighth-century law known as ``Yororyo.''

According to ``Kanban-no Sekai'' (All about signboards) published by Taikosha, the law required every store to put up a signboard proclaiming its line of business, such as ``silk store'' or ``fabric store.''

　日本での、看板に類する文献上の最初の記述は、８世紀に成立した「養老令（ようろうりょう）」の注釈書「令義解（りょうのぎげ）」に現れるという。「凡（およ）そ市は肆（いちくら）毎に標（ひょう）を立て行名を題（しる）せ」とある。店舗（肆）ごとに、しるし（標）を立てて「絹肆（きぬくら）」「布肆（ぬのくら）」というように扱う物を明示することになっていた（『看板の世界』大巧社）。

A ``humanitarian relief project unit'' is not just different in name from a ``member of the coalition forces'' or a ``member of the multinational forces.'' Obviously, the line of work must also differ among the three.

I resent being misled by people who rewrite signboards just to suit their own purposes.

　人道復興支援部隊、連合軍、多国籍軍は、その呼び名だけではなく、扱う物事も異なるはずだ。勝手な看板の書き換えに、引きずられてはたまらない。

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 1(IHT/Asahi: June 2,2004) (06/02)
　
　
　
War reporter pursued the `unidentifiable'

The last black-and-white picture taken by Robert Capa shows eight or nine soldiers walking away from the camera against the backdrop of a rise like a river bank, accented by grassland spreading below its slopes-two men to the right, a knapsack-carrying soldier in the center, and a straggling group of soldiers in the distance.

05月31日付
■《天声人語》

　先を行く兵士８、９人の後ろ姿が写っている。堤防のような小高い斜面の下に草原が広がる。右手にふたり、中央には背嚢（はいのう）を背負ったひとり、その先にも兵士が散開している。

The picture was taken on a battlefield in Vietnam when it was called French Indochina. Capa died when he stepped on a land mine just after taking it. The tragedy struck him 50 years ago, on May 25.

　ロバート・キャパの、最後の白黒写真だ。旧仏領インドシナ、今のベトナムの戦場で、撮影直後に踏んだ地雷が爆発した。その日から、５月２５日で５０年になった。

Capa's purpose in photography was to record facts he ascertained with his own eyes. To that end, he tried to move closer to the subject. The same professionalism and dedication are discernible in the work of the two Japanese freelance journalists who were attacked and killed near Baghdad last week.

　キャパは、自分の目で確かめ得たものを伝えようと、一歩でも被写体に近寄ろうとした。イラクのバグダッド近郊で襲撃された、ふたりの日本人フリージャーナリストの仕事にも、キャパの精神につながる思いと意志を感じる。

For more than 30 years, Shinsuke Hashida, 61, the older man of the pair, had covered battlefields-in Vietnam, Cambodia, Bosnia, Palestine and Iraq.

``At one time, I was scared to death, and at another time, going over a battlefield was an act of desperation,'' he recalls in an article included in his book ``Senjo Tokuhain'' (War correspondent), published by Jitsugyo No Nihon Sha.

He wrote the article just after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Over the years, a question troubled Hashida: ``Why does war break out?''

　ベトナムからカンボジア、ボスニア、パレスチナ、そしてイラク。戦場の取材を３０年以上も重ねた橋田信介さんは、０１年の９・１１の直後『戦場特派員』（実業之日本社）に、こう書いた。「ある時はこわごわと、ある時はやけくそで戦場を走った」。常に頭にあったのは、なぜ戦争が起きるのかとの疑問だった。

According to the book, he reached the conclusion that a handful of militarists cannot lead a nation into a war and a war cannot be carried out without winning at least an understanding from a majority of the people.

``What generates the pressure for war,'' he writes, ``is something unidentifiable that persists in our society.''

　そして、結論にたどり着く。戦争は、一部の軍国主義者だけで起こせるものではなく、多数の国民の了解なしにも成り立たない。「戦争を擁立するのは、われわれの社会の中にしぶとく生きている『得体の知れない何か』である」。

Hashida wanted to know what sort of flowers were in bloom on a battlefield and what sort of worms inhabited it. ``I wish to ascertain these things by walking around on foot,'' he says in the book.

He probably chose Kotaro Ogawa, 33, for his companion in Iraq to teach him what he had ascertained over the years. At the same time, he was presumably trying to inform the world of the battlefield realities that spring from what he calls ``something unidentifiable.''

　戦場に、どんな花が咲いているのか、どんな虫が生きているのか。「それを自分の足で歩いて確かめたい」とも記した橋田さん。確かめ続けてきたものを、若い小川功太郎さんに伝えつつ、世界には、「得体の知れない何か」が生みだす戦場の実相を伝えようとしていたはずだ。

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 31(IHT/Asahi: June 1,2004) (06/01)
　
　
　
A rose by another name may be a fire alarm

``I still can't decide what scent to choose,'' says Daisuke Kozeki, a researcher in charge of developing a fire alarm for the hearing-impaired at the National Research Institute of Fire and Disaster.

Unlike the conventional fire alarm, his device is to be smelled, not heard.

05月25日付
■《天声人語》

　「どんな匂（にお）いにしたらいいか悩んでいるところです」というのは消防研究所の河関（こうぜき）大祐さんだ。耳が遠い人や聞こえない人のための火災報知機の研究開発を進めている。音ではなく、匂いを発して火事を知らせる装置である。

Any odor that is too commonplace would not serve the purpose. It must be sharp enough to awaken even sleeping people. On the other hand, anything too irritating may cause unnecessary fear. There are also health considerations to be made. Kozeki's quest for the ``right scent'' continues.

　ありふれた匂いでは警報の役目を果たさない。眠っている人も目覚めるような刺激がほしい。あまり刺激が強すぎても恐怖心を駆り立てる恐れがある。健康への配慮も必要だ。まだぴったりの匂いにはたどり着いていない。

Karin Matsumori lost her hearing while in high school. In ``Hoshi-no Oto-ga Kikoemasuka'' (Can you hear the stars?), published by Chikuma Shobo, Matsumori notes, ``After you lose your hearing, your other sensations become heightened as a matter of course.''

Matsumori became especially sensitive to smell. She started collecting perfume and then moved on to making perfume herself, devoting her life at that point to experimenting with various fragrances.

　「聴力という一つの感覚が失われると自然に他の知覚は研ぎすまされる」と記すのは高校時代に聴力を失った松森果林さんだ（『星の音が聴こえますか』筑摩書房）。匂いに敏感な松森さんは香水収集から香水づくりへと、香りの世界にのめり込んだ時期がある。

It was then that she learned of a product named ``Keitai-kunkun,'' a cellphone accessory that reacts to the electric pulse of incoming calls and emits a scent. (Kunkun is the Japanese equivalent of ``sniff-sniff.'')

This product convinced Matsumori that the day might not be far off when cellphone users would be able to smell a scent, rather than hear a melody, when there is an incoming message. And she imagined herself receiving a message from a dear friend and smelling the friend's favorite perfume.

　携帯電話の着信メロディーのかわりに香りが流れる。好きな人からのメールだったら、その人愛用の香水の香りが漂う。そんな時代が遠くないと松森さんが思ったのは、携帯アクセサリー「携帯くんくん」を知ったときだった。着信電波に反応して香りを発する付属品である。

The maker of Keitai-kunkun had already developed an alarm clock that emits the fragrance of coffee before the alarm goes off.

When Kozeki of the fire and disaster research institute learned of this clock, he decided to partner with this manufacturer in the development of his fire alarm for the hearing-impaired.

　販売元の企業は、目覚ましが鳴る前にコーヒーの香りを流す時計も開発していた。消防研究所の河関さんはこの時計を知って、企業と共同で「匂いによる警報装置」開発に乗り出すことにした。

Matsumori is eagerly awaiting the completion of the alarm device. She once mistook a fire drill for a real fire and ran in a panic. On another occasion, she could have been killed at a railway crossing because she could not hear the warning signal of an approaching train.

Kozeki's dream is to be able to introduce his successful product to the world.

　防火訓練を火事と思って逃げまどったり、警報音が聞こえなくて踏切で危ない思いをしたりしたことのある松森さんは「警報装置」に期待をかける。成功したら世界に成果を発信できるという河関さんらの夢もある。

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 25(IHT/Asahi: May 31,2004) (05/31)
　
　
　
War on terrorism has endangered the world

The U.S. magazine Newsweek ran a feature titled ``Bin Laden's Invisible Network'' one month after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

05月28日付
■《天声人語》

　「ビンラディンの、見えないネットワーク」という記事が米誌ニューズウィークに載ったのは、０１年の同時多発テロの翌月だった。

Among suspected members of the al-Qaida international terrorist network, the magazine mentioned Lionel Dumont, a French citizen of Algerian descent, as being ``described by the French press as `the invisible Public Enemy No. 1.'''

It was recently found that Dumont, who was arrested in Germany last year, had slipped into and out of Japan.

　「フランスでは、目に見えない社会の敵・ナンバーワンと呼ばれている」と、既に名指しされていたのが、国際テロ組織「アルカイダ」のメンバーとされる仏人リオネル・デュモン容疑者である。先日ドイツで逮捕されて初めて、日本への潜入が判明した。

While in Japan, Dumont is believed to have repeatedly transferred funds in and out of the country. Some say he was involved in money laundering. The forged passport he used to enter Japan was his tool for ``laundering'' his identity.

One has to wonder, though, how he managed to keep fooling Japanese immigration authorities amid the heightened security alert.

　デュモン容疑者は、外国からの入金や、送金を繰り返していたようだ。不正な資金の出どころや流れを分からないようにする「マネーロンダリング」（資金洗浄）にかかわっていたとの見方もある。使われた偽造旅券も、日本へ潜り込むための身元洗浄の道具だった。テロの懸念が広がる中で、なぜ何度も出入りできたのか、との疑問は消えない。

Japanese police have arrested foreigners who were allegedly in contact with Dumont here. One of these suspects reportedly had an office in front of the U.S. Yokosuka naval base in Kanagawa Prefecture, and entered the base on multiple occasions.

Al-Qaida means ``the base'' in Arabic. I wonder what sort of base the network was planning to build in Japan.

　デュモン容疑者と国内で接触したとされる外国人も逮捕された。中には米軍の横須賀基地前のビルに事務所を構え、基地にも何度か入った容疑者もいるという。アルカイダは、アラビア語で「基地」である。どんな基地が築かれようとしていたのか。

The Bush administration warned Wednesday that al-Qaida may stage massive attacks against the United States in coming months.

On the same day, Amnesty International issued its 2004 annual report. While condemning ``cruel and criminal attacks by armed groups such as al-Qaida'' as ``serious crimes against humanity,'' the human rights organization also denounced the Bush administration for ``violating rights at home ... and resorting to pre-emptive military attacks,'' which has ``damaged justice and freedom, and made the world a more dangerous place.''

　米政府は２６日、アルカイダによる大規模テロが米国で起きる危険性がある、と発表した。同じ日に、人権擁護団体アムネスティ・インターナショナルが声明を出した。アルカイダの残虐な攻撃は人道に対する罪だとしながら、米国の人権侵害や先制攻撃は正義を傷つけ、世界をより危険な場所にしたと指摘した。

Fighting terrorism can lead to innumerable human rights violations as well as putting the world at greater risk. The world is trapped in this dilemma.

　テロへの対応が、人権侵害や危険の増大を招きかねないという矛盾を、世界は抱え込んでいる。

-The Asahi Shimbun, May 28(IHT/Asahi: May 29,2004) (05/29)
　
　
　
E-mail just can't replace heartfelt snail mail

Many books are out that are collections of people's private letters. There are series devoted to letters written by famous novelists to their families.

According to one book editor, pickings are always slim when it comes to letters by women of bygone years. The reason, the editor explained, was that most women writers lived with their families and had little need to rely on letters for communication. That was reflective of their eras, the editor pointed out.

05月27日付
■《天声人語》

　手紙文を集めた本がたくさん出ている。作家たちが家族にあてた手紙を収集したシリーズもある。編者は、昔の女性作家の手紙を集めるのが大変だったという。家族と同居していることが多く、手紙に頼る場面が少なかった。時代を反映してもいる、と。

One such rare letter is found in ``Kazoku-e-no Tegami 3'' (Letters to families, Vol. 3) published by Yumani Shobo. The letter was sent 70 years ago by Kanoko Okamoto to her painter son, Taro, who was living in Paris. Back then, overseas travel was certainly not what it is today.

``I want to see my Taro so badly, I'm sick and tired of writing letters. I just want to see you in person, period,'' she wrote.

　少ない中の一つ、パリに暮らす画家の岡本太郎にあてた母かの子の手紙がある。７０年前のこと、いまのように簡単には行き来できない時代である。「太郎に、じかに逢（あ）い度（た）くってもう手紙なんか書くのうんざりだ。じかに逢い度いんだよ」（『家族への手紙３』ゆまに書房）

I thought about repatriated abductee Hitomi Soga, who continues to exchange letters with her husband and daughters left behind in North Korea. Unlike Kanoko, who was fiery and direct, Soga is demure and seems unlikely to express herself as forcefully. Still, her feelings must be no different from Kanoko's. I am so sorry for Soga who must be suffering the anguish of having to rely on letters until her much-awaited reunion with her family.

　北朝鮮に残る家族と手紙のやりとりをする曽我ひとみさんのことを思った。ひかえめな曽我さんは、かの子のように激しく直截（ちょくせつ）には語りかけないかもしれない。しかし、思いは同じだろう。じかに会えるときまで、手紙に思いを託さざるをえないつらい生活が続く。

It appears Japanese today are not particularly keen letter writers. According to international statistics for 2001, Japan ranked third in the world-after the United States and China-in the volume of mail handled per year. In terms of per-capita volume, however, Japan placed 18th, and the volume was less than one-third of top-ranking Switzerland's.

　いまの日本人は、それほど手紙好きとはいえないようだ。０１年の国際比較をみると、１年間の郵便物の量は米国、中国についで世界で３番目に多い。しかし、１人あたりにすると世界で１８番目だ。一番多いスイスの３割以下である。

A Japan Post earnings report for fiscal 2003, published Tuesday, said mail delivery declined for the second year in a row. There is no question the widespread use of e-mail is transforming the nation's letter-writing custom.

　一昨日発表された郵政公社の決算では、郵便物が２年連続して減少したことがわかった。電子メールの普及が、手紙文化の変容をもたらしつつあるのは確かだ。

Last summer, Soga said of a letter she had received from her daughters: ``Looking at my older daughter's handwriting for the first time in quite a while, I was overwhelmed with emotion.''

There are feelings that only handwritten letters can evoke in the recipient.

　曽我さんは去年夏、子どもたちからの手紙を読んでこう語った。「久しぶりに長女の書いた字を読み、感動して熱いものが自然にこみ上げてきた」。一字一字書きつづられた手紙ならではの感動もある。

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 27(IHT/Asahi: May 28,2004) (05/28)
　
　
　
Bush stays course as his popularity dwindles

Michael Moore, director of ``Fahrenheit 9/11,'' a stinging critique of the Bush administration that won the top prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival, accepted the Palme d'Or with a joke.

``What have you done?'' he said to Quentin Tarantino, president of the festival's jury. ``You just did this to mess with me, didn't you?''

On the same day, President George W. Bush fell from his mountain bike while riding it at his ranch in Texas.

05月26日付
■《天声人語》

　何てことしてくれるんだよ。びっくりしちゃっただろ――。ブッシュ米政権を批判した「華氏９１１」がカンヌ映画祭で最高賞を受け、マイケル・ムーア監督がこう語った日、テキサス州の牧場に居たブッシュさんはマウンテンバイクで転倒した。

Doctors had counseled cycling for the president as therapy for knee trouble that had resulted from too much jogging, according to an American newspaper. As shown by the paper's photograph, the abrasions he suffered looked painful. I felt sorry for him.

There was no cause-and-effect relationship between the award for Moore's movie and Bush's injury. But surely a set of causes has brought about serious consequences for the president.

　米紙には、ランニングのし過ぎのため、ひざに故障を抱える大統領が、治療のトレーニングにバイク乗りを勧められていたとある。擦り傷が痛そうで気の毒だった。受賞と、この負傷は、原因と結果の関係にはあるまいが、次のような重い結果を招いた原因は何なのかと改めて思う。

In the latest CBS Television poll, only 34 percent of the respondents supported Bush's Iraq policy, while 61 percent said they did not support it. Asked if the United States was moving in the right direction, 65 percent replied in the negative-the highest since pollsters started asking the question in the 1980s.

　米ＣＢＳテレビの最新の世論調査で、大統領のイラク政策への支持が３４％、不支持が６１％になった。「米国は正しい方向を向いているか」には、ＮＯが６５％で、この設問ができた８０年代以降、最高水準になった。

Iraq is only nominally an occupied country. Heavy fighting still continues in extensive areas. Along with the abuse of inmates at the Abu Ghraib prison, the general disillusionment among Americans probably accounts for the dip in Bush's popularity.

The president's speech on Monday drew attention for its timing. As it turned out, there was no indication that the causes for Bush's falling approval ratings had been coolly analyzed. Hence, Bush failed to lay out countermeasures based on such an analysis.

　占領という名とは裏腹に、広い地域で激しく続く戦闘や、アブグレイブ刑務所での虐待などが重なったことが、不支持へ傾いた原因だろう。しかし、注目の２４日のブッシュ演説には、原因の冷静な分析や対応策が見られなかった。

He promised to demolish the Abu Ghraib prison and replace it with new modern prisons in Iraq. Even if the prison buildings are demolished in a hurry, as if to erase letters written on a blackboard, the wounds Iraqis have sustained there will not easily go away.

　イラクに近代的な刑務所を建設し、アブグレイブ刑務所は取り壊すという。黒板の字を消すかのように、急いで建物をなくしても、イラクの人々の受けた傷はなかなか消えまい。

I wanted to hear a different speech. I wish Bush admitted that his ``hit the bad guys relentlessly'' approach had failed and announced an explicit policy change to muster the resources of the international community to bring peace and law and order to Iraq.

I fear that Bush's failure to take appropriate action could further deteriorate security in Iraq and the rest of the world.

　ひたすら、そしてしゃにむに相手をたたこうとするやり方の手詰まりを認めて、国際社会の力を束ねるための明確な転換が欲しかった。この「不作為」が原因となって、将来、イラクや世界の治安が更に悪化するような結果を招くのを恐れる。

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 26(IHT/Asahi: May 27,2004) (05/27)
　
　
　
Swallows have soft solution to a hard problem

Sightings of swallows busy making nests are being reported by readers from around the country.

One person sneaked a peek into a swallow's nest and reported a surprise finding for the Hitotoki (For a while) column in the Nagoya edition of The Asahi Shimbun

05月24日付
■《天声人語》

　ツバメの巣づくりの便りが届くこのごろだ。こっそりツバメの巣の中を観察したことのある読者からは、こんな驚きが「ひととき」（本紙名古屋版）に寄せられた。

: ``The floor was laid with a mohair-like carpet of finely crushed grass. You couldn't imagine it from the mud nest's craggy exterior. The chicks have an amazingly comfortable mattress to sleep on. I was impressed.''

　「細かくかみ砕かれた草がモヘアの毛糸のように敷き詰めてあった。ごつごつした外観からは想像もつかない。ヒナにはどんなにか心地よい布団だろうと感心した」。

Not just swallows, but all kinds of birds exercise innate wisdom when it comes to building their nests. To protect them from enemies, they surround them, say, with twigs, bark and moss. The purpose is to camouflage their presence. When they proceed to compact the interior with mud and layer it over with feathers, then they have created a natural down-filled futon, prized by Japanese.

For an adhesive agent, they use their own saliva. Sometimes, they use spider-web threads to sew things together. They spare no effort to make their nests safe and comfortable.

　ツバメに限らず鳥たちは巣づくりに独特の知恵を働かす。外敵から守るために、たとえば木の枝や樹皮、コケなどで囲って目立たないようにする。中を土で固めて羽毛を敷けばまさに羽毛布団だ。接着剤には自分の唾液（だえき）のほか、クモの糸を拝借して縫い合わせに使ったりもする。安全で快適な住まいづくりに労をいとわない。

Recently, I visited an exhibition of bird nests (running through June 1 at Gallery Shinjuku Takano in Tokyo's Shinjuku district). On display are 33 nests, collected around the world by picture-book writer Mamoru Suzuki, and pictures of birds.

The exhibit mainly consists of items Suzuki presented in an earlier exhibition held in New York in 2002. The nests impressed me for their unusual compositions and the precision of the artistic touches.

　「鳥の巣展覧会」を見た（東京・新宿のギャラリー新宿高野で６月１日まで）。絵本作家の鈴木まもるさんが世界各地で集めた鳥の巣３３点と鳥の絵の展示だ。０２年にニューヨークで開催した個展に出品したものが中心で、造形のおもしろさと技巧の精密さに感心させられる。

While looking at the diverse and beautiful bird nests from abroad, I thought about the difficulties encountered by birds living in Japanese cities. Crows, a tough species, have no trouble converting clothes hangers and pieces of wire into nest-building materials. But that is out of the question for swallows. For them, nest-building is difficult without having mud and dried grasses available close by.

　世界各地の鳥たちの多様で美しい巣を見ながら、日本の都会に住む鳥たちの困難を思い浮かべる。たくましいカラスはハンガーや針金まで巣材にするようだが、ツバメには無理だろう。泥や枯れ草などが身近にないと巣づくりは難しい。

To survey the difficulties facing swallows, the Wild Bird Society of Japan inaugurated a nationwide network of swallow observers this spring. The network will use the Internet to tabulate reports from observers of the dates when swallows arrived and on their nesting activities.

Here's an apt haiku by Kusatao Nakamura: ``Swallows have become/ A bird dazzling in more than one sense.''

　そうしたツバメの現状を把握しようと日本野鳥の会は、今春から「ツバメかんさつ全国ネットワーク」を始めた。飛来時期や巣づくりの観察報告をインターネットで集計していく。〈乙鳥（つばくら）はまぶしき鳥となりにけり〉（草田男）

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 24(IHT/Asahi: May 26,2004) (05/26)
　
　
　
Relatives still left in N. Korea dampens mood

For all but one of the former abductees from North Korea, the return of their sons and daughters over the weekend was a dream come true.

In ordinary circumstances, the joy of the reunions would have been immeasurable. But the number of family members who arrived was just five-not eight as the former abductees had hoped.

05月23日付
■《天声人語》

　北朝鮮による拉致被害者の家族５人が帰国した。本来なら、再会の喜びの大きさは、計り知れないほどだろうが、帰国・来日は８人ではなかった。

I object to using the word kikoku, or homecoming, in this context. There is no doubt that Japan is the homeland of the five family members. But this was their first visit to their homeland. That is why the term kikoku does not apply.

　この帰国という言葉には、ひっかかるものがある。５人の祖国が日本であることは明らかだが、その祖国に初めて行くのだから、国に帰ることとは違う。

The five were born in North Korea to Japanese parents who were abducted in a government-authorized operation and later married. Having grown up in that country, they were separated when their parents returned to Japan in October 2002. Now they are finally here.

A new cruel fate awaits them, though. They have to come to terms with the fact that the country of their birth committed crimes. At the same time, we should be aware of the heavy responsibility Japan has assumed in admitting the family members of the former abductees.

　国家的な犯罪被害の結果、５人は、かの地に生を受け、育ち、両親と分かたれ、今ようやく祖国に立った。生まれた国が罪を犯したという事実と向き合う過酷さを思う。５人を受け入れた日本の、これからの責任の重さも感じた。

I once visited an exhibition of pojagi or wrapping cloths, perhaps a South Korean counterpart of Japan's furoshiki. In each home, women make pojagi by sewing together stitch-by-stitch - as in making patchwork - leftover patches and parts of old clothes.

Pojagi comes in all sizes. But there is a common quality: One senses strength and warmth inside, belying the outward impression of being plain and soft.

Pojagi-making is said to have originated before the Korean Peninsula was divided. That would mean that making the handicraft represents a peninsula-wide tradition.

　韓国で風呂敷のように使われる「ポジャギ」という布の展示を見たことがある。それぞれの家で、端切れや古着の一部などを、パッチワークのように一針一針縫い合わせて作る。大きさは様々だが、素朴さと柔らかさの中に、芯の強さとぬくもりが感じられる。朝鮮時代からの手芸品というから、半島全体に伝わるものなのだろう。

At their news conference, the five former abductees, mutually comforting and remaining firmly united, gave the impression they were woven from pojagi cloth.

Concerning the fate of 10 other Japanese presumed abductees, said to be dead or unaccounted for, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi came back empty-handed. He did not even get new information on their fate.

Hitomi Soga, the former abductee still awaiting the arrival of her family, bravely put up with her sorrow over this delay. In an effort to encourage the families of the 10 missing Japanese, Soga voiced her hope that the findings of a promised North Korean inquiry would soon be made available.

　被害者の記者会見で、いたわり合う５人の姿は、気持ちの芯をしっかりと縫い合わせたポジャギのようにも見えた。安否不明の１０人の被害者については、新しい情報すら得られなかった。曽我ひとみさんは、家族との再会が延びたつらさをこらえながら、できるだけ早くしっかりとした調査の回答がほしいと、不明者の家族を気遣っていた。

I have a dream. Isn't it possible for Japan to become a country that would softly wrap the kidnap victims and their families like pojagi? I also envision a future in which pojagi cloths of various sizes would be pieced together across national borders.

　日本全体が、ポジャギのように、被害者や家族をやわらかく包み込んでゆけないだろうか。そして、やがては、様々な形のポジャギが、国境を超えて、つなぎ合わされないものかと考えた。

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 23(IHT/Asahi: May 25,2004) (05/25)
　
　
　
World's wild bamboo forests face extinction

There is something uniquely refreshing about bamboo forests. Especially around this season, it is sheer pleasure to feel the breeze. The green of the bamboo trees, their smell and the rustling of the leaves harmonize into a delightful prelude to early summer.

05月18日付
■《天声人語》

　竹林には独特のさわやかさがある。とりわけいまの季節は、吹き抜ける風が心地いい。青竹の色、におい、そして風にそよぐ音とが重なって、初夏への軽やかな序奏を奏でる。

While Japanese feel a special affinity to bamboo forests, the rest of the world does not necessarily share our sentiment. In fact, aside from the Chinese who influenced our love of bamboo, most people around the world perceive it merely as some ``exotic'' plant and have no real interest.

In a wake-up call meant to shake them out of their indifference, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) recently released a report on the world's wild bamboo forests at risk. The report was co-produced with UNEP's World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR).

　日本人にはたいへん身近な竹林だが、世界の多くの人々にとってはどちらかといえば疎遠な自然環境である。関心も薄い。竹への愛着では日本の先達であった中国は別にしても。そんな関心の薄さに警告を発しつつ国連環境計画（ＵＮＥＰ）などが先週、野生の竹林の危機を報告書にして訴えた。

Touted as the ``most comprehensive ever undertaken on the subject'' using unique satellite mapping techniques to identify the world distribution of bamboos, the study found more than half of the world's 1,200 woody bamboo species in Asia, Africa, South America and other places face extinction as a result of massive deforestation.

And for 250 of those species, the study also revealed, their growth areas have already shrunk to less than the size of London.

　人工衛星による分布調査をはじめ「竹の現状についての初めての包括的な研究」と称している。アジア、アフリカ、南米などに生育する１２００種に及ぶ野生種のうち、半数が森林破壊によって絶滅の危機にある。そのうち２５０種の生育範囲はすでにロンドンの面積以下に狭められているという。

Stressing the importance and uniqueness of bamboos, the UNEP executive director has been quoted as noting, ``Bamboos are some of the oldest and most fascinating life forms on Earth.'' Researchers also concur on the commercial value of bamboo products for food, furniture and paper.

　調査担当者たちは、竹がいかに独特で、重要であるかを強調する。「地上で最も古くしかも魅力的な生態を見せる植物の一つ」であるとともに、食材、家具、紙などに利用される有用な資源でもある、と。

The potential extinction of the bamboo species have a grave impact on animal species that depend on them for survival-the giant panda, for instance. The report also cites such rare animals as African mountain gorillas, ploughshare tortoises of Madagascar, and spectacled bears and many endangered bird species of South America.

　動物たちへの影響も大きい。竹がなくては生きていけないパンダがまず引き合いに出される。ほかにも、竹を頼りに生きる希少動物が紹介される。アフリカのマウンテンゴリラ、マダガスカルの珍しい亀、南米のメガネグマや鳥たちである。

A haiku poem by Boitsu goes: ``A bush warbler sings/ In a bamboo garden/ Like a bird cage.'' In the poet's eye, a bamboo garden is like a bird cage.

The UNEP report nudges one's attention from the gentle world of poetry to the ominous reality of world-scale destruction of forests.

　〈をのづから鶯籠（うぐひすかご）や園の竹〉（望一）。竹林を鳥籠に見立てた句だ。こんな風流の世界から目を転じて、地球規模の森林破壊の脅威に向き合うことを求められる報告だった。

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 18(IHT/Asahi: May 24,2004) (05/24)
　
　
　
Dylan's wise words still `Blowin' in the Wind'

I could almost hear Bob Dylan's raspy voice singing those famous lines from his hit song, ``Blowin' in the Wind'': ``Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly, before they're forever banned?''

05月21日付
■《天声人語》

　あのかすれた声が、耳元で聞こえるような気がする。「どれだけの砲弾が飛んだら、廃絶される日が来るのだろうか……」。ボブ・ディランの「風に吹かれて」である。

A U.S. airstrike reportedly killed more than 40 civilians Wednesday in a western Iraqi village where a wedding reception was in progress.

If so, this was a repeat of a wedding feast massacre in Afghanistan in July 2002.

I doubt the world has seen the last of this kind of ``mistake.''

　１９日、イラク西部の村で米軍の空爆があり、４０人以上の住民が死んだという。結婚式の会場への誤爆だった可能性がある。よく似た誤爆が、２年前にアフガンの結婚式でもあった。どれだけの誤爆が、これから先も繰り返されるのだろうか。

A court-martial began Wednesday in Fort Stewart, Georgia, for Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia. An infantry squad leader in the Florida National Guard, Mejia refused to return to duty in Iraq after a two-week furlough last October and proclaimed himself a conscientious objector in March.

While in Iraq, Mejia recalled, he was deeply troubled by the number of Iraqi civilians being killed. ``They don't want us there; we don't want to be there.''

　「イラクの経験は悪夢だった。罪のない市民が、周りでたくさん死んだ。我々はこの場にいるべきではないと感じた」。イラクから一時帰国中に姿を消し、この春に「良心的兵役拒否」を申し立てた米陸軍のカミロ・メヒア軍曹に対する軍法会議が、この日、米ジョージア州で始まった。

Mejia was dispatched to Iraq in spring last year and put in charge of processing detainees at an air base occupied by U.S. forces. There, he witnessed detainees being ``deprived of sleep. Sometimes soldiers would bang on walls with a sledgehammer to keep prisoners awake, or would load a pistol next to their ear.''

　昨春イラクに派遣され、空軍基地で捕虜収容所の運営を命じられた。尋問官は、収容者の一部を眠らせるなと指示し、看守役がハンマーで壁をたたいた。耳元で銃に弾を込めたりもしたという。

Mejia's defense team includes former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, who argued Wednesday that the United States is ``seeking to court-martial soldiers (in Iraq) for outrageous abuses at the same time it prosecutes a soldier halfway around the world because he could not stand for horrifying mistreatment of Iraqi war prisoners.''

A military tribunal convened on the same day in Baghdad to try U.S. soldiers charged with prisoner abuses at Abu Ghraib.

　ラムゼー・クラーク元米司法長官も、弁護団に加わった。「虐待の罪で兵士を裁こうとしている国が、地球の反対側では虐待に耐えられなかった兵士を裁くのはおかしい」。同じ１９日、バグダッドでは、アブグレイブ刑務所での虐待を裁く軍法会議が始まっていた。

Britain's Guardian newspaper carried Mejia's words earlier this month, ``There comes a point when you have to realize there is a difference between being a soldier and being a human being.''

More than 40 years have passed since Dylan wrote: ``Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows, that too many people have died?''

　メヒア軍曹の言葉が、英紙に載っている。「兵士であることと、人間であることとの間に違いがあると、気付かなければいけない時に来ている」。「どれだけの人が死んだら……」とディランが歌ってから、４０年余りの時が流れた。

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 21(IHT/Asahi: May 22,2004) (05/22)
　
　
　
Linguist Kindaichi led a life of perpetual quest

The linguist Haruhiko Kindaichi was 88 years old in 2001 when he picked shunpu shuu (spring wind, autumn rain) as one of his favorite expressions.

05月20日付
■《天声人語》

　「春風秋雨」という言葉が好きで――。米寿を迎えた２００１年に、金田一春彦さんは、そう書いた。

In his book ``Nihongo-wo Hansei Shitemimasenka'' (Shall we reflect humbly on the Japanese language?) published by Kadokawa Shoten, Kindaichi explained: ``Just when flowers are in bloom in spring, spring winds blow them away. Just when the leaves are ablaze with color in autumn, autumn rains spoil their beauty. This is to say there are many things in life that are beyond your control.'' And he says he wants to enjoy spring wind and autumn rain in the remaining short time.

This is a typical expression for Kindaichi who was indeed a master of self-expression in simple language.

　「人生は春の花が咲く頃に、風が吹いて散ってしまったり、秋の紅葉の頃に雨が降って散ってしまったりと、ままならないことがしばしばあるという意味だ」。そして、今は残り少ない時間の中で春の風も秋の雨も楽しみたいと記す（『日本語を反省してみませんか』角川書店）。平易な言葉で心境を率直に伝える、金田一さんらしい文章だ。

Regarding recent changes in colloquial Japanese usage, Kindaichi took the view that this was nothing new, since language is a tool of human communication that is bound to change over time.

``Rather than be angry at today's young people for mutilating the language, I wish you'd look upon them kindly and with patience,'' he commented.

　日本語の最近の変容については、人間が使う道具である言葉の変化は、今に始まったことではないと述べた。「若い人の言葉遣いはなっていない、と怒ることなく、どうか長い目で見守っていただきたい」

In 2000, Kindaichi wrote his own obituary in ``Watashi-no Shibokiji'' (My obituary) published by Bungei Shunju.

``During his life, Haruhiko was notorious for misplacing things,'' he wrote. Cited among those ``lost items'' were important research materials and his finished manuscripts. ``Haruhiko used to say he must have been destined for a life of perpetual quest. He could not have said it better.''

　００年には自らの「死亡記事」を書く。「春彦は生前、なくし物が多い人でした」。大切な資料がないと大騒ぎし、書き上げた原稿を捜す。「本人は捜し物をするために生まれてきたような人生だ、と言っていましたが、これはまさに至言です」（『私の死亡記事』文芸春秋）

One of his ``quests'' was to become a music composer. As a high school student before World War II, he sought the tutelage of Nagayo Motoori (1885-1945), the creator of many classic children's songs, including ``Akai Kutsu'' (Red shoes).

But overwhelmed by Motoori's mastery of the piano, Kindaichi decided music was not his thing and turned to academics-a decision that would prove crucial to the study of linguistics in Japan.

Kindaichi, however, kept composing at his own pace. In 1998, he published his first collection titled ``Shiroi Boto'' (White boat).

　捜し物の一つは、作曲だった。旧制高校時代に「赤い靴」などで知られる本居長世の門をたたく。しかし師のピアノの技量に圧倒され学者の道を選んだ。日本の国語学にとっても分かれ目だった。それでも作品は少しずつたまり、９８年に初の作曲集『白いボート』を出した。

``Saijo Yaso Doyo Zenshu'' (Collection of children's songs by Yaso Saijo), a book published by Shinchosha, contains his song:

``A white boat bobbing peacefully/ And reached a distant shore''

In my mind's eye, I could imagine Kindaichi humming this song on a distant shore, having completed his odyssey that took him out of his study to all sorts of places. (Kindaichi died on Wednesday at the age of 91.)

　「白（しろ）いボオトが／ゆらゆらと／遠（とほ）い渚（なぎさ）に／つきました」（『西條八十童謡全集』新潮社）。書斎にとどまらない、幅の広い捜しの旅が行き着いた渚で、金田一先生が口ずさむ姿を思い浮かべた。

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 20(IHT/Asahi: May 21,2004) (05/21)
　
　
　
Stradivarius: Unrivaled violin after 300 years

To violin maker Jin Chang Hyeon, what he was hearing from a corner of a cultivated field seemed like the sound of a Stradivarius. At first, he thought something might be wrong with his ears. He listened more and decided that it was unmistakably a Stradivarius.

But he asked a passing farmer what was making that sound. With a smile, the farmer replied that some earthworms were singing.

05月10日付
■《天声人語》

　畑の一角からバイオリンの名器ストラディバリウスの音が聞こえてきたような気がした。幻聴かとも思ったが、確かに聞こえる。通りかかった農夫に「なんの音ですか」と尋ねると、彼は笑って「ミミズの鳴き声だよ」。

Jin tells the episode in his book ``Kaikyo-wo Wataru Baiorin'' (Violins crossing the strait), published by Kawade Shobo Shinsha.

In his effort to make a violin that would sound like the Stradivarius, he used an earthworm powder for laying the ground coat under the varnish. The experiment did not work. But it was a demonstration of his eagerness to make sublimely sounding violins.

　バイオリン製作者の陳昌鉉（ちん・しょうげん）さんがそんな経験を語っている（『海峡を渡るバイオリン』河出書房新社）。ストラディバリウスの音を追求していた陳さんは、ミミズを乾かして、ニスの下地に塗ってみたそうだ。うまくいかなかったが、名器づくりに賭ける陳さんの執念が伝わる。

In his admiration for the Stradivarius, Jin points out that when a run-of-the-mill instrument is used in a large concert hall, muted notes are not clearly audible for the audience in the last row of seats.

``By contrast,'' he says, ``an exquisite instrument like a Stradivarius does an assured job of conveying unweakened notes to the last row of seats either in the orchestra or in the gallery.''

　ストラディバリウスの特徴について陳さんは言う。大きなコンサートホールでは、凡庸な楽器だと弱音は最後列まではよく届かない。しかし「ストラディバリウスなどの名器の場合には、一階席であろうと天井桟敷の最後列であろうと、まったく音が弱まることなくしっかりと聞こえる」。

Violinist Mariko Senju makes the same point. Another thing about the Stradivarius, she adds, is that one cannot make it sound at first. A violinist has to keep up the effort for a year or two, sometimes nearly 10 years. ``You just keep trying. After a certain period of time, your Stradivarius begins to produce clear notes,'' she continues in her book ``Kiite, Baiorin-no Uta'' (Listen to the songs of the violin), published by Jiji Press.

　バイオリニストの千住真理子さんも同じ指摘をしつつ、もう一つの特徴は、最初は音が出ないことだという。出なくて苦労する期間が１、２年から、場合によっては１０年近くある。それでも弾き続けると「あるときを境にカーンと鳴りはじめる」（『聞いて、ヴァイオリンの詩』時事通信社）。

So, the Stradivarius violins that were made three centuries ago are still a marvel for both violin makers and violinists. But the secrets that make them so wonderful have yet to be unraveled.

Whenever a noted violinist comes here, Jin visits the artist backstage and asks for permission to touch his or her violin. Sometimes, he secretly licks the instrument when no one is looking.

　製作者も演奏家も驚嘆する３世紀前の名器の威力だが、なぞは突き止められていない。陳さんは著名な演奏家が来日するたびに楽屋に行き、愛用のバイオリンに触らせてもらう。こっそりなめることもある。

I mused on the mysteries of the Stradivarius while listing to a performance by a Jin-made violin on a CD.

　陳さん製作のバイオリンで演奏されたＣＤを聴きながら、神秘に満ちた楽器について思いを巡らせた。

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 10(IHT/Asahi: May 20,2004) (05/20)
　
　
　
Coalition fears head-rolling domino theory

South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic is inhabited by large flocks of emperor penguins. In 2000, the British Royal Air Force investigated eyewitness reports that these penguins fall backward like dominoes when surprised by flying aircraft.

The witnesses were men who piloted low-flying fighter planes during the Falkland Islands war of 1982. But the investigation failed to ascertain their reports.

05月16日付
■《天声人語》

　南大西洋のサウスジョージア島には、たくさんのオウサマペンギンがいる。その群れが、飛来する航空機に驚いて仰向けにドミノ倒しを起こすとの目撃があり、英国空軍が２０００年に調査した。８２年のフォークランド紛争で、低空飛行した戦闘機の乗組員らが見ていたというが、調査では確認に至らなかった。

In the Japanese Diet, the number of members found to have failed to pay premiums into the national pension fund and subscribe to the fund has increased in a scandal that has snowballed like falling dominoes. More than 100 lawmakers have been embroiled, and the list will grow longer if the Liberal Democratic Party releases records of payments by all of its legislators.

The Lower House passed legislation to reform the pension system by feigning ignorance about this reality. This calls for the Upper House to conduct serious deliberations on the bills, starting from scratch.

　日本の国会では、国民年金の「未納・未加入ドミノ」が広がり、１００人を超えた。自民党が公表すれば、更に増えるだろう。衆院は、この実態にほおかむりして法案を通したのだから、参院で真っ当な審議を一から始めるほかはない。

In Iraq, America's plan to make the country the centerpiece of a democratization-domino drive has stalled. Washington was supposed to spread democracy throughout the Middle East on the strength of success in establishing democracy in Iraq.

Instead, the occupation has spawned problems, like the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners, that could provoke ``reverse dominoes,'' such as troop withdrawal decisions by coalition countries.

Apparently, the United States has a penchant for domino theories. In the 1950s, there was a Communist domino theory that said if a nation became a Communist state, the nations nearby would also follow suit. This theory was advocated to justify U.S. military intervention in Vietnam.

　イラクでは米国の「民主化ドミノ」が行き詰まっている。イラク民主化の勢いで中東を次々に、という理屈だったが、虐待事件や各国の撤退のような「逆ドミノ」につながる要素を抱え込んだ。米国は、ドミノ理論が好きらしい。５０年代には、一国が共産化すると隣接する国々も共産化するという「共産ドミノ」が、ベトナムへの介入を正当化するために使われた。

To play the game of dominoes, 28 pieces, each shaped like something linking two dice, are used. The name domino is said to have derived from the fact that the reverse side of the black wood pieces that were used in the initial stage of evolution resembled the priest's black hooded cloak, which was called domino.

　ゲームのドミノでは、サイコロを二つつないだ形の牌（はい）が使われる。黒い木で作られていた初期の牌の裏面が、ずきん付きの黒い法衣（ドミノ）を思わせるところから、この名がついたともいう。

The reform of the pension system is an urgent matter. So the prompt release of data on LDP lawmakers' payments is indispensable.

None of the senior New Komeito officials, found to have been remiss in their premium payments, has resigned in an obvious effort to preclude a head-rolling domino effect from occurring. This underscores an unhealthy relationship between the LDP and its coalition partner.

If New Komeito kept a proper distance from the LDP, there would have been no need to worry about such a domino effect taking place in either of the two parties.

　年金改革は緊急の課題だ。自民党の速やかな実態の公表は欠かせない。公明党幹部の「ドミノ防ぎ」は、自民とのもたれあいの異様さを示す。適切な間合いをとっていれば互いに倒れるはずもない。

As things stand, the Diet might be likened to a plane spinning at a rooftop altitude. When we look up and watch it, we run the risk of falling backward like dominoes.

　国会の「超低空きりもみ飛行」を見させられている方が、仰向けに倒れてゆきそうだ。

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 16(IHT/Asahi: May 19,2004) (05/19)
　
　
　
Iraqi soccer team keeps peace goal in sight

Some movies turn out to be unforgettable because of their impressive titles, rather than their superb scenes and stories. A good example is Richard Attenborough's 1987 movie ``Cry Freedom,'' which was released in Japan under the title ``Toi Yoake'' (A long wait until dawn).

South Africa, where the movie is set, has been chosen as the host country for the 2010 World Cup soccer finals. The choice struck me as a sort of dawn for that country.

05月17日付
■《天声人語》

　場面や物語もさることながら、印象的なタイトルが、長く心に残る映画がある。アッテンボロー監督の「遠い夜明け」（８７年）も、そんな作品だ。舞台となった南アフリカが２０１０年ワールドカップの開催国に選ばれ、これも一つの夜明けかと思った。

The chief thread of the film is the bond between a black activist who was tortured to death in police custody during the apartheid era and a white journalist who tries to sue the authorities.

With South Africa steeped in all forms of discrimination, the dawn of a new age was far away then. But no matter how removed it was, the dawn was to break in time. The movie's title seemed to say: Keep working for the realization of hopes that cannot completely be abandoned.

　アパルトヘイト（人種隔離）政策の時代に、拷問死する黒人運動家と、告発しようとする白人記者とのきずなを描く。差別が国を覆い夜明けはまさしく遠い。しかし、いかに遠くてもいつかは明ける。完全には消し得ない望みへの希求がタイトルににじんでいた。

Iraq has now qualified to compete in the Olympic soccer games.

``There are things more important than soccer for Iraq now,'' said Bernd Stange, the German coach of the Iraqi national team. ``I know that. This is a country where there is no safety, children die, and terrorist strikes occur every day. Even so, Iraqis need to play soccer.''

With the help of coach Stange, young soccer players of the war-torn land blazed the long and difficult way to Athens.

　イラクが、五輪のサッカーへの出場を決めた。「今のイラクにサッカーより大事なものがあることは私も知っている。安全がなく、子供が死に、連日テロが起きる。それでも、イラク人はサッカーを必要としている」。こう語ったドイツ人のシュタンゲ監督の下、戦乱の地の青年が、遠く困難なアテネへの道を切り開いた。

Poet-playwright Shuji Terayama (1935-1983) once explained his love of soccer, when he wrote that it was because soccer originated from hatred.

``It seems to me that kicking the ball is a tremendously emotional act,'' Terayama wrote. ``The sight of these warriors running toward the opposition goal while kicking the ball, the size of a skull, should do us some good,'' he continued. ``I think we should regain something we have lost by watching them in action.'' (From a Shincho paperback ``Ryote Ippai-no Kotoba,'' or Words that fill both hands)

　サッカーを愛する何よりの理由は「にくしみから出発した競技」だからと書いたのは、寺山修司だった。「蹴（け）る、足蹴にする、という行為には、ほとばしるような情念が感じられる。（略）あの頭蓋骨（ずがいこつ）大のボールを蹴りながら、相手のゴール（略）へ駈（か）けてゆく戦士たちを観（み）て、失った何かを取りもどすべきではないだろうか」（『両手いっぱいの言葉』新潮文庫）

Hate-driven deeds are a pronounced phenomenon around the world now. For the moment, we can take some comfort in the latest developments in the soccer world that encourage us to hope that things will improve in time, even though we have to wait.

　憎しみは今、現実の世界で著しい。しかしその日は遠くとも、いつかは変わりうるかとも思わせることが、足蹴の世界の方であった。

The Federation Internationale de Football Association, the world's soccer's governing body, will mark its centennial on Friday.

　国際サッカー連盟は、２１日に結成から１００年となる。

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 17(IHT/Asahi: May 18,2004) (05/18)
　
　
　
Dali rated Vermeer's works above all others

About a fortnight ago, I noticed a long queue in front of a movie theater in Tokyo's Ginza district. The film was ``Girl With a Pearl Earring,'' inspired by a painting of that title by Dutch master Johannes Vermeer.

I killed time until the line grew shorter and walked in to watch.

05月11日付
■《天声人語》

　半月ほど前、東京・銀座の映画館の前に行列ができていた。その映画「真珠の耳飾りの少女」は、オランダの画家フェルメールが描いた、同名の絵に材を取っている。行列が短くなる頃合いに、行ってみた。

This film recounts how Vermeer came to paint this work. The plot revolves around interactions among the artist's family, patrons and, of course, the young servant girl who became his model. The cinematography skillfully captures the serenity that characterizes Vermeer's works. Particularly superb is the depiction of changes in the light filtering in through an antique window.

　フェルメールがこの絵を仕上げるまでの物語が、モデル役の小間使の少女や、家族、画家のパトロンとの絡みで描かれる。フェルメールの絵の静穏な世界が、古風な窓から差し込む光の変化などを巧みに生かした映像でつづられる。

Known for such masterpieces as ``View of Delft'' and ``The Painter's Studio,'' Vermeer was an acknowledged expert at capturing subtle transitions from light to shade and highlighting sharp contrasts in color. But even though he was one of the greatest Dutch masters of genre painting in the 17th century, less than 40 of his works still remain.

　フェルメールは「デルフトの眺望」や「画家のアトリエ」でも知られ、精妙な光の描写や、色の対比への鋭い感覚が特長とされる。１７世紀のオランダ風俗画を代表する画家だが、現存する絵は三十数点しかない。

In ``Dari-tono Taiwa'' (Dialogue with Dali) published by Bijutsu Koronsha, the surrealist painter Salvador Dali is said to have named a Vermeer in response to the question, ``Assuming the entire human race is doomed for obliteration in one hour and you are allowed to choose and save just one painting that is not your own work, which would that be?''

　「一時間後に人類全体が消滅する、しかし、あなたにはあなた自身のものではない絵を一点だけ選び、それを救う権利があるものとします。どんな絵を選びますか」。こう問われて、フェルメールの絵をあげたのは、サルバドール・ダリだった（『ダリとの対話』美術公論社）。

A self-proclaimed genius, Dali devised a unique system of his own to rate paintings, according to ``Tensai-no Nikki'' (Diary of a genius) published by Futami Shobo.

Called a ``table of comparison of various values based on Dali's own analysis,'' it lists nine items, including technique, inspiration, genius and originality. The highest score for each item is 20 points, which makes the total 180 points.

Using this table, Dali rated Leonardo da Vinci, Sanzio Raffaello, Pablo Picasso and other painters. He gave Vermeer the highest score of 179, only one point shy of perfect. The missing point had to do with originality.

Dali rated himself, too. He scored higher than Picasso.

　天才を自称するダリは独特な点数表を残した。古今の有名画家に対する「ダリ的分析に基づく諸価値比較一覧表」だ。技術、霊感、天才、独創性など９項目について各２０点計１８０点満点で採点してある。ダビンチ、ラファエロ、ピカソなどをしのぐ最高の１７９点を、フェルメールに付けた。独創性だけ、１点引いた。ダリ自身の総点もピカソを上回った（『天才の日記』二見書房）。

Dali died in 1989. Were he alive, he would have celebrated his 100th birthday on May 11.

　ダリは８９年に他界した。しかしどこかで生きていれば、今日で１００歳になる。

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 11(IHT/Asahi: May 17,2004) (05/17)
　
　
　
Some reflections on poison-free blowfish

A haiku by 17th century poet Matsuo Basho goes: ``Ah, yesterday passed without incident/ So much for the blowfish soup.'' The sentiment is a mix of relief and something like a sense of denouement. It comes from learning the nervousness he felt after venturing to eat blowfish the previous day was unwarranted.

Anyone who has eaten blowfish-fugu in Japanese-can probably identify with this sentiment.

05月14日付
■《天声人語》

　芭蕉にこんな句がある。〈あら何ともなやきのふは過ぎて河豚汁（ふくとじる）〉。きのうフグを食べたが何ともない。ほっとするとともに肩すかしを食わされたような気もする。そんな気分を表現した。

Had Basho died from fugu poisoning, I am sure the history of Japanese literature would have evolved quite differently. I am glad the poet survived his fugu dinner ``without incident''

Here is another fugu haiku by 18th century poet Yosa Buson: ``Having eaten blowfish soup/ I woke from sleep/ To find myself alive.''

Kobayashi Issa, who arrived on the scene some years after Buson, was also apparently fond of fugu. It appears haiku poets of the Edo Period boldly savored this delicacy at their own risk.

　フグを食べる人が多かれ少なかれ感じてきたことだろう。もっとも、芭蕉があのときフグの毒に倒れていたら、日本の文学史は変わっていた。「何ともなや」でよかった。〈鰒（ふく）汁の我活（い）きてゐる寝覚哉〉は蕪村の作だし、一茶もフグが好物だったようだ。江戸期の俳人たちは果敢にフグに挑んだのだった。

But what were the prescribed cures back then for fugu poisoning?

One well-known folkloric method was to bury the patient neck-deep in the ground, according to Kiichi Kitahama, the author of ``Fugu Hakubutsushi'' (Natural history of blowfish) published by Tokyo Shobo.

Kitahama says there were also various antitoxins for ingestion, such as the the stem of an eggplant, juice of myoga or Japanese ginger and a lump of camphor ground into fine powder. Another recommendation was to grill dried squid and inhale the smoke.

But whether any of these cures worked is anyone's guess.

　では、フグ中毒にかかったらどうしたか。民間療法でよく知られるのは、首から下を土に埋める方法だ。ほかに、ナスのへたを食べる。ミョウガの根の汁を飲む。樟脳（しょうのう）を粉にして飲む。スルメを焼いて煙をかがせる。いろいろあったようだ（北濱喜一『ふぐ博物誌』東京書房社）。効果のほどはわからない。

Studies have since contributed greatly to the present understanding of blowfish toxin.

Its chemical composition was explained exactly 40 years ago. Further research has revealed the basic mechanism by which the fish stores poison in its body by feeding on substances that are partly toxic themselves. However, exactly how that mechanism works and why the fish store toxic substances in their bodies in the first place are among many questions that still remained unanswered.

　いまではフグ毒の解明はかなり進んでいる。化学構造がわかったのがちょうど４０年前だった。その後、毒を含む餌を食べて体内に毒を蓄積していく仕組みが明らかになってきた。それでも詳しい仕組みや、何のために毒を蓄積するのか、など謎も多く残されている。

Recently, a Nagasaki University team reportedly succeeded in mass-cultivating blowfish with ``toxin-free'' innards by raising them on certain kinds of food. Applying these research results to a commercial use is now in sight.

The Saga prefectural government will reportedly soon make a proposal to the central government to create a special ``fugu-deregulation zone'' where restrictions will be eased on fugu transactions-especially on fugu liver.

　先日、長崎大グループが大量のトラフグの肝の「無毒化」に成功した、と報じられた。餌の選別による無毒化養殖が研究から実用段階に入ったようだ。佐賀県は近く、フグ肝の販売などの規制を緩める「ふぐ特区」を国に提案するそうだ。

The day may not be so far away when the fugu haiku by Basho and Buson no longer portray reality.

　芭蕉や蕪村のフグの句が、実感とかけ離れてしまう日も遠くないかもしれない。

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 14(IHT/Asahi: May 15,2004) (05/15)
　
　
　
Iraq abuses put U.S. officers in a quandary

On the treatment of POWs, Article 17 of the Geneva Convention stipulates: ``No physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be inflicted on prisoners of war to secure from them information of any kind whatsoever.''

This clause has suddenly come to global attention because the string of reported abuses of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. troops at the Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad could have violated the convention.

05月13日付
■《天声人語》

　「捕虜からいかなる種類の情報を得るためにも、これに肉体的又は精神的拷問その他の強制を加えてはならない」。戦争捕虜の待遇を定めたジュネーブ条約の１７条が、注目されている。イラクの刑務所での、米軍によるイラク人への虐待に条約違反の疑いがあるからだ。

Military courts-martial are scheduled shortly for soldiers charged with the abuses. U.S. President George W. Bush told an interviewer ``the practices that took place in that prison ... represented the actions of a few people.'' The Pentagon also stressed the ``individual,'' rather than the systematic nature of the actions.

However, in a U.S. forces internal report, the officer who authored it hints at CIA involvement. One soldier facing court-martial told an interviewer that members of the military police were under instructions from intelligence officers to deprive Iraqi prisoners of sleep and ``give them hell'' to force confessions.

　虐待したとされる兵士の軍法会議が近く開かれる。ブッシュ大統領は「一部の兵士による行動」と述べ、国防総省も「少数の兵士たちの個人レベルの行為」とする。しかし米軍の内部報告書を作成した将官は、米中央情報局などの関与の可能性を示唆した。訴追された米兵の一人は、情報将校らの指示を受けたとし「憲兵の仕事はイラク人を眠らせず、ひどいことをして供述させることだった」と述べた。

How is a soldier to respond to a superior officer who orders prisoner abuse? The issue boils down to how the individual decides to act when ordered to do something unpalatable. It reminds me of Japanese soldiers who were charged as Class-B and Class-C war criminals after World War II.

　もし虐待の命令を受けた時、兵士はどうすべきか。個人の意思・行為と命令との関係の問題は、第二次大戦での日本軍のＢＣ級戦犯のことを思わせる。

``Watashi-wa Kai-ni Naritai'' (I want to be a shellfish) was the title of a superb TV drama created in the early years of television in Japan. It was later made into a movie.

Played by character actor Frankie Sakai, the protagonist is a barbershop owner who is called up for military service as a common soldier. During his military service, he is ordered by his superior to stab an American POW to death.

Discharged upon Japan's defeat, he is arrested and eventually hanged as a war criminal.

The story climaxes with the protagonist's haunting monologue: ``I do not want to remain a human being anymore. I'd much rather be a shellfish at the bottom of a deep sea.''

　「もう人間なんていやだ。いっそ深い海の底の貝になりたい」。召集された理髪店主が、命令で米兵捕虜を刺殺したとして復員後に逮捕され絞首刑に処せられる。テレビ草創期の名作ドラマで映画にもなった「私は貝になりたい」でのフランキー堺の独白がよみがえる。

In the upcoming courts-martial, the parties who issue orders are going to try and condemn the parties who take orders. Given the highly ``special'' nature of the trials, I seriously wonder whether they will be capable of judging the legitimacy of the issued commands.

　命令を下す側が下される側を訴追し断罪する。こんな特殊な軍法会議で兵士個人を裁いたとしても、命令の当否まで調べられるのか。

The International Criminal Court began functioning last year to try war crimes, civilian abuses and other crimes against humanity across national borders. More than 90 nations have joined this court, but Japan and the United States have yet to do so.

　戦争犯罪や市民虐待など、人道に反する行為を国境を越えて裁く国際刑事裁判所が、昨年発足した。世界で９０以上の国々が参加しているが、米国と日本は、まだである。

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 13(IHT/Asahi: May 14,2004) (05/14)
　
　
　
Ultimately, it's the people who set things right

In a fairy-tale country called Acorn, working people took a fixed number of acorns each month to a large storehouse in the recess of a forest. They did this as part of their preparations for old age.

Here, acorns were the country's stable food, and the stockpile was set up specifically for distribution to the elderly.

05月12日付
■《天声人語》

　昔々、あるところに「どんぐり国」がありました。将来の暮らしに備えて、オトナたちは毎月決められた数のどんぐりを、森の奥の大きな蔵に納めておりました。どんぐりは大切な食糧で、お年寄りたちに配られていました。

The imagery mirrors how the pension system works in Japan, where the proportion of elderly people is rapidly growing as a result of steadily decreasing birth rates.

Eventually, the Acorn Cabinet submitted a bill to the Acorn Parliament to reform the acorn pension system. Under this plan, the people were required to stash more acorns in the forest storehouse and to receive fewer benefits in their old age.

　森の中でも少子高齢化が進んできました。ある年、どんぐり内閣は、納めるどんぐりの数を増やし、将来受け取るどんぐりは減らす「どんぐり年金」改革法案を、どんぐり国会に出しました。

But serious problems arose. A number of Cabinet ministers were found to have failed to pay their acorn dues. The revelations naturally caused a furor in the parliament.

Going on the offensive, the leader of the main opposition party branded derelict ministers as donguri mino kyodai (acorn nonpayment brothers). But revelations that he, too, was remiss forced him to resign.

It then emerged that a former leader of another opposition party had skipped contributions. That development embroiled all the major parties in the noncontribution scandal.

Along the way, questions were raised about the generous amounts of acorns that MPs were entitled to receive from their own heavily subsidized pension fund.

　ところが、何人ものどんぐり大臣が、どんぐりをきちんと納めていなかったことが分かりました。どんぐり国会は大騒ぎです。どんぐり野党の党首は「どんぐり未納兄弟」とかみついたのですが、本人も未納と分かって辞任しました。他の野党元党首も未納と分かり、国会の主な政党すべてに未納問題は波及したのです。「どんぐり議員年金」の特別扱いも疑問視されました。

The drama in Acorn then took a different turn. The public demanded that records of acorn contributions by all lawmakers be released. This demand was met because legislators realized it would be a shameful state of affairs to ask the public to put up more while they themselves had neglected to make their own contributions.

　ここまではどこかの国の騒ぎとそっくりですが、その先が違いました。議員全員のどんぐり納付の実績公表を求める世論が起こりました。もっと出せと求める側が、ちゃんと納めていないのでは恥ずかしいという議員も増え、公表されたのです。

The Acorn government's pension reform bill was fundamentally rewritten. The idea of unifying the diverse pension plans, devised for people engaged in different lines of work, was seriously debated in the parliament.

Although a similar attempt was made in Japan, unification sounded like an excuse for shelving the issue. What lawmakers of Acorn had in mind was nothing of the sort. Their target was to strike a balance between contributions and benefits.

　法案は、それこそ抜本的に見直されました。仕事で異なる年金の一本化も、真剣に話し合われました。かの国の、先送りの響きを伴う「一元化」ではありません。ひたすら、負担と給付の「公平化」をめざしたのです。

The original reform bill was aimed at collecting large amounts of acorns from people easy to levy. The moral of this story: In the end, it was the voice of the Acorn people that forced the government to correct the unfair collection policy.

　取りやすい所から、いっぱいどんぐりを取る。こんなやり方を改めさせたのは、やはり、どんぐり国民の声だったということです。

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 12(IHT/Asahi: May 13,2004) (05/13)
　
　
　
Book, movie point to an ever-present danger

Ray Bradbury's classic novel ``Fahrenheit 451'' portrays a book-burning world in the ``near future.''

The title of the book (a Japanese translation is published by Hayakawa Shobo) refers to temperature-approximately 230 degrees Celsius, or the gratin-baking temperature inside the oven-at which paper naturally ignites.

05月09日付
■《天声人語》

　セ氏に直せば、２３０度ほどだから、グラタンを焼くオーブンの温度ぐらいになるのか。その温度が、紙の自然発火点だとして、近未来の焚書（ふんしょ）の世界を描いたのが、ブラッドベリの『華氏４５１度』（早川書房）である。

In the fictitious world of thought control that Bradbury writes about, reading and owning books are prohibited. A squad of men dressed like firefighters has the job of not putting out fires, but to burn books.

　思想統制のため、読書や蔵書が禁じられている。消防隊風のなりの一隊は、火を消しにではなく、摘発した書物を燃やすために出動する。

It was a particular pleasure, a squad member says, to see books blacken as they are consumed by flames. In the book, squad members fan the flames of the fires by squirting crude oil through a bronze nozzle of a massive hose that resembles a giant snake.

One of the members finally ``encounters'' the written word and wakes up to the richness of the human spirit.

　「ものが燃えつき、黒い色にかわっていくのを見るのは、格別の愉しみだった。真鍮の筒さきをにぎり、大蛇のように巨大なホースで、石油と呼ぶ毒液を撒きちらす」。隊員のひとりが、本と出会い、人間の精神の豊かさに目覚めてゆく。

Distribution of the movie ``Fahrenheit 911,'' Academy Award-winning director Michael Moore's latest film, has been held back.

This development is said to have resulted from pressure brought to bear on the distribution firm by the parent company, the Walt Disney Co.

The documentary portrays relations between the Saudi royal family, including the line of Osama bin Laden, and the Bush family. The film takes potshots at post-9/11 policies adopted by President George W. Bush.

　「華氏９・１１」と名付けられた、アカデミー賞受賞監督のマイケル・ムーアの新作の配給に待ったがかかった。配給会社の親会社のディズニーの圧力によるという。オサマ・ビンラディン氏の家系を含むサウジアラビア王族とブッシュ家の関連や、９・１１後のブッシュ政治を批判するドキュメンタリーだ。

French director Francois Truffaut turned Bradbury's novel into a movie in 1966. ``In any country around the world,'' Truffaut wrote then, ``books are still something to be persecuted and confiscated ... sometimes to be burned on the street.'' He went on to say: ``This is not necessarily a story that materializes in a fictitious future society. When and where doesn't matter.'' (From a Japanese translation of Dominique Rabourdin's ``Truffaut par Truffaut,'' or an account of Truffaut by himself)

　ブラッドベリの小説を、６６年に映画化したトリュフォー監督が書いている。「世界中、どこの国でも、いまなお、書物は迫害され、没収され、ときには（略）路上で燃やされる」「この物語はかならずしも未来の空想社会の出来事ではなく、『いつ』の話でも、『どこ』の話でもいいのである」（『トリュフォーによるトリュフォー』リブロポート）

The movie ``Fahrenheit 911'' will be screened for the first time at the Cannes Film Festival, which opens shortly. Personally, my interest in the movie focuses on one point: What is the ``911'' meant to ignite in the movie?

　「華氏９・１１」は、近く開幕するカンヌ国際映画祭で初上映される。９・１１を、何の「発火点」として描いているのだろうか。

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 9(IHT/Asahi: May 12,2004) (05/12)
　
　
　
Key Koizumi aide leaving in a political shadow

As chief Cabinet secretary, Yasuo Fukuda was variously labeled-the ``face'' of the Cabinet, banto, or the highest-ranking servant, and an aide playing the role of a wife for the prime minister.

The multiple labels suggest that being a chief Cabinet secretary promises a complex and busy job for the holder of the office.

05月08日付
■《天声人語》

　内閣の顔で番頭で、首相の女房役とも言われた。内閣官房長官という役目はいかにも複雑で忙しそうだ。

We can get a glimpse of that job from former Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita's memoir ``Seiji-towa Nanika'' (What is politics?). Like Fukuda, who resigned on May 7, Takeshita served as chief Cabinet secretary under two prime ministers.

A passage from the book, published by Kodansha, goes: ``The day gets off to a start again with consultations-rounds and rounds of meetings. On top of the succession of meetings, I have to see the press twice a day.

``Perhaps,'' he continues, ``my kanbo chokan portfolio deserves a new name-hanbo chokan (a play on words meaning a chief Cabinet secretary with a heavy workload). And I admit I sometimes transform myself into ranbo chokan (again a play on words standing for a chief secretary who plays rough to get things done).''

　「今日も朝から打ち合わせ。会議に続くまた会議。その上二度の記者会見。官房長官名を変えて、繁忙長官とでも申しましょう。時にはなります、乱暴長官」。辞任した福田康夫氏と同様、ふたりの首相の下で官房長官を務めた竹下登元首相の回顧録『政治とは何か』（講談社）の一節だ。

Fukuda's days were probably even more hectic when he was chief Cabinet secretary under Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, who earned notoriety for a series of gaffes. Busy with damage-control efforts, Fukuda called himself benmei chokan (a chief secretary whose job is to offer explanations to calm outcries).

Eventually, though, Fukuda turned against Mori and criticized him for continuing to play golf even after being informed that a senior high school fishery training ship, the Ehime Maru, was sunk in a collision with a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine off Hawaii.

``Personally, I think the prime minister should not have gone off to play golf on that day in the first place,'' he told a news conference. It was unusual for a chief Cabinet secretary to criticize a prime minister.

　福田氏は、森首相の失言の後始末に追われた頃は「弁明長官」を自認した。「個人としてはそもそもゴルフに行くべきではなかったと思う」。米軍潜水艦に沈没させられた実習船えひめ丸の事件では、連絡を受けた後もゴルフを続けた首相を記者会見で批判した。異例なことだった。

His father, former Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda, famously observed, ``Human lives are heavier than the Earth,'' to justify his decision to comply with hijackers' demands. ``Members of the Cabinet put forward various opinions over whether respect for human lives should come first or whether it is more important to maintain the legal system,'' the senior Fukuda writes in his memoir ``Kaiko Kyuju-nen'' (Recollections of 90 years), published by Iwanami Shoten. ``Finally,'' he continues, ``I concluded that human lives are heavier than the Earth. I decided to comply with the hijackers' demands through recourse to a `supra-legal' measure-a step taken because there is no other choice.''

When three Japanese nationals were taken hostage in Iraq, the younger Fukuda was asked about the action taken by his father in what came to be known as the Dhaka incident. Ruling out a similar action to rescue them, he replied: ``Times are different. Besides, it seems to me that perceptions about a hostage crisis have changed since then.''

　「人命尊重か法秩序優先かで閣内でもさまざまな議論が出たが、私は最終的に『人の命は地球より重い』と判断、万やむを得ざる処置として超法規的処置で犯人側の要求を受け入れるという決断を下した」（『回顧九十年』岩波書店）。こう記した父・福田赳夫元首相のダッカ事件の措置について、イラク人質事件で問われた時は「時代が違う。意味合いも違うんじゃないか」

Last month, Fukuda set a record as the longest-serving chief Cabinet secretary. On that day, he asked reporters, ``Want me to comment on my being himitsu shugi chokan (a chief secretary who keeps things secret)?'' After pointing out that he has been called the shadow foreign minister and the shadow defense chief, he said, ``I have been given various nicknames, but I am no more than a shadow player.''

　通算在任日数が歴代最長となった日は「秘密主義長官ですか？」。「影の外相、影の防衛庁長官」と挙げて「いろいろあるが、しょせん影ですから」

There was a certain charm about the way Fukuda fielded questions at news conferences, with a nihilistic air belying his generally polite answers. He looked an utterly different man when he refused to answer questions about whether he had been paying premiums into the national pension fund, insisting that it was personal information.

Fukuda's resignation in the pension-premium scandal was obviously aimed at drawing the curtain on the controversy.

It is greatly regrettable that someone who has been calling the shots in the government has rendered such service as his last act.

　いんぎんなようで、どこかニヒルさも漂わせる様に魅力も感じたが、年金未納問題で「個人情報」と言い張る姿は異様だった。内閣の顔が、問題の「幕引き役」を演じるようでは困る。

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 8(IHT/Asahi: May 11,2004) (05/11)
　
　
　
New to EU, Prague's rich tradition is its own

A diary, discovered in February in the United States, has turned out to be that of Albert Einstein's ``last girlfriend'' who stayed with him through the final years of his life. The girlfriend was Czech-born Johanna Fantova, who died in 1981 at age 80.

05月04日付
■《天声人語》

　晩年のアインシュタインに寄り添ってきた「最後の恋人」といわれる女性の日記が米国で見つかった。女性は、８１年に８０歳で亡くなったチェコ出身のジョアンナ・ファトバさんである。

Einstein took his post at Princeton University's Institute for Advanced Study as a refugee from Nazi Germany. Fantova was a curator at the university's Firestone Library. The two had already met before.

　ナチスから逃れて亡命したアインシュタインの米国での落ち着き先がプリンストン高等研究所だった。ファトバさんはプリンストン大学の図書館員だった。ただし二人のつながりはそれだけではない。

The April 24 issue of The New York Times quotes an old mutual acquaintance as saying that for Einstein who missed prewar Europe and never felt at home in Princeton, ``she was part of the old world.''

　「アインシュタインはプリンストンでは決して安らぎを得なかったと思う。彼は戦前のヨーロッパを懐かしがっていた。ファトバさんは、彼をひきつける旧世界に属していた」という友人の見方をニューヨーク・タイムズが紹介していた。二人が初めて会ったのは戦前のベルリンだったが、それ以前の縁もあった。

When Einstein and Fantova first met in prewar Berlin, Einstein was already acquainted with Fantova's mother, Bertha Fanta, who was a well-known patroness of culture in Prague at the start of the 20th century.

Young Einstein was a frequent visitor at her ``salon,'' where he met novelist Franz Kafka, a resident of Prague. Kafka is said to have taken interest in Einstein's theory of relativity.

　ファトバさんの夫の母ベルタ・ファンタ夫人は、２０世紀初頭のプラハでは高名だった。文化人が集うサロンを主宰していた。若きアインシュタインも出入りしていた。プラハに暮らす作家のカフカは、このサロンでアインシュタインに会い、相対性理論に関心を持ったという。

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart loved Prague. His 1787 opera ``Don Giovanni'' premiered in this city, and his Symphony No. 38 is popularly known as ``Prague.''

I imagine Einstein's relationship with Fantova helped him recall the cultural atmosphere of the good old Europe that Prague stood for.

　プラハはモーツァルトが愛した街でもあった。１７８７年の歌劇「ドン・ジョバンニ」初演はこの街だったし、交響曲３８番は通称「プラハ」で知られる。アインシュタインは古き良きヨーロッパ文化を体現するプラハの匂（にお）いを、ファトバさんからかぎとってもいたのだろう。

The European Union expanded east and south on May 1, from 15 member countries to 25. I hear there were festivities in Prague.

Though a newcomer to the EU, Prague is certainly an ancient capital with a rich tradition of its own.

　１日から欧州連合（ＥＵ）が東へ南へと大きく拡大した。プラハにも祝祭気分があふれたという。新参者ではあるが伝統豊かな古都でもある。

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 4(IHT/Asahi: May 10,2004) (05/10)
　
　
　
`Torture' is the right word for what they did

Television and newspapers are rife with images of horrendous abuses committed against prisoners in Iraq by U.S. soldiers at the Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad.

In ``Sekai no Shikei/Gomon Joho'' (Global data on executions and tortures) published by Tairiku Shobo, Amnesty International points out that Iraqi prisoners were being tortured just as brutally more than 20 years ago under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. They had electric shocks applied and were sexually abused while blindfolded with their hands bound behind their backs.

05月07日付
■《天声人語》

　電気ショック、性的虐待、目隠し、後ろ手しばり……。拘束した人々に対する、これらのおぞましい行為の報告は、最近流れたイラクの刑務所での映像についてではない。フセイン元大統領が既に実権を握っていた二十余年前の拷問についての、人権団体アムネスティ・インターナショナルの記述である（『世界の死刑／拷問情報』大陸書房）。

The images and reports that have come out in recent days are so starkly reminiscent of these old Amnesty accounts, they have only deepened my conviction that the war in Iraq is wrong.

History has repeatedly proved how war drives people to inhuman acts. The U.S. government could not have been ignorant of this, and yet its own citizens, of all people, reverted to the abominations perpetrated by the Iraqi dictatorship while their leaders claimed to be ``democratizing'' Iraq.

　この報告にある行為と似た映像や報道を見聞きして、イラク戦争への疑念が一層深まった。戦争に、こうした行為が伴うことを歴史は繰り返し示してきた。それを知らないはずはないのに、「民主化」すると言いつつ、圧政の時代に戻るかのような行為を自らがしていたとは。

U.S. newspapers are taking a severe stand against the Bush administration. One editorial insisted the nation should express a collective apology, while another pointed out the brutalities were ``systematic'' and confirmed suspicions that had lingered about the treatment of prisoners in Afghanistan.

　「国として遺憾の意を表すべきだ」「アフガンでの拘束者に対してかねて問題視されていたことが表になった。組織的な問題だ」。米紙でも厳しい論評が目につく。

Quoting Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who described the acts as ``un-American,'' The Washington Post noted that Americans were quite wrong to think they alone were immune from performing such atrocities.

　ラムズフェルド国防長官が「非アメリカ的行為だ」と述べたことについて、ワシントン・ポスト紙は、米国人だけが、こうした行為を免れられると思うのは考え違いだと指摘した。

Nearly a year ago, the director-general of Amnesty International criticized the United States for human rights abuses in the name of the ``war against terror'' and countenancing abuses that had been considered unacceptable up to the eve of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
The trivialization of human rights in the post-9/11 United States is likely what induced the prisoner abuses.

　「９・１１の前日までには受け入れられなかったことが、今やほとんど当たり前になってきている」。テロ対策などを名目に米国などが人権を侵害していると、アムネスティの事務総長が批判したのは、１年近く前だった。虐待の土壌になったのだろうか。

I like others have been calling these acts ``abuses,'' but such things happen outside prisons, too. Such wanton pain is also inflicted on animals. But when an abusive act is committed with the intent of eliciting information or forcing a confession from a prisoner, ``torture'' is a more accurate choice of word.

　今、虐待と書いたが、虐待は塀の外や動物に対してもある。情報の吐露や自白を強要するための虐待ならば、「拷問」の方が、ことの性格を、より明確に表すのかも知れない。

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 7(IHT/Asahi: May 8,2004) (05/08)
　
　
　
Teaching children one of life's hardest lessons

When Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy compiled ``A Calendar of Wisdom'' late in his life, he is said to have surmised that while he expected his works to fall into oblivion over time, he felt confident this book alone would always be remembered.

The book has been translated into Japanese as ``Fumi Yomu Hibi'' and published by Chikuma Shobo. I leaf through it from time to time.

05月05日付
■《天声人語》

　「自分の著述は時が経（た）つにつれて忘れられるであろうが、この書物だけはきっと人々の記憶に残るにちがいない」。トルストイが、そう語ったという『文読む月日』（ちくま文庫）を、時に開く。

It is a bulky anthology of maxims and quotations, including his own, culled from world literature of all ages and arranged by each day of the year.

For May 5, there are quotations about children and adult-child relations.

　１日を１章にして１年分、古今東西の警句に本人のものも加えて編んだ大冊のアンソロジーだ。「５月５日」の章には、子供や、子供と大人に関する文が並んでいる。

``Children must be taught only things that they can understand perfectly and need no further explanation when they grow up,'' goes one maxim.

``Always keep your promise with a child, or you will be conditioning him to take falsehood for granted,'' warns another.

I get the strong impression Tolstoy expected people to deal strictly and scrupulously with children-a rather tall order, I must admit.

　「子供らに対しては、彼らが成人してからも何一つ付け加える必要のないほど完全に理解できる事柄だけを教えるようにしなければならない」「子供との約束は必ず守れ、さもないと彼を虚言に慣らすことになるであろう」。大人に、厳格さや厳密さを求める印象が強い。応えきるのは、難しい。

``The Wisdom of Children'' is another work by Tolstoy. It takes the form of children asking questions and adults answering them. The format suggests the author's intention was to delve into vital issues such as religion, nationhood and education through children's unclouded and incisive observations of life.

The book quotes a mother as saying, ``Truth issues forth from the lips of a child.''

　トルストイには、子供と大人の問答形式の作品「子供の智慧（ちえ）」もある。宗教、国家、教育など人生の大きなテーマに、子供の真っすぐな視点を使って鋭く迫ろうとする。その中で「真理というものは子供の唇から流れて出ます」と、ある母親に語らせている。

Children may be defined as people who are still too young to understand the constraints placed on people by society. As an adult, life oscillates between society's ``accepted common sense'' and the ``truth'' shoved in your face by people who are either unfamiliar with what is deemed common sense or refuse to accept it.

　子供とは、世の柵（しがらみ）をまだよく知らない存在とも言える。知ってしまった方が繰り出す「建前」と、知らない、あるいは知りたくない方が突き出す「真理」との間で揺れ続けるのが人の世か。

Passing by a kindergarten on Tuesday, I saw koinobori, a set of traditional carp-shaped streamers that are hoisted around this season to pray for children's healthy growth. The ``papa carp'' and ``mama carp'' were ``swimming'' in the breeze, but the little blue ``boy carp'' had wound itself tight around a rope and only the tip of its tail could be seen.

It made me think of someone trapped by society's constraints. I felt sorry for the little carp and wanted to free it, but it was too high to reach.

On Children's Day, which falls on May 5, it is an old custom in Japan to put the leaves of shobu Japanese iris in the hot tub to enjoy the ritual shobu-yu. I vowed to pretend the bunch of leaves in my tub would be my carp family, so the little carp could at least swim freely there.

　昨日、通り道の幼稚園で、こいのぼりを見た。まごい、ひごいは泳いでいたが、そばの小さな青いこいは、体がロープに絡まって尾ひれの先しか見えない。世の柵に絡まったようで気の毒だが手は届かない。せめて５日には、ショウブの束をこいに見立て、ゆるりと泳がせたいと思った。

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 5(IHT/Asahi: May 7,2004) (05/07)
　
　
　
Americans listening to voices of the war dead

What are the dead soldiers going to tell them? In the United States, debate has broken out over how news organizations should report the growing number of American casualties in Iraq.

05月02日付
■《天声人語》

　死者たちは何を語りかけるのか。米国では、増え続けるイラク戦争の戦死者の扱いをめぐり、論議が起きている。

On April 30, the names of more than 700 U.S. troops killed in the war in Iraq were read out on ABC Television's news show ``Nightline.'' Photographs of the fallen simultaneously rolled across the screen. It took 40 minutes to finish the roll call of the dead.

　３０日夜、米ＡＢＣテレビのニュースショー「ナイトライン」は、イラク戦争で死亡した７００人を超える米兵の名前を延々と読み上げた。画面には彼らの写真が次々と流れ、終了までに４０分を費やした。

Critics promptly charged ABC with exploiting the war dead politically to fan anti-war awareness. The anchor in charge of the program countered by saying it was not intended either for or against the war in Iraq. The show's producer contended that the recitation of names served only to put a human face and a name to the statistics on soldiers who had died.

　戦死者を政治的に利用し、反戦意識をあおっているとの批判が出た。読み上げたキャスターは「番組のねらいは、戦争反対でも戦争支持でもない」と反論、制作者は「数字として計算される戦死者から、顔も名前もある一人の人間に戻ってもらう儀式だ」と語る。

Earlier, photographs were posted on the Internet of coffins bearing the remains of U.S. war dead arriving back home from Iraq. Publication by newspapers and television networks quickly followed suit. The pictures were obtained following a request filed under the Freedom of Information Act.

The Pentagon and the White House expressed displeasure and ordered limits on the release of such sensitive material. The sight of coffins draped with the Stars and Stripes deeply stirs the emotions of Americans, and the U.S. government presumably feared it could cause more people to oppose the war in Iraq.

　少し前には、イラクで死んだ米兵の遺体を納めた棺（ひつぎ）の本国帰還を撮影した写真がインターネットで流れ、新聞やテレビが紹介した。情報公開法に基づいて入手された写真だった。国防総省やホワイトハウスは不快感を表明し、公開の制限を指示した。星条旗にくるまれた棺は、米国民の感情を深く揺さぶる。その感情が「反戦」に揺れることを政府は恐れるのだろう。

Soon after the end of World War II, poet Ryuichi Tamura wrote: ``Don't let my corpse lie on the ground/ There is no resting place for your dead bodies/ Put my corpse in an upright coffin/ So that I will remain standing in death.'' (From the poem titled ``Tachikan,'' or upright coffin)

This poem is an attempt to sum up the last thoughts of the vast number of people who died in World War II, regretting their premature deaths and wishing they had more years to live.

　第二次大戦後まもなく、日本の詩人はこんな詩を書いた。「わたしの屍体を地に寝かすな／おまえたちの死は／地に休むことができない／わたしの屍体は／立棺のなかにおさめて／直立させよ」（田村隆一「立棺」）。戦争による膨大な死者たちの無念の思いがにじみ出る。

It falls on the living to discern what the dead wanted. The debate on the handling of the war dead in Iraq probably indicates that Americans are trying to hold a sincere dialogue with them. What are the dead soldiers going to tell them?

　生き延びた者たちが、死者の思いをくみとらざるをえない。米国の人々も、いま真摯（しんし）に死者と向き合おうとしているのだろう。そのとき、死者たちは何を語りかけてくるのか。

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 2(IHT/Asahi: May 5,2004) (05/05)
　
　
　
Calls for peace go answered by U.S. in Iraq

From the banners shown on the television screen, anyone could tell it was a close-up shot of a demonstration. The banners covered the entire screen with the word pace, meaning peace in Italian.

05月01日付
■《天声人語》

　ＰＡＣＥ（パーチェ）　ＰＡＣＥ　ＰＡＣＥ……。「平和」という言葉を連ねた横断幕が、テレビ画面いっぱいに広がる。

Calling for the release of Italians held hostage in Iraq, thousands of citizens, including the families of the hostages, marched in the San Pietro Plaza at the entrance to the Vatican.

They did not shout a demand for the withdrawal of Italian troops in Iraq. Only the word ``pace'' appeared to be silently telling of their unspoken anguish.

　イラクのイタリア人人質の解放を求めて、家族や市民数千人がバチカンのサンピエトロ広場でデモをした。しかし、軍の撤退を求めるシュプレヒコールなどは無く、ＰＡＣＥの文字が、人々の内の切ない思いを無言で語っているようだった。

A full year has passed since U.S. President George W. Bush declared that large-scale military operations in Iraq were over.

But heavy fighting is still continuing. Bush's declaration especially sounds hollow alongside the large-scale U.S. military attack on Fallujah, an operation severely affecting the lives of local residents.

　ブッシュ米大統領が、大規模な戦闘の終結を宣言してから、１日で１年になる。しかし、戦闘は、まだ激しく続いている。特にファルージャでの、住民を巻き込んだ大規模な米軍の攻撃は、終結宣言のむなしさを改めて印象付けた。

The attack on Fallujah elicited criticism from Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N. special envoy who is charged with the unenviable task of playing a mediatory role to establish a provisional Iraqi government. He pointed out that people everywhere saw television footage of an attack on a mosque by U.S. forces.

As a senior U.N. official put it, the way the United States uses its right hand is entirely different from the way it uses its left hand. He was accusing Washington of reaching out a hand to the world body to request a mediatory effort in Iraq and then attacking Fallujah with the other, the hand one wields to greater effect.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan also called for U.S. self-restraint.

　「テレビでモスク攻撃の様が見えるではないか」。イラクでの暫定政府樹立の仲介という重い役目を担う国連事務総長特別顧問のブラヒミ氏は、ファルージャ攻撃について、語気を強めた。「米国は右手と左手でまったく異なる動きをしている」という国連幹部もいる。一方の手で国連に仲介を求めながら、利き腕では相手をたたく。アナン事務総長も、米国に自制を求めた。

Dag Hammerskjold, the second U.N. secretary-general, wrote in his diary: ``Acts of violence are bitter paradoxes, regardless of their scale. This is because to die is profoundly meaningful and to kill is meaningless.'' (From the Japanese translation, ``Michishirube,'' or signpost, published by Misuzu Shobo)

Hammerskjold died in 1961 when his plane crashed on his way to the Congo, where he was to play a mediatory role in the turmoil following the territory's independence from Belgian colonial rule. He was posthumously awarded a Nobel Prize for Peace.

　国連の２代目の事務総長だったハマーショルドは、日記にこう書いている。「暴力行為。規模の大小にかかわらず、それは苦がにがしいパラドックスである。死は意味深く――しかも殺戮は無意味なのであるから」（『道しるべ』みすず書房）。６１年、動乱調停でコンゴへ行く途中、搭乗機が墜落、死後ノーベル平和賞を受けた。

Images of the countless ``pace'' signs that were delivered from Rome should have found empathy in television viewers around the world.

　ローマから届く無数のＰＡＣＥに、自分の思いを重ねた人は、世界各地に居たはずだ。

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 1(IHT/Asahi: May 4,2004) (05/04)
　
　
　
Local currencies might coin a success phase

Novelist Ihara Saikaku (1642-1693) famously observed, ``There is nothing more interesting than money in this world.''

Likewise, I am amused by the increasing ``community currencies,'' money in circulation only in certain areas or among certain groups.

04月24日付
■《天声人語》

　「世に銭程面白き物はなし」とは井原西鶴の言葉だが、このごろ「面白い銭」がふえてきた。特定の地域やグループだけに流通する「地域通貨」である。

First, what is so amusing about them is that they bear names associated with local tourist attractions or regional products.

The currency issued by a residents' group in Beppu, one of the most famous hot spring resorts in Japan, is called yuro (hot-spring road). The residents' group calls itself ``the achi-chi central bank.'' (The name is also rooted in Beppu's identity because achi-chi is a cry of surprise uttered at finding something too hot.)

Community currencies are named after their special products and provoke a smile. A community currency, named silk, is in circulation in Gunma Prefecture, while Iwate Prefecture has a currency called warabi, or bracken, an edible wild plant. What is in circulation in Ibaraki Prefecture has the unique name of gamal. This comes from Gama no abura (literally, toad's grease), a traditional nonprescription remedy for dermatitis.

　まず、名前が面白い。温泉の町、大分県別府市で住民グループ「アチチ中央銀行」が発行するのが、「湯路（ゆーろ）」である。群馬県には「しるく」、岩手県には「わらび」があり、茨城県には「ガマの油」からの「ガマール」、と名物や特産品にちなむ独特の命名が、ほほえましい。

Community currencies are mostly used to make token payments to volunteers for the services they render, such as helping the elderly, weeding and sweeping at old people's homes, reading books aloud for the aged or teaching them how to operate personal computers. Volunteers can use the money to pay for other services or goods.

The token compensation in those currencies encourages people to participate in community activities for mutual assistance or render volunteer services. Given the virtue of pushing people into action, merchants operating in a not-so-flourishing shopping area may be able to count on a local currency to bring back business.

　お年寄りの手助け、草むしりや清掃、朗読やパソコン指導などの奉仕活動をしたお礼に支払われることが多い。受け取った通貨で別のサービスを受けたり、物と交換したりする。地域の助け合いやボランティア活動促進のための潤滑油である。さびれ気味の商店街の活性剤としても期待される。

A community currency, called cupola, was issued in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, last year. Kawaguchi used to be known as the town of cupolas, cylindrically shaped furnaces for melting cast iron. Part of the issue has been used to help finance relief activities for Laotian children.

Donations in cupolas made to the city's ``Cupola Contribution Box'' were entrusted to a Laos assistance group, SALA, in January after being converted into cash.

Moves are also afoot to create a system that would make different community currencies exchangeable. Other interesting experiments are in progress.

　埼玉県川口市で昨年発行された地域通貨「キューポラ」は、一部がラオスの子ども支援にまわる。希望者がキューポラ募金箱に寄付し、それが換金されて今年１月「ラオス援助会ＳＡＬＡ」に託された。地域通貨同士で交換できる仕組みをつくる動きもある。様々な面白い試みが進んでいる段階だ。

The Bank of Japan, which issues legal tender, is watching these developments with favor. Welcoming the surge of community currencies, BOJ chief Toshihiko Fukui said last summer, ``Those currencies create new values and spur the development of local societies.'' Pitching in to boost the trend, the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications embarked this spring on a project to develop a model for a network of community currencies.

　本物のお札を発行している日銀も温かく見守っている。昨夏、福井総裁は「新しい価値を生み出し、地域社会の発展につながる」と述べて、歓迎の意を表した。総務省も今春から、地域通貨のシステムモデルづくりを始めた。

Many local currencies fail to take off. But there is no reason to be dejected. We can take the view that success cannot come easily in such projects that offer many ways to ensure the well-being of a community.

　消えていく通貨も少なくない。しかし、知恵を出し合って多様な人間の輪をつくっていく動きと見れば失敗にくじけることはない。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 24(IHT/Asahi: May 3,2004) (05/03)
　
　
　
A tempest of thought in a Japanese teapot

As soon as you are seated in a Japanese restaurant, a cup of tea is placed before you. You sip it while waiting for your meal. Like water, tea is on the house, and you can have as many cups as you want. And no meal is complete without that final cup of tea before you leave the restaurant.

What I have just described is indication of how integral tea is to the daily lives of Japanese. After a trip overseas where restaurants don't usually serve free beverages, you really come to appreciate the uniqueness of Japan's ``tea drinking culture.''

04月30日付
■《天声人語》

　店に入るとまずお茶が出てくる。お茶を飲みながら食事を待つ。水と同じでおかわり自由、食後にも欠かせない。日本人の生活にお茶がいかに溶け込んでいるかの証しだろう。海外で飲み物はすべて有料という経験をしてみると、お茶文化の独特さに改めて気づく。

But it is also true that even this culture is no longer set in stone. There are more occasions today to drink bought tea rather than free tea. About 20 years ago, canned green tea made its debut amid considerable doubts about its success. However, with the eventual addition of PET-bottled tea, the beverage became the mainstay of the soft-drink industry. In 500-milliliter PET bottle equivalents, about 3.5 billion bottles of green tea are now sold annually.

　お茶の飲まれ方も多様になってきた。お金を払って飲む機会も増えている。売れるかどうか疑問だった缶入り緑茶が出始めたのは約２０年前のことだ。やがてペットボトル入りも加わり、清涼飲料水の主力商品になった。５００ミリリットル入りのペットボトルに換算すると、緑茶だけで年間３５億本ほどが出回っている。

Tea shops are springing up where you can enjoy the luxury of savoring expertly brewed green tea. Most shops offer various brands of sencha and powdered matcha to choose from, along with trays of traditional Japanese sweets. There is an atmosphere of serenity you do not usually find in more Westernized establishments that serve coffee and black tea.

　丁寧にいれた緑茶をゆっくりと飲む。そんな「喫茶店」もふえている。好きな銘柄の煎茶（せんちゃ）や抹茶を選んで和菓子とともに味わうことが多い。コーヒーや紅茶を飲む店とは違った落ち着きがある。

And we even have ``tea sommeliers'' now-tea experts who hold the title of Nihoncha insutorakuta (Japanese tea instructor).

This title was created in 1999 by a tea-industry association called Nihoncha-gyo Chuo-kai. To qualify, candidates must pass two tests. The first is a written test to determine one's knowledge of the history of tea and various cultivation methods. The second is a test of one's practical knowledge-determining the grade of tea leaves and knowing where they came from, how to best brew certain brands of tea, and so on.

More than 1,000 people have passed the tests so far, according to the association.

　日本茶インストラクターという名のお茶のソムリエも現れた。９９年、日本茶業中央会が創設した資格だ。歴史や栽培法などの知識を問う１次の筆記試験に、２次試験では実技が加わる。産地はどこかといった品質鑑定やお茶のいれ方が試される。これまでに千人以上が資格を取ったという。

Tenshin Okakura, a scholar who contributed to the development of Japanese arts, wrote a book in English titled ``The Book of Tea'' in 1906 after the Russo-Japanese War.

Okakura noted with dripping sarcasm that Westerners vilified Japan as a barbarous nation when it was at peace, but the same Westerners later began to call Japan a civilized nation when it became a bloodthirsty, warring power. If that is the case, Okakura argued, he would much rather that Japan remained a barbarous nation. He went on to discourse on the Japanese sense of beauty, which, he claimed, found its ultimate expression in the ``culture of tea.''

　日露戦争後、英語で『茶の本』を著した岡倉天心は述べる。西洋人は平和な時代の日本を野蛮国と言い、戦場で大々的に殺戮（さつりく）を始めると文明国だと言い始めた。だったら野蛮国のままで構わない、と皮肉を込めて日本の美を説いた。その代表が「茶の美」だった。

I am going to brew a pot of fragrant new tea while I contemplate what Okakura said in his book.

　彼の思索の跡をたどりながら、香り高い新茶を飲むことにしようか。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 30(IHT/Asahi: May 1,2004) (05/01)
　
　
　
Spring reflections on `ryokuu,' or green rain

Saito Ryokuu, an unorthodox literary figure of the Meiji Era (1868-1912), died
in April just 100 years ago at the age of 37. His obituary, which he himself had
dictated to an acquaintance, ran in newspapers the day after his death. It
read: ``I am pleased to announce the good news of my demise on this date ...''

04月29日付
■《天声人語》

　「僕本月本日を以て目出度死去仕候……」。明治文壇の異才、斎藤緑雨は、１００年前
の４月、３７年の生涯を閉じた。知人に口述筆記させてあった死亡広告が、死の翌日、新
聞に載った。

Born in the year before the start of the Meiji Era, Saito studied under the
tutelage of popular fiction writer and journalist Kanagaki Robun. Saito
blossomed, not only as a novelist but also as an author of witty and sardonic
maxims. The pen names he used included Shojiki Shodayu and Tosenbo.

　明治改元の前年の１８６７年に生まれ、戯作者（げさくしゃ）仮名垣魯文に学ぶ。小説
の他、ユーモアと皮肉を利かせた警句で知られる。正直正太夫、登仙坊などとも称した。

Two months before his death, the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) broke out and
Saito's younger brother was called up for military duty. Saito had a lung
condition and was running a high fever, but went to see his brother off at a
train station.

``Saito Ryokuu Zenshu'' (Complete works of Saito Ryoku), published by Chikuma
Shobo, contains a letter he sent to anti-war journalist Kotoku Shusui who was
writing for ``Heimin Shimbun'' (Common people's newspaper).

``Suddenly, I find myself wanting to write an anti-war piece myself,'' he wrote.
``My fellow well-wishers at the train station were all crying `banzai' for a
great victory at the tops of their lungs. ... The soldiers looked pleased and
flattered by all the adulation, and I believe they were fantasizing about the
``Kinshi-kunsho'' (Order of Golden Kite) medals of honor they coveted.''

　死の２カ月前、日露戦争の開戦直後、出征する弟を、肺患の高熱を押して駅に送る。そ
して「平民新聞」で非戦論を展開する幸徳秋水に「急ニ僕モ非戦論デモ書キタクナツタ」
と手紙を書く。「他ノ見送人ハ……万歳ダノ大勝利ダノト喉ノ裂ケルヤウナ声ヲ出シテ居
マシタ」。兵士たちは「人々ノオダテニ乗ツテ　ソシテ内心ニハ金鵄勲章ノ夢ヲミテヰル
ノデス」（『斎藤緑雨全集』筑摩書房）

And here is a maxim by Saito: ``Justice is to be cried for, to be printed and
marketed, but never to be pursued as an end in itself.''

　こんな警句もある。「正義は呼号すべきものなり、印刷すべきものなり、販売すべきも
のなり。決して遂行すべきものにあらず」

While his stinging words earned him many enemies, Saito was also friends with
literary greats such as Mori Ogai and Koda Rohan. According to ``Meiji Bungaku
Zenshu'' (Complete works of Meiji literature) also published by Chikuma Shobo,
novelist Higuchi Ichiyo wrote in her diary: ``Shodayu (Saito) is 29. He is
rail-thin and has a menacing face, but there is something indescribably sweet
and charming around his mouth. ... I have met him only twice, but I feel as we
have known each other for 1,000 years.''

Ichiyo lived in dire poverty and died young. Saito was just as destitute, but
did everything he could to arrange a decent funeral for Ichiyo and publish her
works posthumously.

　この毒舌家ならぬ毒筆家には敵も多かったが、森鴎外や幸田露伴と交わりがあった。樋
口一葉が日記に記す。「正太夫としは二十九　痩せ姿の面やうすご味を帯びて唯口もとに
いひ難き愛敬あり」「逢へるはたゝの二度なれと親しみは千年の馴染にも似たり」（『明
治文学全集』同）。緑雨は、同じように貧しかった一葉の葬儀や死後の出版に尽力した。

All over Tokyo, trees are turning greener every day.

On Wednesday, there were thunder showers just before noon. The rains that fall
around this season are called ryokuu, which literally translates as ``green
rain.''

　緑が日に日に濃くなってゆく。昨日、東京の都心では昼前に雷鳴がとどろき、いっとき、
大粒の雨が落ちてきた。この新緑のころに降る雨が、緑雨である。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 29(IHT/Asahi: April 30,2004) (04/30)
　
　
　
Baghdad orphans ask ex-hostage to return

With April coming to an end, it is, once again, time to offer recent quotable
quotes:

Nahoko Takato, one of the victims in the recent Japanese hostage crisis in Iraq,
received this message from a Baghdad orphanage: ``The boys at this orphanage
are your sons. They are praying for your return here, so that they will be able
to see you again. We need you very much.''

04月28日付
■《天声人語》

　最近の言葉から。「この孤児院の少年たちはあなたの息子であり、あなたがここに戻っ
てきてまた会えることを祈っています。あなたがとても必要です」。バグダッドの孤児院
から、イラク人質事件の被害者、高遠菜穂子さんへのメッセージ。

So Kuramoto, a playwright living in Hokkaido, wrote an encouraging letter to the
families of the hostages. ``The interest of the nation is certainly
important,'' he wrote, ``but I believe that what I call kokkaku (national
character)-take it as the equivalent of personal character-is something that
contributes to the dignity of a nation better than national interest.''

He went on: ``For the sake of national interest, the government, from the
beginning, gave up on the primary option to rescue the hostages. No matter what
reasons the government may have had to take such an attitude, I am just furious
about it.''

　北海道在住の作家、倉本聰さんは人質被害者の家族を励ます手紙を書いた。「国益はた
しかに大切ですが、しかし『国格』――人格に相当する国格は国益に勝る一国の尊厳だと
僕は思います。国益を重視して、人質を救出する最大の選択肢を最初から放棄してしまう
こと。いかなる理由があろうとも、政府のとった今回の態度には、激しい憤りを覚えます」

Speaking of the hostages, novelist Kenzaburo Oe, a Nobel laureate, had this to
say: ``Terrorism and counterterrorism are both the product of intolerance. It is
only natural for an internationalized democratic society to produce citizens
who wish to find a third solution.''

On the same subject, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said, ``I'm pleased
that these Japanese citizens were willing to put themselves at risk for a
greater good, for a better purpose.''

　「テロという不寛容への、不寛容による反撃とは別の、第三の道を探したいと願う市民
が現れるのは、国際化された民主主義社会で当然のことです」と作家の大江健三郎さん。
パウエル米国務長官は「より良い目的のため、みずから危険を冒した日本人たちがいたこ
とを私はうれしく思う」

Concerning the situation in Iraq, U.S. President George W. Bush said, ``It's
hard to tell (whether the turmoil would calm down anytime soon). I just know
this, that we're plenty tough and we'll remain tough.''

　「見定めるのは難しい。言えるのは我々は頑強であり、これからも頑強であり続けると
いうことだけだ」。イラク情勢の早期沈静化の可能性について、ブッシュ米大統領。

Michel Barnier, France's new foreign minister, said, ``I believe in forging
closer friendly relations with the United States. But a one-way-street
allegiance doesn't make an alliance. You need two pillars and an appropriately
balanced relationship between them.''

　「米国との友好関係は深めるべきだが、同盟とは一方的な忠誠ではない。バランスよく
２本の柱で成立するものだ」。これは、フランスの新外相ミシェル・バルニエさん。

Poet Tetsuo Nakagami, winner of the Takami Jun Award, said at the presentation
ceremony: ``Man is the prisoner of stories, and the task of a poet is to turn
the human struggle into poetry. I have my own life to tell about, and I intend
to tell my story in my own way.''

　詩人、中上哲夫さんが、高見順賞の授賞式で「物語を引きずって生きるのが人間、それ
を詩にするのが詩人。私という物語を私なりに書いていきたい」。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 28(IHT/Asahi: April 29,2004) (04/29)
　
　
　
Can citizen judges handle the responsibility?

A bill to create a system whereby citizens take part in trials for murders and other serious crimes passed the Lower House and is expected to become law during this Diet session. Plans call for the system to be implemented five years from now.

04月27日付
■《天声人語》

　殺人などの刑事事件の審理に市民が加わる裁判員制度法案が衆議院を通過した。今の国会での成立が確実で、５年後に実施の見通しという。

Recently, the Koe (Voice) letters column in The Asahi Shimbun's vernacular Tokyo edition carried this letter from a senior high school student: ``I think people who try cases that could result in the death penalty or life imprisonment with no legal knowledge carry a heavy responsibility.''

These words show how seriously the student, who will come of age in five years, is thinking about the new system. Addressing the requirement for citizen judges to observe strict confidentiality and the actions that could result in penalties, the student closed the letter with this thought: ``I hope I won't be chosen by lottery.''

　「裁判の知識もないのに、死刑・無期などの審理をするなんて、責任が重いと思った」。先日、東京本社版の「声」欄に載った高校生の意見だ。成人に達している５年後を見据え、自分のこととしてしっかり考えている。厳しい守秘義務や、罰則を科す理由を問い、締めくくる。「私は、この抽選にあたりたくない」

Cases that involve the death penalty or life imprisonment are few. But they would weigh heavily on any citizen judge chosen for a criminal trial. According to an Asahi Shimbun public opinion poll conducted last month, people who generally supported ``citizen participation in court proceedings'' outnumbered those against it.

At the same time, however, when asked whether they would want to participate if they were chosen, more people said no.

　死刑や無期が絡む裁判は、限られる。しかし、その抽選にあたった時に背負う重みは相当のものだろう。先月の本社の世論調査によると「裁判への国民参加の賛否」では賛成が反対を上回ったが、「選ばれたら参加したいか」では「したくない」方が多かった。

French philosopher Michel Foucault once wrote this warning about the danger of tolerating a similar situation: ``Free from anxiety, under what name are judges passing judgment?... Who am I to pass judgment? They avoid troubling themselves about such numerous questions and continue to involve themselves in adjudication alone.'' (Translated from the Japanese edition of ``Michel Foucault: Dits et Ecrits,'' published by Chikuma Shobo.)

　フランスの哲学者フーコーは、次のような状況を黙認しておくのは危険ではないか、と述べた。「裁判官らが不安から解放され、自分は何の名において裁きを下しているのか……そして、自分は、裁きを下している自分は一体何者であるのか、そういった数々の疑問に頭を悩ますことから免れて、単身、裁決に携わり続けている」（『ミシェル・フーコー思考集成』筑摩書房）

When we substitute ``citizen judges'' for ``judges'' in the above quotation, we begin to wonder whether citizen judges will be able to squarely address such fundamental questions.

　裁判官を裁判員と変えてみる。根源的な、とも言える数々の疑問と正面から向き合い続けられるのかという不安も生まれる。

Citizen participation in the judicial process is a growing inevitability. The bill requires members of the public to take their turn at shouldering the responsibility of judging people. I intend to keep a wary eye on the Diet's discussions of this important change this session.

　司法への市民参加は、時の流れだろう。順繰りにせよ、国民に、人を裁くという新しい責務を求める法案である。残された国会の論議が十分尽くされるかどうか見守りたい。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 27(IHT/Asahi: April 28,2004) (04/28)
　
　
　
Train explosion raises specter of Chernobyl

The exact cause of Friday's massive train explosion at a station in North Korea near the Chinese border is still unclear. The paucity of information on this terrible tragedy does not allow for idle speculation. Still, Pyongyang has gone public with the accident, an unusual move for the highly reclusive country.

04月26日付
■《天声人語》

　何がどうなって起きたのか、まだはっきりしない。中国との国境に近い、北朝鮮の駅での列車の大爆発である。情報は乏しいが、極めて閉鎖的なこの国が事故を公表するのは異例だ。

Presumably, the North Korean leadership had intense discussions before making the announcement with regard to how much information to release and when.

The presumed behind-the-scenes drama made me think of the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union, which occurred on April 26, 18 years ago.

　いつ、どこまで公表するか、体制内ではやりとりがあったのだろう。それは、発生から今日で１８年になる、旧ソ連のチェルノブイリ原発事故のことを思い出させた。

Scandinavian countries were the first to surmise that an accident had taken place at a Soviet nuclear power plant. The guess was based on unusually high levels of radioactivity they had detected.

The Soviet Union initially denied the assumption in dealing with inquiries that flowed in from the West. But this position soon proved untenable as radioactive fallout crossed international borders.

　異常放射能を検出し事故を推定したのは北欧の国々だった。西側の問い合わせに、当初ソ連は事故と認めなかった。しかし大爆発で死の灰は国境を軽々と越え、否定しきれなくなる。

Based on his coverage at the site, Vladimir Gubaryev, a reporter for the Soviet newspaper Pravda, penned a play that scathingly attacked the bureaucratic bungling. The drama, ``Sarcophagus,'' takes the form of conversations between prosecutors probing the cause of the accident and the people involved.

　現場を取材したプラウダ紙のウラジーミル・グーバレフ記者は、事件の背景にある官僚体制を痛烈に批判する戯曲「石棺」を書いた。事故を追う検事と関係者の会話で進行する。

A sample conversation from the play goes as follows:

A system operations engineer at Chernobyl: When were the townspeople evacuated?

Prosecutor: Sunday (April 27) noon. As many as 1,000 buses transported all of them in 2 hours.

Engineer: Why wasn't an announcement of the accident made over the radio at once? Everyone could have fled on foot in an hour.

Prosecutor: People were waiting for the arrival of a government commission.

Engineer: Could the commission have made a different decision?

Prosecutor: Nobody could make a decision.

Engineer: Were they unable to make a decision, or did they not want to make a decision?

Prosecutor: They just didn't decide anything.

The Soviet Union collapsed about five years later.

　「運転技師　町の人はいつ避難したのですか／検事　日曜日（２７日）の昼だ。千台ものバスが２時間半でみんな運んだ／技師　でも、なぜすぐラジオで公表しなかったのですか。歩いても１時間でみんな逃げられたのに／検事　政府の委員会が着くのを待っていたんだ／技師　委員会は違う決定をすることができたのですか／検事　だれも決定できなかったのだ／技師　できなかったのですか、決定したくなかったのですか／検事　決めなかったのだ」。事故の約５年後にソ連は崩壊した。

The train explosion in North Korea caused many deaths and a huge amount of damage.

While there is no need to relent on the serious issues outstanding between Japan and North Korea, we should extend a helping hand to the people now suffering because of the accident.

It strikes me that the impact of personnel, goods and information flowing in under an aid program might cause cracks in that country's tightly closed shell.

　爆発事故の被害は相当深刻のようだ。重い懸案での追及は緩まず進めるとして、今そこで苦しむ人々には手を差し伸べたい。人や物や情報の行き来から、固く閉じた殻に透き間ができることもある。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 26(IHT/Asahi: April 27,2004) (04/27)
　
　
　
Postwar gargoyle's exhortations to endure

For the first time in years, I went to look at a rooftop gargoyle in downtown Tokyo. With its wide, gaping maw, the monster appeared to be shouting at the world below, cupping its hands on either side of its mouth to make its silent screams seem louder.

04月19日付
■《天声人語》

　ビルの屋上の怪物の像を、久しぶりに見てきた。カッと開いた口の前に両手を添えて、その怪物は今も下界に向かって叫び続けているようだった。

The gargoyle is ensconced on the edge of the roof of the nine-story Hibiya Park Building, about a block from JR Yurakucho Station. It was installed in 1952 as a talisman to protect the building, which was then known as the Nikkatsu Kokusai Kaikan.

　像は、東京・有楽町駅前の日比谷パークビルの９階屋上にある。日活国際会館と呼ばれていた５２年、昭和２７年に、鬼門の魔よけとして作られた。

The 1.5-meter-tall monster has the face of a bird on a human's body, with wings sprouting from its back. Cast in white cement and kneeling on a pedestal, the ferocious creature has been exposed to the elements for years-so now it has blackish marks around the neck and torso. But other areas remain spotlessly white.

　顔は鳥、体は人に似て、背中に翼を持つ。怪物がひざまずいた格好の白セメントの像で、高さは約１・５メートルある。風雨にさらされて、首筋や胴が黒ずんではいたが、昔の白さの名残もあった。

The gargoyle was created by sculptor Yoshiharu Kuroda, who was a board member of Nitten (Japan Fine Arts Exhibition), a prestigious art organization. About 20 years ago, I asked him what the monster was shouting. Kuroda replied that in 1952, there was lingering postwar confusion, and he had wanted to create an art object urging Japanese to work harder. By ``lingering postwar confusion,'' Kuroda was making reference to the presence of prostitutes, vagrants and black-market merchants plying their trade under the railway tracks near Yurakucho Station, a symbol of the unsettled times.

In designing his gargoyle, he studied similar creatures on the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.

　作者は、日展評議員を務めた彫刻家、黒田嘉治さんである。２０年ほど前に、怪物は何を叫んでいるのかを尋ねた。制作した当時は戦後の混乱がまだ残っていた。国電の有楽町のガード下は、その象徴だった。娼婦（しょうふ）、浮浪者、ヤミ屋。「おーい、日本人よ、がんばれ」。そんな思いを形にしたという。パリのノートルダム寺院の怪物の像を参考にした。

When I interviewed Kuroda, the left half of his body was paralyzed, the result of a celebral thrombosis. Even so, he would knead clay with his right hand whenever a Nitten exhibition approached.

``Even though the computer-namely, my brain-survived the stroke, one of my hands and one of my legs-namely, the parts that are supposed to function like a robot-are crippled,'' he lamented. ``My art cannot be satisfactory now, but I make these pieces as a testimony to my continuing life,'' he said.

Not long afterward, however, he died at age 76.

　黒田さんは、取材した頃は脳血栓の後遺症で左半身が不随だった。それでも、日展が近づくと右手だけで粘土をこねていた。「頭というコンピューターは病後も正常なのに、ロボットにあたる手足の方が壊れてしまいました。決して満足できるものではありません。生きているあかしです」。間もなく、７６歳で亡くなった。

Demolition work has begun on the Hibiya Park Building. A high-rise hotel is to go up on the site. The company that owns the building, Mitsubishi Estate Co., intends to move Kuroda's gargoyle to a corner of the new hotel.

So the omens are good that, depending on where it ends up being installed, one of the sculptor's testimonials to life may continue exhorting the world below well into the 21st and 22nd centuries.

　パークビルは解体工事中で、跡に高層のホテルが建つ。所有する三菱地所は、像を残して、ホテルの一角に移設する考えだ。実現すれば、黒田さんの「あかし」の一つが、２１世紀を経て、来世紀にも地上に呼びかけているかも知れない。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 19(IHT/Asahi: April 26,2004) (04/26)
　
　
　
Egypt's ancient past fires the imagination

During his Egyptian campaign in the late 18th century, Napoleon Bonaparte is said to have pointed at the Pyramids from his mount and shouted out to his troops, ``Soldiers! From the top of these Pyramids, 40 centuries are looking at us.''

04月23日付
■《天声人語》

　「兵よ、四〇〇〇年が諸君を見下ろしているぞ！」。１８世紀末にエジプトに侵攻したナポレオンは、ピラミッドを指さして馬上から檄（げき）を飛ばしたという。

It was during this expedition, in 1799, that Napoleon's soldiers discovered the Rosetta Stone, the ancient artifact that became the key to deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. His soldiers found the stone while reinforcing a Nile delta fortress in the village of Rashid (known as Rosetta to Europeans), according to ``Ejiputo'' (Egypt) published by Shinchosha.

A few days ago, a a similar stone was unearthed in the ancient city of Bubatis, southeast of Rashid.

　古代エジプトの象形文字ヒエログリフの解読で有名なロゼッタストーンは、この遠征の中、ナイル河口のラシード（ロゼッタ）の要塞（ようさい）の補強工事現場で、偶然に発見された（『エジプト』新潮社）。そのラシードの南東の古都ブバスティスで同じような石が見つかった。

The latest discovery was made by a team of German and Egyptian archaeologists working in the ruins of a temple in the Nile delta. Like the Rosetta Stone, this artifact is also engraved in three scripts-Greek, hieroglyphic and demotic (a cursive and simplified form of the hieroglyphic system), according to a German news agency report.

　ドイツとエジプトの考古学者が神殿跡で発掘した。大英博物館のロゼッタストーンと同様、ヒエログリフと古代民衆文字、ギリシャ文字が刻まれていると、ドイツの通信社は伝えた。

The writing on the original Rosetta Stone praises King Ptolemy V, who ruled from the 3rd century to the 2nd century B.C.

The newly discovered stone, on the other hand, records the achievements of Ptolemy V's grandfather, Ptolemy III, who reformed the ancient Egyptian calendar.

Ptolemy I, the founder of the dynasty, was a friend of Alexander the Great and responsible for construction of the great library at Alexandria. The dynasty ended with Queen Cleopatra.

Without question, the German-Egyptian team has unearthed a fascinating piece of ancient history that fires the imagination.

　ロゼッタストーンには、紀元前３〜２世紀に在位したプトレマイオス５世への賛辞が刻まれていた。今度の石には、古代エジプト暦の改革など、祖父にあたる３世の業績が記されている。王朝を開いた１世はアレクサンドロス大王の友人で、アレクサンドリアの大図書館を創設した。末期の女王は、あのクレオパトラだ。古代への思いがふくらむ発見である。

Last winter, I visited Rashid on my way from Alexandria to Cairo. Rashid is a nice little town, where palm trees sway in the wind. A plaque marks the site where the Rosetta Stone was excavated from the ruins of the fortress, but I did not see another soul around this historic place.

　先年の冬、アレクサンドリアからカイロへの帰途、ラシードを訪ねた。ナツメヤシの揺れるひなびた町だった。ここで発見されたという説明書きが要塞の跡にあったが、人気はなかった。

Where the 6,600-kilometer Nile flows into the Mediterranean, white-crested waves rippled. Napoleon's final words were said to have been ``France, tete (head) ... armee (army),'' according to ``Naporeon Genko-roku'' (Napoleon's words and deeds) published by Iwanami Bunko.

Watching the waters of the Nile, I felt as if those words of Napoleon were riding the waves up the river.

　６６００キロの旅を終えて地中海に注ぐナイルに、白くさざ波がたっている。「フランス……テート（頭、先頭）……アルメ（軍隊）」（『ナポレオン言行録』岩波文庫）。この最期の言葉が、波に乗って、川をさかのぼってゆくような気がした。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 23(IHT/Asahi: April 24,2004) (04/24)
　
　
　
Free the wild tuna to roam the boiling seas

Spring is at its peak. As the weather gets warmer, I somehow begin to crave food flavored with vinegar.

04月22日付
■《天声人語》

　春たけなわの候となった。気温が上がってくると、なぜか、酸味のあるものが好ましくなる。

``Hiyashi chuka'' (cold Chinese-style noodles with sweet-and-sour sauce) sounds tempting. But for something traditionally Japanese, I think I would choose sushi.

I can't afford too many visits to a sushi restaurant, but just imagining those finger-size mounds of vinegary rice topped with various colorful slices of fish and seafood is sheer pleasure.

　冷やし中華もいい。この国伝来のものなら、すしだろうか。すし屋に気軽には行けないが、ほどよく酢の利いた俵形の飯の上に、色、形とりどりの魚介がのった姿を思うだけでも楽しい。

Tuna, or maguro, is the king of all sushi toppings. Last month, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) warned that tuna farming in the Mediterranean Sea was going ``totally out of control'' and ``business interests were being put ahead of the urgent need to conserve tuna stocks.''

　すしだねの代表格は、マグロだ。そのマグロに関して先日、世界自然保護基金（ＷＷＦ）が、地中海での畜養に警告を出した。「管理されないで行われる畜養が急増している。資源の保全よりも目先の利益が優先されている」

Tuna farms aim to fatten wild tuna in cages to secure a steady supply of toro, the fatty and expensive flesh that is considered a great delicacy by sushi and sashimi connoisseurs. According to the international wildlife protection watchdog, tuna farming in the Mediterranean is ``driven mainly by the Japanese demand for sushi and sashimi.''

Tuna farming renders it hard to determine how many wild tuna are being caught, because the catch is immediately transferred alive to the farming pens, rather than sold on the market. This practice is also believed to cause overfishing of smaller fish.

　海で捕獲した天然のマグロを、いけすで太らせるのが畜養だ。高価なトロを増やすためで、多くが日本のすしだねや刺し身になる。陸への水揚げとは違い、捕獲したマグロがそのままいけすに入れられるため漁獲量が把握しにくい。小型魚の乱獲にもつながりやすい。

There is an international organization to monitor the conservation of tuna stocks, but nations that do not belong to this organization are stepping up tuna farming. Last year, a Japanese trading house was suspected of involvement in such a venture, and last month the international organization asked the Japanese Foreign Ministry to deal appropriately with this trading house.

　マグロには、資源管理のための国際機関があるが、その取り決めの及ばない非加盟国が畜養に乗り出している。昨年、その活動に日本の商社が関与しているとの指摘があり、この国際機関は先月、商社に対し適切な対応をとるよう外務省に要請した。

``Hemingway on Fishing,'' a collection of Ernest Hemingway's writings on the sport, has been published in Japanese as ``Heminguwei Tsuri Bungaku Kessaku-shu'' by Kimoto Shoten.

The collection includes ``Tuna Fishing in Spain.'' A passage from the latter in Japanese goes to the effect: ``The tuna made the sea boil. Knifing the water with a cracking sound, the fish's 6-foot frame leapt into the air and then dropped into the sea, making a tremendously noisy splash as if a horse had fallen off the pier.''

　「鮪は海面を沸き立たせ、弾けるような水音とともに海面を割ると、六フィートある全身を空中に躍らす。そしてふたたび馬が波止場から転げ落ちるような凄まじい音を立て水中に落下する」。『ヘミングウェイ釣り文学傑作集』（木本書店）の「スペインの鮪釣り」の一節だ。

Being penned and fattened is hardly the sort of existence I would wish upon wild tuna. One should stay out of any venture that abets it.

　マグロには似合いそうもない、いけすを、やみくもに増やす手助けなら、しない方がいい。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 22(IHT/Asahi: April 23,2004) (04/23)
　
　
　
U.S., Israel in conjunction like binary stars

While many national flags sport stars, none has more than America's Stars and Stripes. The Israeli flag features the Shield of David, an emblem of two triangles. This looks like a blue star too.

The two national flags remind me of binary stars up in the sky.

04月21日付
■《天声人語》

　国旗には、星をあしらったものが目に付く。数の多さなら星条旗の米国だ。イスラエルの旗の、二つの三角形を組み合わせた「ダビデの盾」も、青い星のように見える。二つの旗と両国は、空の「連星」を連想させる。

Binary stars revolve around a common center of gravity, each affected by the gravitational pull of the other. Two stars in the constellation Perseus, known as Algol, offer a famous example. Exceptionally keeping to themselves in the vast universe, they seem to be isolated from other celestial bodies.

　互いに引力を及ぼし合い、共通の重心の周りを公転運動している星同士のことだ。ペルセウス座にあるアルゴルが有名だ。広大な宇宙空間で、そこだけ緊密に、周りからは孤立するかのように連なっている。

The United States and Israel seem to stand out in the international community for their heavy reliance on military force to get things done, the former starting the war in Iraq and the latter mounting concentrated attacks on the radical Palestinian groups.

In Iraq, the U.S.-led ``coalition of the willing'' has started to crumble, with Spain and Honduras set to withdraw their troops. And Israeli forces killed the top leader of an Islamic militant group even after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon conferred with U.S. President George W. Bush. I wonder what the two leaders discussed.

　米国はイラク戦争を始め、イスラエルはイスラム過激派を集中的に攻撃している。共通する軍事力頼りのやり方が、国際社会で突出して見える。イラクでは米国中心の有志連合が崩れ始め、スペインやホンジュラスが撤退するという。イスラエルは、ブッシュ大統領とシャロン首相との会談後にも、過激派最高指導者を殺害した。２人連なり何を協議していたのか。

The magnitude of Algol changes. The constellation they belong to is thought to resemble a perceived scene in Greek mythology-the hero Perseus holding the severed head of Medusa, a monster with snakes for hair.

The binary stars are located in the forehead of the monster. The name Algol is derived from Arabic. Variable stars were uncanny to Arabians. (All this according to ``Seiza Daizen,'' an encyclopedia of constellations published by Sakuhinsha.)

　アルゴルは、明るさの変わる連星だ。ギリシャ神話の英雄ペルセウスが手に持つ、髪が蛇の怪物メドゥーサの首の、額のところにある。名前はアラビア語に由来していて、アラビア人は星の変光を気味悪がった（『星座大全』作品社）。

The magnitude changes much the same way as a solar or lunar eclipse, growing dim when another star moves in between the bright star of the pair and Earth.

I wonder if the massive fighting in Iraq may be similarly tempering the shock of Israel's frenzied recourse to military action. But for the war in Iraq, Israel's behavior would have stood out in sharper relief.

　変光は、日食や月食のような、食で起こる。アルゴルの明るい星と地球との間に、別の星が入ると暗くなる。イラク戦争という巨大な戦闘が、食のように、イスラエルの暴走の衝撃を薄めてはいないだろうか。戦争がなければ、この攻撃は、更に際立って見えていただろう。

I hope that the United States and Israel, isolated like binary stars, will dissolve such an alliance, correct their orbits and start moving in the direction of light with surrounding stars.

　両国が「連星の孤立」を解いて、軌道を、周りの星々とともに光る方へと修正するように願う。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 21(IHT/Asahi: April 22,2004) (04/22)
　
　
　
Hostages not to blame for what happened

The term jiko sekinin (personal responsibility) has become something of a buzzword following the recent crisis involving Japanese hostages in Iraq. In most cases, the expression was used when criticizing the actions and decisions of the Japanese civilians held captive, or in objecting to the use of taxpayers' money to bring them home following their release.

Given the context in which this expression has been uttered, I find its repeated use ominous and offensive.

04月20日付
■《天声人語》

　自己責任。この言葉が、イラクの日本人人質事件で何度も出てきた。多くは武装グループに拘束された人たちの行動や判断を批判したり、救出費用を問題視したりする時に聞く。しかし今回の使われ方には、なぜか、聞きづらさが感じられる。

I looked up the definition of jiko sekinin in several dictionaries, but none of them carried this entry. I assumed this was perhaps because the expression is still new, but further research proved me wrong.

A Diet record dated 1947-two years after Japan's defeat in World War II-refers to jiyu shugi (liberalism), and says anyone who subscribes to it is ready to ``take the initiative at one's jiko sekinin.''

In recent years, I have frequently heard investors and entrepreneurs talk about jiko sekinin to stress their sense of ``personal responsibility.'' It would seem the expression is used quite commonly in the business world.

But it is rare to hear this expression used to question the responsibility of each victim whose life was being threatened.

　数冊の辞書に当たったが「自己責任」は載っていなかった。新しい言葉だからかとも思い、さかのぼってみると、そうでもない。戦後間もない４７年の国会議事録に、自由主義の特性として「自己責任においてイニシアチーヴをとつていく」とある。近頃では、投資や経営など経済の世界でよく聞いたが、人命にかかわる事件で個々の被害者に対して使われるのはまれだろう。

The word sekinin (responsibility) is standard Japanese and can be found in any dictionary. Translated, it means: ``Any duty one must pursue and perform personally'' and ``a duty which, if unfulfilled, one will be held accountable for.''

It seems to me that the term sekinin has implications of ``his or her own actions.''

　辞書の「責任」にはこうある。「自分が引き受けて行わなければならない任務。義務」「自分のしたことの結果について責めを負うこと」。責任という言葉そのものの中に「自分の」という意味合いがあるように見える。

But what really irks me about using the term jiko sekinin is that the people who are attacking the freed hostages want them to bear all the blame for what befell them.

　今回の「自己責任」には「自分でしたことの結果に『自分だけで』責めを負う」というような強調が感じられる。責任に、もう一つ自己を重ねたところが重苦しい。

The five civilians were taken hostage in a country where Japanese troops are present, even though half the population did not agree with the government policy of sending Self-Defense Forces there in the first place.

All this harping on about ``personal responsibility'' causes me to suspect there must be people in Japan who want to divert the public's attention from the background of the abductions and what caused the chaos in Iraq.

　自衛隊派遣という、国論を分けた国策のかかわる外国が事件の現場となった。この言葉が、事件の背景や、イラクの現状をもたらしたものへの視点を失わせる「目隠し」になってはいないだろうか。

Obviously, the five former captives had some responsibility. But didn't they take responsibility for the result of what they did by having guns pointed at them and being threatened with death?

I hope the time will come when they will be able to say what happened to them without being harassed.

　５人にも、それぞれの「責任」はあった。しかし、銃を突きつけられ、命を脅かされたことが「結果に責めを負うこと」だったのではないか。それぞれが落ち着いて語れる時を待ちたい。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 20(IHT/Asahi: April 21,2004) (04/21)
　
　
　
Bribery scandal as painful as pulling teeth

``I have been plagued by a toothache all through my life.''

With these words, novelist Saisei Muroo (1889-1962) begins a short story.

04月17日付
■《天声人語》

　「私の生涯は、歯痛に悩まされ通しであつた」。室生犀星の短編「歯の生涯」の書き出しだ。

A tooth would begin to throb when he set about his work, according to an account in ``Ha-no Shogai'' (Lifetime of teeth). ``As the tooth gets inflamed, the gum begins to act up, turning all the teeth in the mouth into irregular sets. Then my body becomes feverish.'' (Quoted from Muroo's complete works published by Shinchosha)

Indeed, a decayed tooth brings far-reaching consequences.

　仕事を始めると、歯痛も始まる。「歯が燃え、歯ぐきが常態を逸して来て、歯と呼応し、口の中の歯が一さいがたがたに不揃へに凸凹になる。熱が出る」（『室生犀星全集』新潮社）。歯の痛みは、奥が深い。

In Europe, people are said to look for help from a female saint named St. Apollonia in times of toothaches. In the third century or so, she encountered mob violence against Christians. She died a martyr after her captors pulled out her teeth and otherwise tortured her.

A portrait of her I have seen showed a young, smiling woman holding a pair of long pliers for tooth extraction in her right hand.

　ヨーロッパには、歯が痛い時に祈願するアポロニアという女性の聖人がいるそうだ。３世紀ごろ、キリスト教徒に対する暴動に遭う。歯を抜かれる拷問の果てに、殉教した。アポロニアを描いた肖像画では、若く、ほほえむ聖人が右手に歯を抜く「やっとこ」を持っていた。細長いペンチのような道具だ。

With all due deference to dentists, they sometimes look like pliers to patients. That makes them professionals to fear. But they are also dependable, though in a way different from St. Apollonia. The painful extraction procedure gives most people trouble deciding whether to see a dentist or whether to defy the need to do so.

　失礼ながら、歯医者さんという人たちは、患者にとっては、やっとこに見える時がある。怖いのだが聖人とはまた別の頼りがいもある。患者は、痛さだけでなく「行かなければならない」と「行きたくない」の間でも悩む。

The bribery scandal revealing a picture of corrupt ties came to light over fees paid to dentists under the social insurance system. Members of a government advisory council that sets the amounts of such fees allegedly accepted bribes designed to induce them to act in favor of the trade organization that paid them.

Since times of old, politicians have been closely implicated in scandals of this sort. I hope that if only for the benefit of dentists who are seriously treating patients every day, investigators will press to inquire into this alleged wrongdoing.

　歯科医の診療報酬を巡って、癒着の構造がくっきりと見えるような汚職事件が発覚した。報酬を決める立場にある委員が、業界のために便宜をはかってほしいという意味のワイロを受け取った容疑だ。古来、こうした事件には、政界が深く絡んでいた。日々まじめに患者を導いている歯科医のためにも、患部の奥深くまで調べてもらいたい。

Muroo wrote: ``I feel sorrow over a tooth that has been extracted by a dentist. What one loses is not just a tooth. The death of a tooth translates into the death of a microcosm of the whole human body.''

I think that such circumstances warrant a call to dentists to use their pliers with more care and consideration.

　犀星は、歯科医に抜かれた歯に「しめやかな感慨」を抱くと書く。「歯は歯だけの死ではない、人間全体の死を小さく縮めて見せてゐる死なのである」。やっとこの世界には、いささかの厳粛さが宿っていてほしい。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 17(IHT/Asahi: April 20,2004) (04/20)
　
　
　
A veneer of rhetoric masks the hard facts

Language sometimes blurs reality. The words used in media reports to describe the situation in Iraq are no exception to the rule.

04月11日付
■《天声人語》

　言葉には、物事の実際の姿をあいまいにするような働きもある。イラクから届く言葉も、例外ではない。

For example, the U.S. military operation in Fallujah is referred to as soto, which means sweeping away the enemy.

But in the five days of fighting up to April 9, an estimated 450 residents were killed.

One Japanese report described the reality of the operation this way: ``Women and children were caught in the battle as U.S. forces attacked residential areas with missiles launched from helicopters.'' I don't see what distinguishes this from an indiscriminate attack.

　例えば「掃討」。敵を払い除くことだが、一昨日までの５日間で住民４５０人が死亡したというファルージャでの掃討の実際は、こうだという。「米軍はヘリコプターのミサイルで住宅地を攻撃し、女性や子供が巻き添えになっている」。無差別の攻撃と明確な違いがあるものかどうか疑わしい。

Who is America's enemy? A U.S. soldier, who joined the operation intending to ``shake hands with residents and beat the enemy,'' said in perplexity that he found everyone to be the enemy.

　「敵」は誰なのか。「住民と握手をして敵をやっつけようと思った。しかし行ってみると、みんな敵だった」。掃討作戦に加わった米兵士のとまどいだ。

Distinguished service in an operation like this can be performed only at the expense of residents, making the battle all the more tragic.

``Rescue tragic Fallujah'' has become the slogan of Iraqi Muslims of all denominations, perhaps a call to arms to defend Fallujah from being attacked by U.S. forces. From the American perspective, however, Fallujah was the scene of another tragedy, when the bodies of four American civilians were burned and suspended from the girders of a bridge.

　「悲劇」は、戦功と裏表であり、そこが悲劇的だ。「ファルージャの悲劇を救え」が、イスラムの宗派を超えた合言葉になった。米軍の掃討を受ける悲劇のファルージャを救えというのだろう。しかし、そのファルージャでは、米国の民間人が焼かれ、つるされるという、ファルージャの悲劇もあった。

The term senryo tochi, or government by occupation, seems to be far removed from the reality of Iraq. Faced with clashes all across the country, the Governing Council, appointed by the Provisional Occupation Authority set up by the United States and Britain, called for a sokuji teisen, or immediate cease-fire, between U.S. forces and insurgents. It was an exceptional statement of objection to the American response to the Fallujah killings.

　「占領統治」という言葉は、イラクの実情からは、かなり離れているようだ。米英の暫定占領当局（ＣＰＡ）から任命された統治評議会が、全土の騒乱について米軍と武装勢力に「即時停戦」を求めた。米軍への異例の異議表明だ。

One other word to consider is fukko, or reconstruction. This word, the antithesis of destruction, can have the ring of truth only when the fighting finally and completely comes to an end. The fact is that a year after the fall of Baghdad, destruction is continuing on an increasingly wider scale. The deterioration of security has led the Ground Self-Defense Force contingent stationed in Iraq to suspend its reconstruction support activities outside its camp at Samawah.

　「復興」。破壊との対極にあるこの言葉は、はっきりとした戦争の終結が伴ってこそ力強く響く。バグダッド陥落から１年たっても破壊が続き、広がっている。治安が悪化したため、サマワの陸上自衛隊は宿営地の外での復興支援活動を休止した。

We have seen how reality differs from the words intended to describe it. For me, I have learned to pay closer attention to determine what exactly the news reports coming in from Iraq really convey.

　飛んでくる言葉の向こう側にも、目を凝らしたい。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 11(IHT/Asahi: April 19,2004) (04/19)
　
　
　
Hostages may be free, but worries still grow

Thankfully, the three Japanese hostages in Iraq were set free Thursday.

Watching the developments on television, I thought they were surprisingly composed. They looked unhurt and apparently in good health. Their video images helped dispel the terrible anxiety I had over the past week.

04月16日付
■《天声人語》

　イラクで解放された３人の日本人は、テレビの画面で見る限りは、意外なほど落ち着いていた。けがも見当たらず元気そうだ。３人の動く映像に、久々に安堵（あんど）した。

Two days ago, I wrote about Antoine de Saint-Exupery's ``Letter to a Hostage'' in this column. The author was held captive by armed militia during the Spanish Civil War. I wanted to believe in the hostages' safe release on the strength of what Saint-Exupery termed ``respect for humanity''-that which allows human beings to respect one another's lives.

　先日、サンテグジュペリの『ある人質への手紙』について書いた。スペインの内戦で、武装民兵による身柄拘束という状況下でもあった、互いの生は認め合う「人間への敬意」を救出への望みにしたかった。

People may hate and fight one another, but we were all helpless babies once-brought to life on this Earth by no design of our own.

I had no idea where the three Japanese hostages were being held or how they were being treated, but I kept praying they would be among people who understood the fragility of life and the finality of death.

Detailed reports have yet to come of the circumstances that led to the hostages' release.

But I want to offer my prayers of gratitude to the Being that did not let their lives get snuffed out. And I renew my prayers for the safe return of all remaining hostages of various nationalities.

　いがみ合い、戦っている者同士も、しょせんは同じように地上に産み落とされた子供たちである。３人が、どこでどうしていたかは分からない。しかし、命という壊れやすく取り返しのつかないものをおそれる思いが、その周りにあり続けるようにとの思いだった。解放に至る経緯は詳しくは分からないが、命の回線が切れなかったことを何ものかに感謝したい。各国の残された人質も無事に戻るよう、改めて願う。

I was anchoring my hope to whatever was being reported in an unfamiliar language from a distant land.

I heard the word Yapani (Japanese) over and over on the Arabic satellite news channel Al-Jazeera.

It struck me how little the Arab news viewers know about Japan, and how little we ``Yapani'' viewers know about the Arab world.

　はるか遠くから届く耳慣れない言語が、救出への望みをつなぐ回線となった。「ヤバーニ」という言葉がアラビア語の衛星テレビ・アルジャジーラから繰り返し流れてきた。日本人という意味である。ニュースを伝える側も、聞いている「ヤバーニ」の側も、互いに知っていることがあまりにも少ないと思った。

I also felt the sequence of events was sadly wrong, in that it was only after everyone had been dragged into merciless war that they finally began groping around to see where they stood.

I imagine this is felt most strongly by front-line soldiers who are trapped in a situation where they cannot really tell who their enemies are.

　命を奪い合う戦乱の中に連れ込まれてから互いに手探りしているような、手順の不幸も感じられた。敵が誰なのかも分からない状況にあるという前線の兵士たちが、それを最も強く感じているのではないか。

Vastly relieved as I am that the three hostages are now safe, the very bad feelings I have about this war keep growing by the day.

　解放の報にはほっとしながらも、この戦争への疑問は、ふくらむばかりだった。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 16(IHT/Asahi: April 17,2004) (04/17)
　
　
　
We want Bush's honest thoughts on mistakes

During a Republican Party debate for the 2000 presidential race, then-Texas Governor George W. Bush was asked what his greatest mistake in life might have been.

A former Texas Rangers owner, Bush quipped in good humor, ``I traded Sammy Sosa.''

04月15日付
■《天声人語》

　「あなたが人生でなした最大の過ちをあげてください」。前回の米大統領選での共和党の討論会で問われ、ブッシュ・テキサス州知事は答えた。「サミー・ソーサをトレードに出したことかな」。大リーグのテキサス・レンジャーズの元オーナーらしい、余裕のある過ちの告白だった。

When the same question was posed to him during his White House press conference Tuesday night, the president reacted as if he had never expected it.

Winging it, Bush responded: ``I wish you would have given me this written question ahead of time, so I could plan for it. I'm sure historians will look back and say, gosh, he could have done it better this way, or that way. ... I'm sure something will pop into my head ... but it hasn't yet.''

This exchange stood out, as Bush had a ready answer to every other question.

　ホワイトハウスで、先夜同じ質問を受けた大統領は口ごもった。「前もって質問を出してくれていたら考えていたのに。歴史家が、いずれ顧みて、ブッシュはあの時もっとうまくできたのではないかと言うかも知れないが。思い浮かばない」。他の問いには即座に答えていたので、このやりとりが際立っていた。

Generations of U.S. presidents before him were involved in war in various ways.

``Amerika Daitoryo Enzetsu-shu'' (Speeches by American presidents), a book from Hara Shobo, mentions what George Washington said shortly before he resigned from his commission as the first president of the United States.

According to this book, Washington admitted to the effect that while he could not be aware of the mistakes he must have made unknowingly, he was not so blind to his own shortcomings as to refuse to think that he might have made many mistakes.

　歴代の大統領も、様々に戦争とかかわってきた。初代ワシントンは退任を前に「過ち」についてこう述べた。「故意なくしておかした誤りに気付くすべはないが、だからとて決して自分の欠点に盲目ではなく、わたしは多くのあやまちをおかしたかも知れぬと思う」（『アメリカ大統領演説集』原書房）

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president, was shot on April 14, 1865, and died the next day.

That year, Lincoln had made his second inaugural address. His people were miserable and weary from the four-year Civil War, and he tried to comfort them.

　１６代のリンカーンは、１８６５年の４月１４日に銃撃され、１５日に死んでいる。その年の２度目の就任演説で南北戦争の惨禍に触れた。４年に及ぶ内戦で疲弊した国民をいたわりつつ呼びかけた。

He said, ``Let us strive to finish the work we are in ... to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.'' (A booklet published by Iwanami Shoten has translated Lincoln speeches.)

　わが国民の内に、またすべての諸国民との間に、正しい恒久的な平和をもたらし、これを助長するために、あらゆる努力をいたそうではありませんか（『リンカーン演説集』岩波文庫）。

The words of these past presidents make me want to ask the 43rd president what his honest thoughts are about ``mistakes,'' and what comes to his mind when he hears the words ``among ourselves and with all nations.''

　「過ち」や、「すべての諸国民との間」について、４３代目に本音を尋ねてみたくなるような、代々の言である。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 15(IHT/Asahi: April 16,2004) (04/16)
　
　
　
Praying for captors' `respect for humanity'

Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the Frenchman known as the author of ``The Little Prince,'' was held captive by armed militia while he was covering the Spanish Civil War as a war correspondent. An account is given in ``Letter to a Hostage,'' which was published in 1943, the year before he went missing during World War II.

04月14日付
■《天声人語》

　「それはスペイン内戦の現地ルポをやっていたころのことだった」。『星の王子さま』を書いたサンテグジュペリは、第二次大戦中に行方不明になる前年の４３年に出版した『ある人質への手紙』で武装民兵による拘束について書いている。

The French writer-aviator knew that he was in the hands of men who had a reputation of executing people by shooting with hardly a prick of conscience. As he awaited his fate in their midst, he fondly reminisced about the 37 years he had lived. With a smile on his face, he asked a captor on guard duty for a cigarette. (A Japanese translation has been published by Misuzu Shobo.)

　たいして良心の葛藤（かっとう）もなく銃殺する連中と聞いていた民兵たちに囲まれながら、生きてきた３７年の歳月をさかのぼり、いとおしむ。そして、ほほえみを浮かべて見張りに１本のたばこをねだる。

Unexpectedly, the militiaman smiled back. ``Seeing the man smile, I felt as if the sun was up,'' Saint-Exupery wrote. ``This is respect for humanity! ... Indeed, here is the touchstone.''

　思いがけず相手が返してきたほほえみは「まるで陽がのぼったようだった」。そして続けた。「人間にたいする敬意！……ここにこそ試金石がある」（みすず書房）

In what condition are the three Japanese hostages in Iraq being held? And exactly what group is holding them? There has been little information about these matters. It is painful to see their worn-out families frantically doing what they can to secure their freedom.

　イラクで人質にされた人たちが、どのような状態で、どんな集団の支配下にあるのか、なかなかはっきりしてこない。疲労心労を募らせた家族が奔走する姿が痛々しい。

A memoir by another Frenchman comes to mind, someone who handled a hostage case, a kidnapping and other crimes committed by the Japanese Red Army extremist group, as an investigator for the Paris police. The title page sums up what the book is about: ``A leader who would control and accomplish something faces three different sorts of people-people who are willing to cooperate, people who do the opposite, and the great majority of the populace who do nothing, even though they take the most critical view of things.'' (A Japanese translation, titled ``Hitojichi Koshonin,'' or hostage negotiator, has been published by Soshisha.)

　日本赤軍による人質事件や、誘拐事件などを担当したパリ警視庁の刑事の回想録『人質交渉人』（草思社）の扉には、こうある。「ことを統べる者、何ごとかをなす者は、すべて自らの前に、次のような人々を持つことになる――すなわち同じことを進んでやろうとする人々と、まったく反対のことをする人々と、そしてとりわけ、はるかに厳しい目で見るくせに何もしない、大多数の人々とである」

The hostage crisis in Iraq is a hard nut to crack without precedent. In my mind's eye, I see a spectrum of people trying to find a solution in their diverse capacities, a line running from where the Japanese nationals were taken captive to their families and homeland.

The role each of these people can play may be limited. Yet, their efforts have the potential of saving the lives of the hostages by bringing together the captors' ``respect for humanity.'' I hope that the life-saving strands will gain strength from closer twining.

　例のない難問を前にして、拘束の現場から、家族、故国までの間に、様々な立場の人々があり、動いている。一本一本は細くとも、「人間への敬意」をつなぐ命の回線が、より合わされ、強まるようにと念じたい。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 14(IHT/Asahi: April 15,2004) (04/15)
　
　
　
Aug. 6 warning haunts Bush 3 years later

Aug. 6 marks the date the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, and every year, a peace ceremony is held in the city on that day. In 2001, those proceedings went ahead as usual.

04月13日付
■《天声人語》

　８月の６日といえば、日本では広島の「原爆の日」である。２００１年のこの日も「平和記念式」が開かれていた。

A CIA memo to U.S. President George W. Bush with that same date drew worldwide attention with its release last Saturday. This presidential daily brief (PDB) is titled ``Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.''

At the insistence of the bipartisan National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, which is investigating whether anything could have been done to avert the Sept. 11, 2001, disaster, the White House broke its silence and declassified this PDB.

　その日付で、米中央情報局（ＣＩＡ）がブッシュ大統領あてに出した文書が注目されている。「ビンラディンは米国内での攻撃を決意した」という題の機密メモだ。同時多発テロを防げなかった理由を探っている独立調査委員会の求めで、ホワイトハウスが異例の機密解除をした。

This memo is anything but frivolous. Here is an excerpt: ``FBI information since that time indicates patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks.''

The memo also says: ``CIA and the FBI are investigating a call to our embassy...saying that a group of Bin Laden supporters was in the U.S. planning attacks with explosives.''

Over the weekend, however, Bush replied to the effect that, had he known the attacks were coming, he would have ``moved mountains'' to avert them-except there was no telling exactly ``by whom, when, where and by what means'' the attacks would be launched.

　「ハイジャックやその他の攻撃の準備と思われる不審な活動がある」「ビンラディンが米国内で爆発物を使ったテロを計画しているとの情報を受け、捜査中」などとあって、重みが感じられる。しかし大統領は「だれが、いつ、どこで、何を使って攻撃するのかが問題だった。攻撃があると知っていたら、それを防ぐために山をも動かしただろう」と反論しているという。

But let's go back to Aug. 6, 2001. Bush was on a 30-day vacation at his family ranch in Crawford, Texas, and some people felt this was too long a holiday for the president of the United States to take. The day after the PDB was given to him, Bush set out to play golf at dawn. Just before leaving, he explained to reporters that he was an outdoors person, someone who needed plenty of fresh air to refresh his mind.

　時間をさかのぼってみると、大統領はその日、地元テキサス州の牧場で休暇中だった。３０日間の夏休みは長すぎるという批判もあり、機密メモの日の翌７日、夜明けのゴルフに出る直前に、記者団に弁明した。「私はアウトドア派だ。戸外の空気を吸って、初めて気持ちを入れ替えられるんだ」

There is nothing wrong with the president taking a vacation. But the nation's crisis management is a 24/7 job, day in and day out.

I would like to think that while on his farm, Bush received every briefing necessary and did whatever work his presidential office required of him. But wanting to think so and actually believing it are two different things altogether.

　大統領には休暇があっても、国の危機管理に休みはない。長い夏休みの間も、必要な報告や検討はなされていたと思いたいが、疑問も消せない。

The Sept. 11 attacks occurred five weeks later. America would go to war in Afghanistan, and then move on to a pre-emptive strike in Iraq.

Bush probably never thought that memo dated Aug. 6, 2001, would come back to haunt him three years later.

　約１カ月後に９・１１が起きた。アフガン戦争を経て、米国はイラクへの先制攻撃へと向かってゆく。３年後に「大統領の８・６」が問われるとは、本人も思ってはいなかっただろう。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 13(IHT/Asahi: April 14,2004) (04/14)
　
　
　
A story of Vietnam atrocities still relevant

The Blade, a newspaper in Toledo, Ohio, has been awarded the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting for a series of articles tracking down atrocities committed by U.S. troops during the Vietnam War. The Blade carried the series under the title ``Buried Secrets, Brutal Truths'' in autumn last year.

04月10日付
■《天声人語》

　今週発表されたピュリツァー賞の調査報道部門で、米軍によるベトナム戦争での残虐行為を追跡した記事が選ばれた。オハイオ州のブレード紙が昨年の秋に連載した「葬られた秘密・残酷な真実」だ。

The atrocities in question were committed in 1967 by an elite U.S. Army platoon called Tiger Force. On patrols, the unit beheaded Vietnamese children and severed the ears and scalps of villagers, among others, the newspaper reported.

Although the military conducted an investigation, no charges were filed and no public report was issued. The Blade brought the atrocities to light by obtaining copies of the military's secret report on the incidents and interviewing former platoon members.

　６７年、タイガー部隊と呼ばれた偵察隊がベトナムの子供の首を切断したり、村民の耳や皮をそいだりする残虐行為をしたという。軍は調査したが訴追はせず、公表もしなかった。その機密報告を入手し、関係者から取材して明るみに出した。

In the series, The Blade, while noting that military discipline is far better in Iraq than in Vietnam, quotes a former military officer as saying that in a guerrilla war, soldiers can easily succumb to a ``kill them all'' mentality when they cannot tell who is the enemy.

　記事では、ベトナム戦争よりはイラク戦争の方が米軍の規律ははるかに保たれているとしつつ、元将校の言を引く。「ゲリラ戦になって、誰が敵か分からない状態に陥ると『みんな殺してしまえ』ということになりかねない」

This is a grave observation. Presumably, many battlefields have seen atrocities committed by fear-driven soldiers. Dread is almost another word for timidity. There are old sayings that ``brutality springs from timidity'' and that ``timidity is the mother of cruelty.''

　重みのある言葉だ。恐怖に駆られた兵士が残虐な行為に走ることは、多くの戦場で繰り返されてきたのだろう。恐怖は臆（おく）することとも通じていて、古来「残忍性は臆病から生ずる」「臆病は残酷の母である」などの言葉もある。

The fighting in Iraq appears to be turning into a quagmire. Apart from whether it has worsened to the level of the Vietnam War, the situation is quite serious. The means to rescue the three Japanese nationals held captive by a militant group has yet to be found. Although Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has repeatedly stated that rescuing the hostages is the government's first objective in the crisis, everyone is feeling impatient in the absence of promising news.

Above all, I fear an escalation of fighting to the point where the kind of ``free-for-all'' battles that make the enemy and friendly forces indistingushable will rage all across Iraq.

　イラクの戦闘状態は、泥沼化の様相を見せている。ベトナム戦争と並べられるかどうかはともかく、相当深刻だ。武装グループに拘束された３人の救出の手だても見えてこない。首相は「まず救出」と繰り返しているが、もどかしい。イラク全土が、誰が敵か味方か分からないような、やみくもな戦闘に陥ることを恐れる。

The fall of Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City, to Communist forces came in April 1975. Nearly 30 years since then, The Blade's ``Buried Secrets'' report is a fresh reminder of the depth of scars left by war.

　今はホーチミン市になったベトナムのサイゴンが陥落したのは、７５年の４月だった。３０年近くがたったが、「葬られた秘密」は、戦争の残す傷の深さを改めて示している。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 10(IHT/Asahi: April 13,2004) (04/13)
　
　
　
Koizumi locked in a crisis he can't gloss over

I was dreading something like this might happen, and now it appears my fear was not unfounded. On the eve of the April 9 first anniversary of the fall of Baghdad, the Arabic satellite news channel al-Jazeera reported that three Japanese citizens had been taken hostage. The group holding them is demanding that Japan withdraw its Self-Defense Forces from Iraq within three days.

04月09日付
■《天声人語》

　心配されていた事態が、ついに現実になったのだろうか。バグダッド陥落から１年の９日を目前に、アラビア語の衛星放送アルジャジーラが、日本人３人の誘拐を報じた。実行グループは、自衛隊が３日以内にイラクから撤退することを要求しているという。

The kidnappings and blackmail are simply unpardonable. The three Japanese have nothing to do with the SDF mission in Iraq, nor with the U.S.-led occupation. To seize civilians and hold them hostage is an utterly deplorable crime.

　事実とすれば、この誘拐と脅迫は、まことに許し難い。イラクでの自衛隊の活動や、米軍などの占領とも関係がないと思われる３人を人質に取るというのは、卑劣な犯罪行為としか言いようがない。

Even so, assuming the al-Jazeera report is correct, questions must be raised about Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's preparedness for this sort of eventuality. He was repeatedly warned of the potentially detrimental consequences of his Iraq policy.

　しかし、そうではあるけれども、実際に３人が捕らわれているのなら、以前から繰り返し危険性が指摘されていたことについて、小泉首相がどのように考え、対策をどう講じてきたのかが問われる。

As the supreme commander of the SDF, Koizumi sent his men on a mission that could cost them their lives. But he said as if this was none of his concern when he told the Diet flippantly, ``Don't ask me which parts of Iraq are a combat zone. How on earth would I know?''

　「どこが戦闘地域なのか、私に聞かれても分かるわけがない」。命がけの任務に就く自衛隊の最高指揮官である首相が、かつて国会という場で、ひとごとのような発言をしていた。

He was one of the world's first leaders to support the Bush administration's unilateral and pre-emptive strike against Iraq, carried out in total disregard of international public opinion. He sent the SDF to Iraq, even though Japanese public opinion was split over this move, which could well be in violation of the nation's pacifist Constitution.

　国際社会の意向にかかわらず国益を優先するような、アメリカの単独行動主義的な先制攻撃をいちはやく支持した。そして、この国の憲法に抵触するのではないかという懸念や、国論が二分しているという事態にもかかわらず、自衛隊を派遣した。

Firefights are escalating all over Iraq. Amid this mess, the government is stuck with the new dilemma of the three Japanese hostages.

　政府は、戦闘がイラクの全域で一段と激化する中で、３人を救出しなければならないという難問に直面した。これまで繰り返してきたような、あいまいで空疎な説明では通らない。

Koizumi can no longer get away with just mouthing off inane ``explanations'' that don't really explain anything. Faced with a dreadful worst-case scenario, Koizumi must think fast-and he better have something to say that is not pure jibberish.

　予想されていた最悪の事態に、どう対処するのか。首相は今度こそ、速やかに、そして実のある言葉で語らなければならない。

-The Asahi Shimbun, April 9(IHT/Asahi: April 10,2004) (04/10)
　
　
　
Koizumi must consider effects of shrine visit

American-Indian tribes are known to say ``mitake oyase.'' It means all things are interrelated, according to ``Amerika Indian-no Shomotsu-yori Kashikoi Kotoba'' (a translation of ``Native American Wisdom'') published by Fusosha.

04月08日付
■《天声人語》

　アメリカの先住民族は、よくこんなふうに言うそうだ。「ミタケ・オアシン」。すべては、かかわり合っているという意味だ（『アメリカ・インディアンの書物よりも賢い言葉』扶桑社）。

This phrase popped in my mind upon hearing the Fukuoka District Court ruling Wednesday that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to Yasukuni Shrine violated the Constitution. Wondering why I suddenly thought of these foreign words of a faraway world, I tried to find my answer as I mulled over some American-Indian proverbs.

　小泉首相の靖国神社参拝に福岡地裁が違憲判決、と聞いて、この言葉が思い浮かんだ。ずいぶん離れた世界の言葉なのに、なぜなのか。格言を見ながら考えた。

``Whatever the decision, it must be made with seven generations ahead in mind,'' goes an Iroquoi saying.

Assuming 30 years to be one generation, that's a time span of about 200 years. This is certainly not an easy maxim to live by. But perhaps less so for any prime minister whose office requires him to think long-term for the sake of posterity. Koizumi, however, lashed out when a similar lawsuit was filed in Osaka three years ago.

``There certainly are some very strange people in this world.'' he said. ``I don't even want to deal with them.''

His flippancy, I am sorry to say, is hardly indicative of a mind that is capable of envisioning anything far ahead.

　〈どんなことも　７世代先まで考えて　決めなければならない――イロコイ族の格言〉。３０年を一世代とすれば約２００年。なかなかできることではないが、国家百年の計を求められる首相なら心がけているとしても不思議ではない。３年前に大阪で同様の訴訟を提訴された時こう述べた。「世の中おかしい人たちがいるもんだ。もう話にならんよ」。残念ながら、この軽々しさからは、ずっと先を見ているとは思いがたい。

``Humans are to be positioned midway between mountains and ants,'' according to the Onondagas, another American-Indian tribe. This offers an interesting insight on where humans should be positioned in nature and among all living beings.

Koizumi insisted Wednesday, ``I am a private individual and a public figure at the same time.'' In the Fukuoka litigation, the defendant-the state-argued Koizumi's Yasukuni visit was of a ``private nature.'' Japan does not seem to know where to position its own prime minister.

　〈ひとは　山と蟻（あり）の中間だ――オノンダガ族の格言〉。自然や生き物の中への、人間の置き方が興味深い。昨日小泉さんは「私は私人であり公人だ」と述べた。裁判では、国は「私的な参拝」と主張した。一国の首相の位置があいまいだ。

The Cheyenne people have this saying: ``Judge not with your eyes but with your heart.'' This apparently teaches the importance of imaginative power.

``I don't see how (my visit) could violate the Constitution,'' Koizumi complained bitterly, and reiterated his resolve to continue visiting the shrine.

I can imagine how he must feel, but he needs to stop and think about the consequences of his action.

　〈目で判断せずに、こころで判断しろ――シャイアン族の格言〉。想像することの大切さを言っているのだろう。小泉さんは「なぜ憲法違反か、わからない」と強く反発し、参拝を続ける考えを示した。心持ちは想像できるが、ここは、立ち止まって考えてほしい。

The prime minister's deeds affect not only the Japanese people, but people in the rest of the world as well. It is a case of ``mitake oyase,'' as the American Indian would say.

　首相のすることは、国民だけではなく、世界の人々ともかかわり合っている。「ミタケ・オアシン」なのである。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 8(IHT/Asahi: April 9,2004) (04/09)
　
　
　
A season of worries for new first-graders

It was a typical scene at this time of year, with an ``Admission Ceremony'' sign and a Rising Sun flag standing at the gates of an elementary school amid falling cherry-blossom petals. I came across the scene on my way to the train station.

An admission ceremony held for new first-graders marks an important milestone in their lives. Removed from the care of parents, they enter a school society on that day. For parents, it is a day of conflicting sentiments: While delighted that their children have reached school age, they are worried about their kids' ability to get along.

04月07日付
■《天声人語》

　通り道の小学校の門に、入学式の看板がかかっていた。門柱の日の丸に桜が散りかかる。小学校の入学式は入社式でもある。親などの手元から、学校という社会へ入る日だ。成長を喜ぶ気持ちと、うまくやっていけるのかという不安の入り交じる日でもある。

A book called ``Ichinensei-no Jinsei Sodan'' (Counseling first-graders), authored by the late Michio Matsuda, provides advice about the worries of new first-graders and their parents.

Matsuda doubled as a pediatrician and a critic.

Published by Chikuma Shobo in 1976, the book is still highly relevant in many respects.

　新入生と親たちの様々な悩みごとを題材にした本がある。小児科医で評論家だった松田道雄さんの『一年生の人生相談』（筑摩書房）は、７６年の出版だが、今に通じる話も多い。

In the book, Matsuda listens to the mother of a girl named Hisae, seeking his counsel about her ``hatred'' to eat her school lunch. The mother says: ``Hisae's teacher tells everyone not to leave anything on the table uneaten. This gives her a really hard time trying to obey, because she just can't eat much.'' After being assured by the mother that Hisae is quite healthy, the pediatrician replies: ``I see no problem with your daughter. Being a light eater is her personality.''

　「給食がきらいなヒサエちゃん」の母がこぼす。「先生が残さないようにっておっしゃるんで、とてもつらいようです。何しろあの子は、たくさんたべられないたちで」。元気はいい、と聞いて答える。「小食の子は小食ということが個性なんだから、それでいいじゃありませんか」

Matsuda also takes up the cases of Hideo, described as a ``school-detesting boy,'' of Atsushi, a boy with a habit of leaving things disorganized, and of Hiromu, a boy passive about everything.

In all cases, the pediatrician seems to give basically the same advice: ``Even good things should not be forced on children.''

　「学校ぎらいのヒデオ君」や「やりっぱなしのアツシ君」「積極性のないヒロム君」も登場する。松田さんの答えからは、できるだけ押しつけない、との思いが読みとれる。

The sight of new first-graders makes everyone wish that they will grow up freely and without constraint. Conversely, this means they see practically no chance that their wish will be granted. If children are to grow up unfettered, the school society also needs to be free and without restraint.

　１年生を見れば、誰もが、のびのび育ってと願う。逆に言えば、のびのびだけでゆくのは、それほど難しい。のびのび育つには、学校という社会もまた、のびのびしていなければならないからだ。

There was something touching about the Rising Sun flag being sprayed with falling cherry-blossom petals at the gates of the elementary school I passed. But I sometimes ruefully recall the road this nation once treaded by holding up the same flag.

　桜の散りかかる校門の日の丸には、心を打つものがあった。しかし、この旗を掲げてたどってきた道には、省みることもある。

The descent of cherry petals seemed to have a pattern, flowing like the shi character of the cursive Japanese hiragana syllabary, twisting like the ku character, and swirling like the no character. I was seeing in the falling petals the softness and flexibility of the hiragana alphabet, a great invention of this country.

　花びらは「し」の字のように流れ「く」のようにくねり「の」のように渦を巻いた。この地で生まれたひらがなの、やわらかさとのびやかさとを、散る桜に見ていた。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 7(IHT/Asahi: April 8,2004) (04/08)
　
　
　
Living in `automatic human disposal machines'

In Osaka last week, a woman died after being struck on the head by a sun umbrella outside a supermarket that was blown suddenly from its anchor by strong winds.

A few days earlier, a 6-year-old boy was crushed to death between an automated revolving door and its frame at Tokyo's Roppongi Hills complex.

These tragic accidents remind us anew of how the conveniences of city life can suddenly and unexpectedly turn deadly.

04月03日付
■《天声人語》

　スーパーの日よけのパラソルが、強風で飛ばされる。その直撃を受けて女性が死亡するという痛ましい事故が大阪で起きた。東京の六本木ヒルズでの回転ドア事故もそうだが、都市の身の回りにある道具が、一瞬で思いがけない凶器に変わる怖さを改めて感じた。

Automobiles, without which modern city life would not be possible, continue to cause fatalities. But even when not being operated, vehicles can kill inadvertently. For instance, we sometimes hear of babies and toddlers being left inside closed cars and dying of heatstroke. While such tragedies are caused by parental negligence, we should nevertheless be always mindful of the dangers inherent in any such small, closed space.

　都市の機能を支えている車という道具は、元々多くの事故死者を出し続けているが、走っていなくとも、思いがけない凶器になりうる。密閉された車内に残されていた子供が熱射病になって死亡することが、時にある。大人の不行き届きが目立つ場合が多いが、小さな密室の持つ危険への注意喚起は、常に要る。

And although there seem to be fewer cases today than in the past, push-button power windows can also be lethal. Small children have had their necks caught and suffocated. Manipulating the button swiftly is simple for adults, but not so for youngsters.

　最近はあまり起きていないようだが、パワーウインドーという自動開閉する窓が思わぬ凶器になることもあった。子供が首を挟まれて窒息死した。大人なら操作はたやすいが、幼い子が窓を素早く止めるのは難しい。

I feel strongly that the power window issue and the accident at the Roppongi Hills complex are closely related, in that they both represent contemporary society's obsession with automation. As new and larger buildings are constructed, their designers compete to see how efficiently the automatic doors can suck people in and spit them out.

　六本木ヒルズの事故でも痛感するのは、自動窓とも通ずる、現代の飽くことのない自動化への傾斜だ。建物の巨大化を進め、人々を効率よく吸い込み吐き出す自動ドアにしのぎを削る。

Escalators are indispensable to high-rises and structures with multiple underground floors. But even as I every day take advantage of such modern conveniences as automobiles and automated devices, I sometimes wonder if cities have not become something akin to ``automatic human disposal machines.''

　高い建物や深い地下には、自動階段・エスカレーターが欠かせない。「自動」車を含め、日々恩恵を受けながらも、都市とは「自動人間捌（さば）き装置」かと思う時がある。

There were many warning signs prior to the Roppongi accident. One week after the tragedy, it was discovered that more than a few revolving-door accidents had been reported in cities nationwide. Yet, in the days after the Roppongi tragedy, most revolving doors were operating as usual.

The accidents make us ask ourselves to examine our love of automation-perhaps a source of new ``weapons''-and consider whether we are being insensitive to tragedy.

　六本木の事故には、多くの兆しがあった。事故から１週間がたち、東京以外の都市でも、回転ドアに挟まれる事故が相当あったことが分かった。なのに多くのドアは回り続けていた。凶器を生む土壌となった自動化の傾きへの感度も、問われている。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 3(IHT/Asahi: April 7,2004) (04/07)
　
　
　
Grisly deaths may spur 2nd thoughts about Iraq

The Euphrates, one of Iraq's main waterways, is reported to be practically bursting its banks right now.

The river is mentioned in the tale of an ancient Mesopotamian hero's odyssey:

04月05日付
■《天声人語》

　イラクの大河ユーフラテスが増水しているという。ユーフラテスの名は、古代メソポタミアの英雄の遍歴の物語にも出てくる。

``I will tell you the secrets of gods. You know Shuruppak. It is a town on the banks of the Euphrates, as you know. ... The great gods attempted to cause flooding through the workings of their minds.'' (Quoted from a Japanese translation of ``The Epic of Gilgamesh,'' the ancient Mesopotamian hero, published by Iwanami Shoten.)

　「神々の秘密をお前に語ろう。シュリッパクはお前が知っている町、ユーフラテス川（の岸辺）にある町だ」「偉大な神々は心をはたらかせ、洪水を起こそうとされた」（『ギルガメシュ叙事詩』岩波書店）

Images of the badly burned bodies of Americans dangling from a bridge over the Euphrates west of Baghdad have circulated around the world. As I looked at a photograph of this grisly sight, I felt I could hear legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday's number ``Strange Fruit'' playing in the background.

　バグダッド西方のユーフラテスの橋の上で、米国人の焼かれた遺体がつり下げられている映像が流れた。その写真を見ていて、伝説的なジャズ歌手、ビリー・ホリデイの「奇妙な果実」が聞こえてくるような気がした。

The song portrayed the way the body of a lynched black swayed from a tree in the old South of America. Holiday sang the song as if she were chanting it.

I tried to will it away, telling myself the song had nothing to do with Iraq. But a voice inside of my head kept telling me that the humiliated Americans in Iraq and the lynched black met similar deaths, in that they were killed and their bodies strung up for everybody to see.

And so, Holiday's song kept ringing in my ears, while my mind flinched.

　かつての米国の南部で、リンチを受けた黒人が木につるされ、揺れている様を、ホリデイは唱えるように歌っている。戦地イラクとは違うと思い、歌を振り払おうとした。しかし命を奪われ、ぶら下げられたことでは通じている。ホリデイが耳につき、心がひるむのを覚えた。

A White House spokesman said the U.S. government would not flinch in the face of such attacks by heinous criminals. It is surely natural for people in power to take this stand.

But flinching was probably the first reaction of Americans in general to the gruesome treatment handed out to human beings. They may well have asked themselves if there was any way to prevent this tragedy from being repeated.

Similar circumstances led the United States to withdraw its forces from Somalia. This time, however, I have a feeling that the tragedy of the American civilians in Falluja is likely to provoke a more profound self-examination back home.

　ホワイトハウスの報道官は「我々は凶悪犯らの攻撃にひるむことはない」と述べた。政権に居るならそう言うだろう。しかし、ここまで無残にさらされた人間の姿を前にして、米国の人たちも、まずは、ひるむ思いをしたのではないだろうか。そして、繰り返さない道があるのかどうかを自問したかも知れない。一気に撤退に傾いたソマリアの時のようにではなく、もっと大きく深い問い直しが起こるような気もする。

On the front page of The New York Times, a photograph of the bridge scene over the Euphrates was printed just below the paper's slogan: ``All the news that's fit to print.''

　「印刷に値するすべてのニュースを」。ニューヨーク・タイムズでは、１面に掲げるこの標語のすぐ下に、ユーフラテスでの写真を載せていた。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 5(IHT/Asahi: April 6,2004) (04/06)
　
　
　
Turning anger into a worldwide call for peace

The Nagasaki Foundation for the Promotion of Peace since its founding in 1983 has published a periodical bulletin for its members called Heiwa (Peace). March was special for this modest journal-it produced its 100th issue.

This anti-bomb organization uses its journal to publish the words of atomic bomb victims and to inform group members of its activities. The foundation aims to make known the appalling destruction caused by nuclear arms through accounts given by bomb victims and bomb exhibitions.

03月28日付
■《天声人語》

　長崎に小さな歩みを重ねてきた『へいわ』がある。被爆体験の語り伝えや原爆展の開催を通じて、核兵器の悲惨さを訴えてきた長崎平和推進協会の会報である。８３年の設立以来、被爆者の声や取り組みを紹介し、今月１００号を超えた。

One of its founders was Tatsuichiro Akizuki, now 88, a physician and a recipient of the Asahi Award in 1974. Prior to the group's forming, there had been a split in the protest movement against atomic and hydrogen bombs, and the divided groups were coming under the influence of political parties. In urging the creation of the foundation, he emphasized that anti-bomb groups should set aside their minor differences and join hands to spread their peace message around the world.

When Nagasaki was bombed in 1945, Akizuki was exposed to radiation at the hospital where he headed the medical staff. While suffering the effects of radiation, he treated the injured in a hospital ward gutted by fire.

　設立の中心になったのは、７４年度朝日賞の受賞者で、医師の秋月辰一郎さん（８８）だった。原水爆禁止運動が分裂し、政党色が強まるなか、小異を残して大同につこうと呼びかけた。医長を務める病院で被爆。放射線障害に苦しみながら、焼け落ちた病棟で負傷者の手当てに明け暮れた。

The doctor was baptized into the Roman Catholic church after World War II. He was quietly critical of the silence of Nagasaki Christians who responded to the atomic attack by simply praying for peace, accepting their pain as a trial ordained by God.

In 1968, Akizuki launched a campaign called ``Nagasaki's testimony'' to clarify the overall picture of the bomb's destruction. He said he had been prompted by the collective grievances of bomb victims who had died without being able to receive adequate treatment.

　戦後、カトリックの洗礼を受けた。一方で、原爆投下を神の試練と受け止めた「祈りの長崎」の沈黙を静かに批判した。６８年、原爆被害の全体像を明らかにしようと「長崎の証言」運動を始めた。十分な治療を受けられず死んでいった人たちの怨念（おんねん）に突き動かされたという。

In the world's hot spots of conflict, the blood of many civilians is shed in the name of self-defense or vengeance. This reminds me of what Akizuki wrote in the first issue of the foundation's bulletin: ``These days, my thoughts keep coming back to the diversity of human beings. There is no need for our appeals for peace to all be the same. There should be diverse arguments for peace. ... I believe it takes diverse arguments for peace to build a genuinely robust peace.''

　世界では、「自衛」と「報復」のはざまで多くの一般人の血が流れている。『へいわ』創刊号に、秋月さんはこう寄せていた。「この頃、あらためて人間の多様性ということを考えている。平和論も画一的なものでなく、いろいろとあっていい。…平和論の多様から本当の強い平和が生まれる」。

A person obsessed with hating the bomb would not write something like this, nor would a mind that thinks prayer will solve everything. Such a statement could come only from someone with the capacity to empathize with other people.

This deep-thinking doctor has come a long way since that August day when a single atomic bomb killed 70,000 people in Nagasaki.

　憎しみではない。祈りだけでもない。他を思う想像力である。一発で７万人を殺した原爆を受けてから、ここに至る道のりを思う。

The anti-bomb organization now owes its continued existence to support provided by 1,500 members and the Nagasaki municipal government. But Akizuki can no longer tell anyone how he feels about the foundation he helped to establish in 1983. Twelve years ago, an asthma attack left him in a coma. He lies in a bed in the same hospital where he worked night and day to relieve the sufferings of those who were injured in the bombing.

　協会はいま、１５００人の会員と長崎市が支える。だが秋月さんが語ることはない。１２年前にぜんそくの発作で意識を失った。救護活動を続けた同じ場所で病床にある。

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 28(IHT/Asahi: April 5,2004) (04/05)
　
　
　
Fiscal year reminds us to balance the books

Bookshops and other stores are doing brisk trade now in a variety of ``fiscal year'' pocket calendars. The fiscal year started April 1, and many of these diaries can be used from March through early April next year. Apparently, a good number of people like to equate the beginning of the fiscal year with a fresh start.

04月02日付
■《天声人語》

　書店などに、「４月から始まる手帳」が幾種類も並んでいる。実際には、３月ぐらいから来年の４月初めごろまでの書き込み欄のあるものが多い。年度の切り替わりに、新しい日々の始まりを重ねている人も少なくないのだろう。

Japan's fiscal year is determined by Article 11 of the Finance Law. But while during the Meiji Period (1868-1912) the nation was adjusting from the lunar calendar to the solar calendar, the fiscal year was anything but set in stone. At the start of that period in 1868, for instance, the fiscal year began with the calendar year. Later, there were October-September and July-June fiscal years, but eventually the nation settled on the present April-March routine in 1886.

　４月から始まる日本の会計年度は、財政法の１１条で定められている。しかし明治時代には、陰暦から陽暦への移行などもあって、かなり動いた。元年の１８６８年は暦年だった。以後、１０月〜９月、７月〜６月もあり、今と同じになったのは１８８６年である。

Britain and India have the same fiscal year as Japan. China, France and Russia go by the calendar year, while the U.S. fiscal year is from October through September.

　外国の会計年度も様々で、イギリス、インドが日本と同じだ。中国、フランス、ロシアは暦年、アメリカは１０〜９月となっている。

While checking Article 11 of the Finance Law, I went on to read Article 12, which says: ``Expenses incurred during each fiscal year must be defrayed with revenues for that fiscal year.'' Put simply, I suppose it means you have to cut back on your expenses if you aren't earning enough that year.

This is simple common sense. However, the nation's fiscal 2004 budget presents a very different picture. Expenses total about 82 trillion yen, but tax revenues are only half that much, at 41 trillion yen. New government bond issues amount to a whopping 36 trillion yen.

　財政法の１１条を確かめている時、隣の１２条が目にとまった。「各会計年度における経費は、その年度の歳入を以て、これを支弁しなければならない」とある。その年度の収入が少ないのなら、支出を節約しなさいということだろう。当然のようにみえる。しかし、国の０４年度予算を照らし合わせると、これは大いに怪しい。歳出の総額は約８２兆円だ。歳入の方は、税収が約４１兆円で歳出の半分しかない。新規の国債発行が３６兆円もある。

I heard a comment on April 1 to the effect that ``the government always wanted to scrap Article 12, and now it has finally decided to go ahead.'' While that was just an April Foos' Day joke, who can be absolutely sure it will never happen, given how the government keeps digging deeper and deeper into debt?

　「政府は、かねて狙っていた１２条の削除を決意した」。これは４月１日限りの風聞だが、この借金ぶりが続くのなら、そんな日が絶対来ないとも言い切れないのではないか。

If you have to borrow money to pay expenses that exceed your income this year, then at least you should try to minimize the debt you will be carrying over to next year and beyond. Perhaps the fiscal year end was meant to serve as this kind of ``psychological brake'' on overspending.

　収入に見合わない支出でできるつけの支弁を、できるだけ未来にはかぶせない。年度という区切りには、本来はそんな歯止めの意味もあったように思われる。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 2(IHT/Asahi: April 3,2004) (04/03)
　
　
　
Cherry tree's homeland is now at war

They say the cherry blossoms are now in full bloom along the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. The 3,000 cherry trees are gifts from Japan. It was the Russo-Japanese War of 100 years ago that gave statesman Yukio Ozaki, aka writer Gakudo, the idea of presenting cherry trees to the United States.

04月01日付
■《天声人語》

　ワシントンの桜が今満開だそうだ。咢堂（がくどう）・尾崎行雄が、かの地に桜３千本を贈るきっかけになったのは、１００年前に開戦した日露戦争だった。

It took Japan only one year to win that war and make peace with Russia in 1905, with the help of mediation by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. Ozaki, who was mayor of Tokyo at the time, wished to send Roosevelt a gift as a token of his gratitude.

According to ``Ozaki Gakudo Zenshu'' (Complete works of Gakudo Ozaki, published by Koronsha), Ozaki later recalled, ``Since the Japanese people were rejoicing in their victory, convinced they had defeated the Russians all by themselves, I knew my plan (to send a gift to Roosevelt) wouldn't work if I revealed my true intentions. I, therefore, kept it a secret.''

　開戦の翌０５年、明治３８年に米大統領セオドア・ルーズベルトの仲介があり、日本の勝利で講和となる。東京市長の尾崎には、相応の謝意を表したいという気持ちがあった。「しかし当時、日本人は自力でロシアを負かしたと思つて有頂天になつてゐたから、私の真意を明かにしては事が運ばないと思つて、公けにはしなかつた」（『尾崎咢堂全集』公論社）

Normally, sending official gifts to foreign nations is handled by the government. Ozaki knew, however, that the Cabinet was not considering sending anything to the United States.

When he eventually learned of a project to ship Japanese cherry trees to the U.S. capital and transplant them along the Potomac River, Ozaki proposed to the Tokyo legislature in 1909 that the city sponsor this project, and his proposal was accepted.

　お礼は本来、政府の仕事だが、内閣は考えていなかったとも記す。やがてポトマック河畔に日本の桜を移植する話を知り、０９年、東京市から贈ろうと議会に諮って同意を得る。

The cherry trees left Yokohama the same year. But when they arrived in Washington, they were all found blighted and had to be incinerated.

Upon being informed of this by a U.S. embassy charge d'affaires, Ozaki replied with a reference to the famous cherry tree episode from George Washington's childhood: ``It is typically American to reveal the whole sorry truth of the cherry trees that had to be destroyed. Honesty has been your national tradition since your first president, George Washington. ... You should be truly proud of yourself.''

　桜はその年に横浜を出たが、到着時には病虫害に侵されていた。全部焼却したことを米代理大使から知らされた尾崎は、少年ワシントンと桜の故事を引いて答えた。「桜の木を焼却して、しかも包まずその事実を語るのは、初代大統領ワシントン以来、米国の伝統的なやり方である。（略）大いに誇つていゝだらう」

The new trees that were sent three years later took root along the Potomac and still grace the Tidal Basin.

After World War II, seedlings from some of the trees were given back to Japan on two occasions. I saw one ``offspring'' tree at a Tokyo park. Its budding flowers were redder than those of nearby someiyoshino cherries, forming a beautiful contrast with the white petals of oshimazakura trees next to it.

　ワシントンに根付いたのは、３年後に再送した桜だった。その桜が、戦後２度「里帰り」した。その中から育った１本を、東京の公園で見た。周りのソメイヨシノより、つぼみの赤が濃い。隣り合うオオシマザクラの白さに映える。

Cherry trees that went to the United States after Japan's war with Russia were ``repatriated'' after Japan's war with the United States. The tag on the offspring tree read: ``Sakura America.''

The homeland of that tree is now embroiled in a conflict.

　桜は、日露の戦争のあと米国へ渡り、日米の戦争のあと日本へ来た。幹の表示板には、サクラ・アメリカとある。今は、木の古里ともいえるその国が、戦争をしている。

_The Asahi Shimbun, April 1(IHT/Asahi: April 2,2004) (04/02)
　
　
　
Man of mystery remains an elusive figure

Years ago, I visited the grave of Edgar Allan Poe in Baltimore. I found the white grave bearing an embossed portrait of Poe at the back of a small out-of-town church.

03月31日付
■《天声人語》

　米国のボルティモアにあるエドガー・アラン・ポーの墓を訪れたことがある。ポーの肖像を浮き彫りした白い墓は、町はずれの小さな教会の裏にあった。

As might be expected of someone known as ``the father of mysteries and detective novels,'' there is a mystery about his grave. It is said that when Poe's birthday in January comes around, a man dressed in black always shows up early in the morning and places three red roses and a bottle of cognac at the grave. Although the mysterious mourner has been continuing the routine for more than half a century, his identity remains unknown.

　推理・探偵小説の父といわれる彼のこと、墓にもミステリーがつきまとっている。毎年１月の誕生日には、決まって墓前に３本の赤いバラとコニャックが供えられる。当日未明、黒衣の男が置いていくそうだ。半世紀以上続いているが、いまもって男が誰かはわからない。

The circumstances of Poe's death are also a mystery. He was found lying in a Baltimore gutter, spattered with mud, in the fall of 1849. He was taken to a hospital where he died several days later. A variety of theories have been offered about the cause of his death, ranging from speculation that he was dead drunk to the view that he was killed. But none has been established as the truth.

The strange thing is, when he was found in the gutter, Poe was dressed in someone else's clothes.

　ポーの死も謎に包まれている。１８４９年秋、ボルティモアの溝に泥まみれで倒れているのを発見された。病院に運ばれたが、数日後に死んだ。泥酔説をはじめ殺害説まで様々あるが、真相はわからない。妙なのは、発見されたとき、他人の衣服を着ていたことだった。

French poet Pierre Charles Baudelaire who greatly admired Poe wrote a poem about a ``mysterious man.'' The man is described as someone with no family, not knowing what country he came from. He is asked, ``What do you love?'' He replies, ``Clouds. Look, there go some clouds over there.'' This is a succinct portrayal of Poe's almost self-destructive life.

Poe himself professed his love of clouds in a poem titled ``Alone,'' in which he mentions ``the cloud that took the form of a demon in my view.''

　ポーを敬愛したフランスの詩人ボードレールに「謎の男」を描いた詩がある。家族もなく、祖国がどこかも知らない男が「何を愛するのか？」と聞かれて答える。「雲だ。ほら、あそこを行く――」。破滅的ともいえる一生を送ったポーを彷彿（ほうふつ）とさせる詩だ。ポー自身、「ひとりで」という詩で「悪霊のような雲」への愛着を語っている。

Although he lived a lonely and hapless life, Poe has had a long line of ``successors'' who would write in his vein-ranging from a French poet to Edogawa Ranpo, a pioneer mystery writer in Japan. (``Edogawa Ranpo'' is supposed to be a Japanese rendition of Poe's name.)

Natsuo Kirino's thriller ``Out'' has been nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award for full-length mystery. She is the first Japanese writer to be nominated. The awards are given by the Mystery Writers of America Organization.

　孤独で恵まれない生涯だったが、後継者には事欠かない。フランスの詩人から日本の江戸川乱歩まで、すそ野は広い。彼の名前を冠したエドガー賞（アメリカ探偵作家クラブ主催）の最優秀長編賞候補に、桐野夏生さんの『ＯＵＴ』が選ばれた。日本人では初めてのことだ。

Kirino has a reputation for depicting evil with a cold passion. Her award-winning work takes readers into a world resembling Poe's.

　「悪」を冷ややかな情熱を込めて描く彼女の作品もポーの世界につながっている。

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 31(IHT/Asahi: April 1,2004) (04/01)
　　　　　◇　　　　　　　　　　　　◇

◆「天声人語」の筆者あす交代

　明日から本紙のコラム「天声人語」の責任筆者が代わります。０１年４月から担当してきた小池民男論説委員から高橋郁男論説委員への交代です。

　高橋記者は東京本社社会部長を務めるなど社会部での取材経験が長く、００年夏から０２年末までは夕刊のコラム「素粒子」を担当しました。５６歳。

　１９０４（明治３７）年、「天声人語」が大阪発行の本紙に登場してからこの１月でちょうど１００年。全国の紙面に載るようになったのは戦後間もない４５年９月です。

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