Why am I willing to translate the master Minami Jikisai’s books?
Why would I be an appropriate translator for his books?
These two questions capture my present circumstance
also my past and future.
If I divide my lifetime into three terms that I have lived so far,
At South Korea as the first one-third,
The midterm of one-third is at Japan,
The remaining one-third is currently in US
and here I am trying to undergo as my progress.
At the time when I got throughout those two terms,
I have cleared all the tasks that I imposed on myself.
Also, I was able to satisfy my own self
with academic background, financial capability, career.
There is no unfinished job left.
Since I imposed tasks on myself that can be achieved by effort,
I steadily went through all the stages to clear the tasks
proceeding cautiously, taking enough time to complete it properly.
However, when I have climbed up to the achievement
which was set by myself as a goal.
At the top I was able to look over the way I have walked,
and I saw completing task was not the final destination.
I found that the way I have been through linked to another road
which should take to path.
I have used up my two-third life terms
which was given just for satisfying myself personally,
but it is merely an act of satisfying hunger.
As hunger or thirst satisfied as it is fulfilled,
there would be demanding if supply required,
so that the causality gets done.
When self-supply was required in my life,
I settled with the self-demanding
so that the cause and result was done.
The emerging problem
was no directivity in my mind
when after causality has solved and settled.
As the way an effort loses basis without purpose,
it gets sorted out naturally,
also my mind without destination was
unable to find reason to do effort.
At that time, unexpectedly
I encountered with Minami Jikisaiwho is as a master
and the way of living his life.
And it made me define the direction of my effort
as it should be, over rest of my life.
If so, why not others but Minami Jikisai?
My answer for this question is,
there is no other proper linguistic expressions,
but only I can say this:
'I did not decide particular reason to be answered'
There is no theorized reason but surely there was an intuition.
The intuition was grounded on following facts that
expressed by the words he uses.
The giving off words from him are alive.
His linguistic ability can bring back died words to alive.
His persuasiveness can break down stereotypes
and also includes capability of being excused of it.
His using words have an ability to grind something hard.
His words are as a tool to pursue and he is using the tool fairly.
These intuitions inspired by him that I am going to prove,
maybe it must be my next task that should be done.
Why should the translator of his books be me?
For this question I have not determined an answer.
But I have an assurance that
I would not let his living words die with English transforming.
Even though it is also just a gut….