#316 - Melancholy (graduation edition).
Matsumura Mineko
Dear fellow language learners,
This past week I finally defended my dissertation successfully in front of friends and family, and received my degree with distinction, so I am now officially Dr. Bunsuke! This marks the end of a long and rocky PhD journey with a lot of ups and downs. Many thanks to all involved (especially my wonderful paranymphs!) for making this such a memorable and special day.
To commemorate the occasion, today’s installment is taken from Bungei no Mitsukoshi (1914), a collection of winning short works in a literary competition issued by the famous department store Mitsukoshi. The relation between consumer culture and literary production in the Meiji and Taisho periods – and especially Mori Ogai’s affiliation with the Mitsukoshi brand – is one of the topics I discuss in my dissertation, so I was absolutely elated when I received the book as a graduation gift from the attendees. I felt it fitting to use a few lines from it for today’s post. See below for pictures of the graduation ceremony and of the book. Enjoy!
#316 松村みね子「赤い花」
政ちやんも最う直きに他家の人となつてしまふのか。
此娘の縁が極まるまで私はどんなに心配したらう。愈々と極まつてしまつた時、あゝ嬉しいと思ふと同時に重い荷がパタンと落ちたやうに、急に軽くなつた背なかに秋風がすうつと吹いて、何だか淋しい情ない気持ちになつた。
Vocabulary:
松村みね子 まつむらみねこ Matsumura Mineko (1878-1957)
政 まさ Masa (name)
他家 よそ another family
愈々 いよいよ finally, at last
極まる きまる to be settled, to be decided, to be determined
情ない なさけない sad, miserable
Translation:
I cannot believe Masa-chan is about to marry off.
How I worried about this girl, unsure if we’d find a suitor. When things finally came together, I felt both a sense of happiness and of melancholic misery, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from my shoulders and a cold autumn wind suddenly blew against my relieved back.
Pictures of the book:
Pabien!
今まで本当にがんばったね！おめでとう！