| | It's been unbearably hot every day in these days. So, the workshop was held in our basement where the temperature stays comfortable level throughout all seasons. It was surprisingly cool and, as a matter of fact, it even felt too chilly to some of the participants. The change of atmosphere was, though, seemed worked well.
The theme for today's Tanka workshop was "blue". The color blue is characterized in different Kanji, and they are used to become different vocabularies after combined with other letters such as "sky" to be blue sky, "Spring" for youth and others describing dynamic sky with pure blue or ocean with deep navy blue. Besides these common words, participants created own Tanka with original idioms. While "blue" is the color symbolizing Spring or East, because it is also used for the image of brightness and liveliness, I've chosen this particular subject as it seems suitable to create the image of Summer. Not only the color is typically used the visual image of sky and ocean, however, it also emphasizes the deepness in its image thus used to express one's sorrow and dark mood. Expressing "light" and "shadow" are the common technique used in composing Tanka since old days. So as to include Hiragana for pronunciation. Many students seemed fond of this subject as there were many excellent poems gathered at the end. Each of them chose most favorite one, then we gave a flower-prize mark to the one which received the most praise.
After the workshop, we moved to upstairs to enjoy tea time where everyone's energetic diet and conversation seemed as high as the temperature. Someone said "Feels like we've moved from North Pole to desert..." was quite an interesting expression to describe today's atmosphere.
Chikako Mori
Tanka Workshop Instructor
cm/ms | | 短歌ワークショップの当日も継続した猛暑、そんな猛暑を突いて７／１４に開されましたが、場所はインストラクター森宅のベースメント。このスペースは常に一定温度で冬は暖かく夏は涼しいので、メンバーの皆さんにはちょっと涼しすぎた感がありましたが、場所を変えたので雰囲気も変わり良い効果があったようです。今回のワークショップは「あお」の語/熟語を使用した題詠が課題でした。
あお」は青、蒼、碧、ブルーまたは熟語の青空、青春、蒼穹、紺碧などの他にオリジナルな語を駆使し作歌しました。青は春、東を表す色ですが明るく生命力に溢れたイメージもありますので、夏の歌題としてみました。また青は空や海などの物体的な色というより光りの様に抽象的な面も強い底知れぬ明るさを持っているので相対的に深く陰った哀しみをも誘います。短歌の世界では「光」に「かげ」とルビをふって詠ませることを古代より継続されているのもこの理由からです。ワークショップはいつもの様に進行しましたがやはり題詠は作歌しやすいのか、多くの秀歌が集まりました。それぞれの短歌の中から一番共鳴できた歌を各メンバーに選出して頂き、一番多かった歌に花丸を付けたのでどの歌にポピュラリティがあるかを把握し易く成ったと思います。ティ・タイムは階上でとなりましたが、猛暑にも負けぬ食と会話に熱が入り親交が和気あいあいと成され、「北極から砂漠に来たようですね」とのあるメンバーの感想も面白いものでした。
森 千佳子 | |
