本稿は、月鞠19号に掲載される「歌人のグリム考――天使に愛されて」のための、英作文による草稿ノートです。
俳人でもあり歌人でもある堀田季何さんのご校閲を受けて、ここに再掲されました。
2019年8月12日、記す。
辰巳泰子
………………………………………………My Grimm Notes
1
I wrote this essay on "Grimms’ Fairy Tales" with a wish for young people to achieve their individual happiness. This chapter is the prologue.
To begin with, lives of people depicted in the Grimm world were those before the establishment of the German Empire in 1871. The people all spoke German, but with varying degree and type of racial consciousness. Not only were there people who got influenced by the French, but also were there those who discriminated against the Jews. I do not support armed conflicts and racial discriminations prevalent around the world.
Before you read these notes, I ask you to accept the thought that resolution with arms and discriminations is a bad custom of the international society. Then, I will acknowledge lots of beautiful points of the Grimm world.
The Brothers Grimm collected folktales of their country and edited them. It was titled "Kinder- und Hausmärchen". Their first readers were not children, but parents.
The Grimm world is rather cruel, more so than conscientious. In the modern society, there are as many inscrutable incidents as the Grimm world. Then, I have the following question. “How can a human being attain happiness in real life?”―― I believe that real happiness is based on liberation from negative stresses that people are exposed to, by dangers, bullying, and indifference.
Now, I am going to view what processes people in the Grimm world take to attain their happiness. It must be the same as what the modern and modest people would go through.
2
The Grimm world has various stories that are indicative of our modern society. In one episode, there is a girl whose hands were chopped off by her real father who had become mad out of poverty. I interpret her hands as a metaphor of power and possibilities. In our modern society, such cruel incidents actually happen. The press often takes up cases of abuse involving children, though most people would not go reminding each other of such cases, as they are too horrible to recall. While some people are living in happiness, others are being left behind in miserable situations, e.g., natural disasters, nuclear plant accidents, and failures of politics, such as terrorism caused by war. This is the modern world. “What is happiness? ” ――The following story of the Grimm world makes us ponder about this question.
The girl, who was crippled by her father, decided to part her family and left home. After roaming for a long time, she reached a castle. Though being tired and hungry, she could not eat anything, as she had lost her hands. But when she tried to directly bite off a fruit hanging from a tree inside the castle, she was accompanied by an angel. Guardsmen of the castle saw her with the angel, and they informed the king.
The king of the castle permitted her to come in. Furthermore, he came to love her and even gave her artificial hands. She became pregnant with a child of the king, and they seemed to be filled with happiness. However, the king had to leave the castle for some while. During his absence, the same devil that had instigated her real father against her came to interfere with her life once again. She bore a male child who was the real son of the king, but nevertheless, she and her son were expelled from the castle. She roamed around a large forest with her son, struggling to feed him.
Why did the devil interfere with the girl? ――She prayed to God and always believed in the kindness of people around her. The devil desired to dirty such beautiful heart of hers.
Why did her angel not drive away the devil?――These questions relate with the puzzle why wars in the world cannot be exterminated even if people understand war is the very Satan. Surely, we know that God has been silent regarding things associated with Satan – in all ages.
We can just learn what the angel did for her. Her angel opened the door of a house that anyone could stay for free. She and her child, who had been called the sorrowful prince, then lived there. Given enough care by the members of the angels, her hands have surprisingly grown again. After all, the king, who has been seeking his wife and son, joined them there.
Adding, I imagine that Grimms' concept of the house where everyone could stay anticipated the hospice in India founded by Mother Teresa.
3
Naturally, in the Grimm world, there were princesses, too. Jungfrau Maleen was one of the princesses who were born in the noble upper class. She had a lover, who was a prince of some country. However, the king, the real father of Jungfrau Maleen, wanted her to marry a prince of another country, which the king had to make peace with. Jungfrau Maleen rejected his wish.
In anger, the king locked her up in a tower, which had neither windows nor exits. She lived in solitude for seven years with her waiting maid and some food. When the storage of food has become little, she decided to escape from confinement. She and her maid cut out the bricks of the wall, one by one. Just when she was about to exhaust her energy, she succeeded in getting out of the deadly situation.
The time of seven years turned Jungfrau Maleen into a woman left without any possession. Outside, she could not find any resident, any animal, or any tree. Even the castle, where she had grown up, her father, and her mother were nowhere in sight. She had lost all of things that belonged to her seven years ago. In short, the territory of the king had become a wasteland while she was being locked up in the tower.
Nonetheless, she has gotten herself perfect freedom, though she had to get all things by herself. After becoming free, she had to spend a hard time in the same way as the poorest people. During that time, she came to reflect on herself when she was called Jungfrau Maleen. Fortunately, she met again with her original lover – unexpected. After some trouble in making him recall her, she ended up marrying him.
I think that the king did not force his daughter to marry the prince of the country that he had to make peace with. He probably knew that he could not avoid the upcoming conflict with the country, as Jungfrau Maleen hoped for her liberty. He actually protected her from the enemy by locking her up in the tower. Although she suffered to keep herself alive, a lot of things and lives had become victim to pay for her liberty.
This story helps us understand what liberty is. Even though she was in a position to be called Jungfrau Maleen, her eyes during girlhood could only see her lover. Only after having a hard time did she become a woman of self-discipline who could notice how many people around her were missing. Liberty comes through awareness of what is around you.
4
By the way, have you ever met any man who has served in the army? In the Grimm world, there are people who were hired as soldiers in order to feed their families but were later rendered unnecessary by the society after the end of war. This is an episode about one such man.
When he got home from war, his father and mother had been dead already. His relatives got rid of him, because he did not have any skill to live, saved for the way to use weapons. Facing starvation, he was disappointed. At that time, a devil emerged in his way and said, “If you want to stay alive, I shall feast you. The conditions are that you would not take bath, not cut your nail or hair, not wear anything other than bear skin, and also, not pray.” The man understood how he should deal with the devil, as he had gone through the hell of war as a soldier. “Honor my proposal for seven years,” the devil added.
The man put his hand into his pocket and noticed that had lots of gold – the devil brought them to him. Subsequently, the man started to travel around the country. During the seven years, he gave away lots of gold, generated by the devil, to poor people anywhere he went. He received some food in return and also asked that they pray for his life. When the term of the devil's proposal was over, he met a girl who came to love him; the girl noticed the beautiful points lying within him. After all, the devil could not succeed in taking away his soul or life.
This story contains an answer to the question whether money always brings happiness to people. Of course, money can almost always improve conditions of poor people. But if the man had wanted satisfaction in compensation for giving money to the poor people, he would have fallen prey to the devil, because the money was supplied by the devil. Also, the devil forbade him to pray, as praying is the only means for anyone who has no other means. However, the man who asked the poor people to pray for him had wisdom and deep conscience. His conscience was brought out through money. In short, his wisdom has turned immoral money into significant means.
5
In the Grimm world, domestic animals have their own personalities.
One day, a donkey realized that his owner was going to kill him because he had become too old to work. Then the donkey escaped from being slaughtered. On his way, he addressed to a dog, a cat, and a cock, all of whom were once doomed to be slain by their owners, “Let's go to Bremen. There, we can play music with our good voices!" Then they established a music band and departed for the city in order to be hired as a band.
However, the city of Bremen was too far in distance, and they could not arrive in a day. They were particularly afraid of facing danger while sleeping. When they felt very much tired, they found a house, which was lighted up in the dark. The house was a hiding place for the robbers who were having dinner inside. The cock said, “We should have the house.” “That's right. We shall put our heart together and take the food and the safe place away from them,” the donkey replied. So, they made extremely noisy sounds to scare off the robbers.
After the robbers went away, the band of animals had the food and relaxed on the bed in the house. During the night, robbers returned there once again, but the animals threatened the robbers with their wild natural abilities. As it was in the dark, the robbers took the animals for the devils. The robbers could not relate the animals with angels or natural creatures, but only with Satan. Afterwards, the animals started living there, as they canceled their travel to Bremen.
This story makes modern people reflect on their attitude towards nature. The domestic animals represent not only the nature but also the existence of human beings. They took over the robber's sinful hideout through their cooperation, showing their wild natural abilities that they had to conceal during their domesticated lives. Actually, their wild nature is content with just enough food and safe bed and feels happiness via mutual cooperation. In other words, the wild nature is happy with just getting enough necessary things. It never wants property or honor in excess and hates being hurt by people's numerous desires.
6
So far, I have discussed about KHM31 (Chapter 2), KHM31 (Chapter 3), KHM101 (Chapter 4), and KHM101 (Chapter5). Now, here is the epilogue.
When I read Grimms’ folktales, I got overwhelmed by the main characters’ efforts. Some characters were clearly determined to meet their lovers. Others had prayed to God to stay alive. Praying also represents love. Love is there where people have prayed.
The hardest thing for people is to keep conscience in this cruel world. Since early times, modest people have held on to their sanity with praying, continuing with their efforts, and waiting for opportunities that could better their conditions. Even in the modern times, this hold true, particularly for the poor people.
After reading this essay, could you find out your way to become happy?
As for me ―― I am a poet. Poets cannot help falling in love, thinking about peace, seeking liberty, and looking into wild nature. I often feel accompanied by an angel. Poets, perhaps, are on the same innocent way as praying. Natural creatures – animals and plants – sometimes seem to be poets; surely not the indifferent people who had abandoned their humanity.
Maybe, you, too, are accompanied by an angel. You, too, are a poet.
俳人でもあり歌人でもある堀田季何さんのご校閲を受けて、ここに再掲されました。
2019年8月12日、記す。
辰巳泰子
………………………………………………My Grimm Notes
1
I wrote this essay on "Grimms’ Fairy Tales" with a wish for young people to achieve their individual happiness. This chapter is the prologue.
To begin with, lives of people depicted in the Grimm world were those before the establishment of the German Empire in 1871. The people all spoke German, but with varying degree and type of racial consciousness. Not only were there people who got influenced by the French, but also were there those who discriminated against the Jews. I do not support armed conflicts and racial discriminations prevalent around the world.
Before you read these notes, I ask you to accept the thought that resolution with arms and discriminations is a bad custom of the international society. Then, I will acknowledge lots of beautiful points of the Grimm world.
The Brothers Grimm collected folktales of their country and edited them. It was titled "Kinder- und Hausmärchen". Their first readers were not children, but parents.
The Grimm world is rather cruel, more so than conscientious. In the modern society, there are as many inscrutable incidents as the Grimm world. Then, I have the following question. “How can a human being attain happiness in real life?”―― I believe that real happiness is based on liberation from negative stresses that people are exposed to, by dangers, bullying, and indifference.
Now, I am going to view what processes people in the Grimm world take to attain their happiness. It must be the same as what the modern and modest people would go through.
2
The Grimm world has various stories that are indicative of our modern society. In one episode, there is a girl whose hands were chopped off by her real father who had become mad out of poverty. I interpret her hands as a metaphor of power and possibilities. In our modern society, such cruel incidents actually happen. The press often takes up cases of abuse involving children, though most people would not go reminding each other of such cases, as they are too horrible to recall. While some people are living in happiness, others are being left behind in miserable situations, e.g., natural disasters, nuclear plant accidents, and failures of politics, such as terrorism caused by war. This is the modern world. “What is happiness? ” ――The following story of the Grimm world makes us ponder about this question.
The girl, who was crippled by her father, decided to part her family and left home. After roaming for a long time, she reached a castle. Though being tired and hungry, she could not eat anything, as she had lost her hands. But when she tried to directly bite off a fruit hanging from a tree inside the castle, she was accompanied by an angel. Guardsmen of the castle saw her with the angel, and they informed the king.
The king of the castle permitted her to come in. Furthermore, he came to love her and even gave her artificial hands. She became pregnant with a child of the king, and they seemed to be filled with happiness. However, the king had to leave the castle for some while. During his absence, the same devil that had instigated her real father against her came to interfere with her life once again. She bore a male child who was the real son of the king, but nevertheless, she and her son were expelled from the castle. She roamed around a large forest with her son, struggling to feed him.
Why did the devil interfere with the girl? ――She prayed to God and always believed in the kindness of people around her. The devil desired to dirty such beautiful heart of hers.
Why did her angel not drive away the devil?――These questions relate with the puzzle why wars in the world cannot be exterminated even if people understand war is the very Satan. Surely, we know that God has been silent regarding things associated with Satan – in all ages.
We can just learn what the angel did for her. Her angel opened the door of a house that anyone could stay for free. She and her child, who had been called the sorrowful prince, then lived there. Given enough care by the members of the angels, her hands have surprisingly grown again. After all, the king, who has been seeking his wife and son, joined them there.
Adding, I imagine that Grimms' concept of the house where everyone could stay anticipated the hospice in India founded by Mother Teresa.
3
Naturally, in the Grimm world, there were princesses, too. Jungfrau Maleen was one of the princesses who were born in the noble upper class. She had a lover, who was a prince of some country. However, the king, the real father of Jungfrau Maleen, wanted her to marry a prince of another country, which the king had to make peace with. Jungfrau Maleen rejected his wish.
In anger, the king locked her up in a tower, which had neither windows nor exits. She lived in solitude for seven years with her waiting maid and some food. When the storage of food has become little, she decided to escape from confinement. She and her maid cut out the bricks of the wall, one by one. Just when she was about to exhaust her energy, she succeeded in getting out of the deadly situation.
The time of seven years turned Jungfrau Maleen into a woman left without any possession. Outside, she could not find any resident, any animal, or any tree. Even the castle, where she had grown up, her father, and her mother were nowhere in sight. She had lost all of things that belonged to her seven years ago. In short, the territory of the king had become a wasteland while she was being locked up in the tower.
Nonetheless, she has gotten herself perfect freedom, though she had to get all things by herself. After becoming free, she had to spend a hard time in the same way as the poorest people. During that time, she came to reflect on herself when she was called Jungfrau Maleen. Fortunately, she met again with her original lover – unexpected. After some trouble in making him recall her, she ended up marrying him.
I think that the king did not force his daughter to marry the prince of the country that he had to make peace with. He probably knew that he could not avoid the upcoming conflict with the country, as Jungfrau Maleen hoped for her liberty. He actually protected her from the enemy by locking her up in the tower. Although she suffered to keep herself alive, a lot of things and lives had become victim to pay for her liberty.
This story helps us understand what liberty is. Even though she was in a position to be called Jungfrau Maleen, her eyes during girlhood could only see her lover. Only after having a hard time did she become a woman of self-discipline who could notice how many people around her were missing. Liberty comes through awareness of what is around you.
4
By the way, have you ever met any man who has served in the army? In the Grimm world, there are people who were hired as soldiers in order to feed their families but were later rendered unnecessary by the society after the end of war. This is an episode about one such man.
When he got home from war, his father and mother had been dead already. His relatives got rid of him, because he did not have any skill to live, saved for the way to use weapons. Facing starvation, he was disappointed. At that time, a devil emerged in his way and said, “If you want to stay alive, I shall feast you. The conditions are that you would not take bath, not cut your nail or hair, not wear anything other than bear skin, and also, not pray.” The man understood how he should deal with the devil, as he had gone through the hell of war as a soldier. “Honor my proposal for seven years,” the devil added.
The man put his hand into his pocket and noticed that had lots of gold – the devil brought them to him. Subsequently, the man started to travel around the country. During the seven years, he gave away lots of gold, generated by the devil, to poor people anywhere he went. He received some food in return and also asked that they pray for his life. When the term of the devil's proposal was over, he met a girl who came to love him; the girl noticed the beautiful points lying within him. After all, the devil could not succeed in taking away his soul or life.
This story contains an answer to the question whether money always brings happiness to people. Of course, money can almost always improve conditions of poor people. But if the man had wanted satisfaction in compensation for giving money to the poor people, he would have fallen prey to the devil, because the money was supplied by the devil. Also, the devil forbade him to pray, as praying is the only means for anyone who has no other means. However, the man who asked the poor people to pray for him had wisdom and deep conscience. His conscience was brought out through money. In short, his wisdom has turned immoral money into significant means.
5
In the Grimm world, domestic animals have their own personalities.
One day, a donkey realized that his owner was going to kill him because he had become too old to work. Then the donkey escaped from being slaughtered. On his way, he addressed to a dog, a cat, and a cock, all of whom were once doomed to be slain by their owners, “Let's go to Bremen. There, we can play music with our good voices!" Then they established a music band and departed for the city in order to be hired as a band.
However, the city of Bremen was too far in distance, and they could not arrive in a day. They were particularly afraid of facing danger while sleeping. When they felt very much tired, they found a house, which was lighted up in the dark. The house was a hiding place for the robbers who were having dinner inside. The cock said, “We should have the house.” “That's right. We shall put our heart together and take the food and the safe place away from them,” the donkey replied. So, they made extremely noisy sounds to scare off the robbers.
After the robbers went away, the band of animals had the food and relaxed on the bed in the house. During the night, robbers returned there once again, but the animals threatened the robbers with their wild natural abilities. As it was in the dark, the robbers took the animals for the devils. The robbers could not relate the animals with angels or natural creatures, but only with Satan. Afterwards, the animals started living there, as they canceled their travel to Bremen.
This story makes modern people reflect on their attitude towards nature. The domestic animals represent not only the nature but also the existence of human beings. They took over the robber's sinful hideout through their cooperation, showing their wild natural abilities that they had to conceal during their domesticated lives. Actually, their wild nature is content with just enough food and safe bed and feels happiness via mutual cooperation. In other words, the wild nature is happy with just getting enough necessary things. It never wants property or honor in excess and hates being hurt by people's numerous desires.
6
So far, I have discussed about KHM31 (Chapter 2), KHM31 (Chapter 3), KHM101 (Chapter 4), and KHM101 (Chapter5). Now, here is the epilogue.
When I read Grimms’ folktales, I got overwhelmed by the main characters’ efforts. Some characters were clearly determined to meet their lovers. Others had prayed to God to stay alive. Praying also represents love. Love is there where people have prayed.
The hardest thing for people is to keep conscience in this cruel world. Since early times, modest people have held on to their sanity with praying, continuing with their efforts, and waiting for opportunities that could better their conditions. Even in the modern times, this hold true, particularly for the poor people.
After reading this essay, could you find out your way to become happy?
As for me ―― I am a poet. Poets cannot help falling in love, thinking about peace, seeking liberty, and looking into wild nature. I often feel accompanied by an angel. Poets, perhaps, are on the same innocent way as praying. Natural creatures – animals and plants – sometimes seem to be poets; surely not the indifferent people who had abandoned their humanity.
Maybe, you, too, are accompanied by an angel. You, too, are a poet.
