著者

石本 岩根

出版者

日本比較文学会

雑誌

比較文学 (ISSN:04408039)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.6, pp.19-29, 1963-11-10 (Released:2017-06-17)

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Yayoi no Uta by Nakajima Hirotari has been treated till today as a Dutch poem with no mention of the original poem and poet. But the writer of this article has found that this poem was originally written by Matthias Claudius, German poet (1740-1815) and was made public on May 14,1770 in Address-Cointoir-Nachirichten, edited by the poet himself. The original poem was entitled Mailied in four stanzas, the first two of which were translated as Yayoi no Uta. This translated poem is included in Nakajima’s journal of a trip to Nagasaki, which proves that this translation was made between June 2-16 in the Sixth Year of Bunsei, i. e. between July 9 and 23,1823 of the solar calendar. This was an event that took place some twenty days before the arrival of de Drie Gesusters with Dr. von Siebold on board, in the port of Nagasaki. Nakajima, poet and Japanese classical scholar, with no knowledge of Dutch and German, was at that time in Nagasaki as a tourist. It cannot be supposed that he had any ability of reading a poem written in those foreign languages. Therefore it could be concluded that, but for the request and help of Inomata Hisakage,official interpreter, the translation might not have been made. We should not neglect the important role he played.