野に咲く花 - Flowers in the Field

Wild flowers are really beautiful. Think of them! Wild lilies, mountain azaleas, firefly bags – the list could go on and on. My wife and I take great pleasure in looking for them, and get some exercise, too, from climbing the hills and mountains that the “looking” requires. We go along narrow mountain roads, walk along small trails that wouldn’t allow a car, and just climb the hills where there is no trail. We are searching for the wild flowers in bloom at the time we go.

野に咲く花は実に美しいものです。山ゆり、山つつじ、ホタルブクロ…数えれば切りがありません。私たち夫婦は野生の花を探して歩くのが大好きです。その際、山や丘に登りますが、これがとても良い運動になります。狭い山道、車が通れないほどの細道、そして道なき道をたどって山を登り、満開の花を探し回ります。

There is always something blooming. Lovely blossoms, leaves, and colors are everywhere in Japan. Finding them is a kind of adventure. Flower-viewing is a great way to help us all learn about the flowers used in the tea ceremony. My wife knows most of them. I am always amazed to hear her tell me the names of the various plants. She is smart!

この国では、季節を問わず山に行けば必ず美しい草花や色とりどりの植物に出会うことができます。それを見つけることは私にとってちょっとした冒険です。それによって、茶の湯の席で用いられる花について知ることができます。妻は実に多くの植物の名前を知っており、彼女の博識にはいつも驚かされます。

All the while we are enjoying wild flowers, I am taking pictures. Photography is one of my hobbies. A few days ago we went to Kompira Shrine on Kyoragi Mountain. This shrine is dedicated to Okuninushi no Mikoto. It looks very well kept, and is quiet, and very peaceful. It seems not to be visited very often because it is in such an out-of-the-way place, but I liked it very much. All around it, on the day we visited, were many blooming flowers.

私は、花を見ながらパチパチやっています。写真を撮ることは私の趣味です。 数日前、私と妻は京羅木山にある金毘羅神社に行きました。オオクニヌシノミコトを祭ったこの神社はとても美しく静寂に包まれており、訪れる者に安らぎを与えてくれます。辺ぴな場所にあるため観光地としてはあまり有名ではありませんが、私の気に入っている場所の一つです。私たちが行った日、周りにはたくさんの花が咲き乱れていました。

It seems that each season has its own splendid flowers. Now we can see and smell lilies on the hills. They are often in some difficult place to climb to, but we are patient and keep trying. When we finally reach them, smell them, and study the delicate shape of their petals, we are more than satisfied to have made the effort. While we are doing it together it does not seem difficult at all, but fun! Wouldn’t you like to go with us?

日本では、季節ごとにさまざまな花が顔を見せます。今は山にゆりが美しい季節です。ゆりは人の手の届きにくい場所に生息していることが多いのですが、辛抱強く登っていき、やっとの思いで手に触れ、香りを嗅ぎ、その繊細極まりない姿を間近で見ることができたときは、あまりのうれしさにそれまでの苦労は吹き飛んでしまいます。つらいとは全然思いません。いつか私たちと一緒に出掛けませんか。