Don't let "you" die 118 years from now August 9th 19:09

"Ah, my father, I cry for you, don't let me die."

Poet Akiko Yosano composed this poem thinking of her younger brother, who was in a fierce battlefield during the Russo-Japanese War. It's not.

What does the song written over 100 years ago convey to the present, transcending the barriers of time and language?

"Don't let yourself die"

Oh, finally, I

cry for

you

, don't let yourself die

Grow up to twenty-four

118 years ago, in the 37th year of the Meiji Era, Akiko Yosano, a poet from Sakai, Osaka, composed the poem "Kimi ni ni kokoto koto kare" (Don't let yourself die

). It is a masterpiece of modern literature that expresses the feelings of "Don't do it."

Yutaka Onomoto (52), who runs a publishing company in Yao City, Osaka, is trying to deliver the song to Ukraine.

He studied Slavic cultures such as Russia and Ukraine at university.

17 years ago, he founded the Japan-Ukraine Cultural Exchange Association and serves as its chairman because he wants to spread the charm of Ukraine to Japan.

It has been more than five months since the military invasion by the Russian army began.

Over 5,000 civilians have died.

I lost my family and friends, and I was wondering if there was anything I could do in the current situation where grief continued to spread.

Mr. Ono

has a friend who is like family in Ukraine.

When I think about those friends, it's painful and painful

What Ono-san came up with was the translation of "Don't you die" into Ukrainian.

Mr. Ono has continued cultural exchange projects, such as holding events to learn about each other's cultures between Japan and Ukraine, and translating and publishing the manga "Barefoot Gen" into Ukrainian.

She thought that the feeling of "I don't want my loved ones to die" that runs through this poem would spread sympathy in Ukraine.

Mr. Ono

: I think that the words of Akiko Yosano still touch our hearts, not just Japanese people.

Ukrainian wives who sent their husbands to the battlefields, and children whose fathers are in the warfields, will surely find this poem close to their hearts.

“We have to fight” Ukrainian translator…

Mr. Pavli Bogdan (49), an associate professor at Toyama University of International Studies, from Kyiv, Ukraine, who was asked to help translate the poem.

Mr. Bogdan has a deep knowledge of poetry, as he teaches English and Russian while also writing his own poems and translating them into Japanese.

In the five months since the invasion began, he worries every day for his family and friends who remain in Kyiv and grieves over the destruction of his homeland.

"If you were born at the end of the day, your parents would be sorry, but your parents told you to grab a blade and kill

people." , seems unsuitable for Ukrainian youth who are forced to take up arms.

Mr. Bogdan I am

speechless with so many civilians killed, including children.

But after seeing the devastation in Bucha, I have no choice but to fight.

If they surrender and are occupied, more people will be killed.

I don't want any more Ukrainians to die, I have to fight to protect those close to me.

Ukraine fights because they don't want anyone to die.

It's the opposite of what Akiko Yosano called her brother, "Don't fight."

Still, it is said that Mr. Bogdan was strongly struck by the thought of this poem, "I don't want my loved ones to die," because he is in a harsh situation where he has no choice but to take weapons.

Mr. Bogdan

I was impressed that the Ukrainians of today and the Japanese of 100 years ago were thinking the same thing.

I think Japan and Ukraine have a lot in common.

In Ukraine there were Cossacks, in Japan there were samurai.

Chernobyl and Fukushima are nuclear power plant accidents that no other country has ever experienced.

And the thoughts sung in this poem, which was born during the Russo-Japanese War, may be one of the common points.

Yosano's feelings seen from "Kimi o Cry"

They had a lot of discussions about how to make the translation more faithful.

Mr. Bogdan was particularly moved by Akiko Yosano's choice of words.

Mr. Bogdan's

way of saying "I cry for you" at the beginning is very similar to Ukraine.

"I cry for you", but not "I cry thinking about you", but "I cry for you".

It's not just crying and being overwhelmed, it's about conveying sadness resolutely.

I want to faithfully translate and convey such fine nuances.

Mr. Bogdan and Mr. Ono visited the Yosano Akiko Memorial Hall in Sakai City, Osaka, where Akiko Yosano was born and raised.

On the panel inside the museum, the name of Tolstoy, a Russian literary master known for "War and Peace," was written as a person who influenced Akiko Yosano.

In addition, Mr. Bogdan says that he felt closer to Akiko Yosano, who cared for her family, by touching the exhibits that reproduced Akiko Yosano's birthplace, the Japanese confectionery shop "Surugaya", and by touching her handwriting. .

Mr. Bogdan

must have felt a sense of responsibility and obligation to say, "I want to protect my brother, I don't want him to die."

And maybe he felt guilty for not announcing that he didn't want him dead.

I felt that I had to convey this feeling, so I thought I might have written "Don't you die".

And Mr. Bogdan said that he felt that you in "Crying for You" might be referring to something other than your brother.

Mr. Bogdan:

I felt that crying over "you" meant not only my younger brother, but also those of my younger brother's generation who went to war, and those who were dying.

Thinking of that "you", I can't help but cry.

And I also felt that when the war was over, please come back.

Literature may not be able to stop wars...

In early August, the translation of "Kimi Shinitamafu Koto Nakare", which took about two weeks, was completed.

Stay true to Yosano Akiko's thoughts without paraphrasing.

I was also conscious of the rhythm of the Ukrainian language.

The translated version of "Kimi Shini Tamafu Koto Nare" is also published on the website of the Japan-Ukraine Cultural Exchange Association so that more Ukrainian people can see it.

In addition, we will make a booklet and visit the evacuation center in Ukraine that Mr. Ono has supported in September and distribute it directly.

The desire to prevent war has been expressed in literature around the world, but the reality is that war is still happening.

Literature may not be able to stop wars.

Still, Ono believes that this poem has a universal power to resonate with people.

Mr. Ono

I believe that even in Japan 100 years ago, there were people who were saved by this poem by Akiko Yosano.

And now, I think that there will be people who will be saved in Ukraine as well.

But we must never repeat the times saved by such poetry.

I hope that the war will end as soon as possible, and that the world will never again produce war literature.

Osaka Broadcasting Station Reporter

Akira Ono Joined the station

in 2017.

He covered literary themes such as "The Plague", which was revived in popularity due to the corona crisis, and the 50th anniversary of Yukio Mishima's self-determination.

His favorite author is Kobo Abe.