【海の日に寄せて】A Song of the Sea~John Ruskin 「海の詩歌（うた）」ジョン・ラスキンをJazz風に朗詠！

 　J・ラスキンを知ったのは、井上義夫氏訳『ヴェネツィアの石』『フィレンツェの朝』を手にしたのがきっかけ。Wikipediaによると、著名な美術評論家だが、学生時代は詩人を志していたようで、早速検索してみたら、彼の詩集が出てきた。そして、もっとも私の詩心を魅了したのは、彼の大学時代の手稿だった。オークション・サイトでそれを発見。これは歌えるかも？、と感じた途端、メロディーが降りてきた。折りしも、Nuyorican Potes CafeのOnline Open Micのテーマが「Moon Song」でもあったので、ホストのElemet2alにも久しぶりに会いたかったから、十日ほどで動画を作った。私の歌唱はさておき（お聴き苦しくて申し訳ない）、膨大な著作を残した巨匠の、若き日の詩とは思えぬ老成した鎮魂歌だ。戦争を追慕してしまう夏に相応しい秀作を、お楽しみください。原文、と、日本語版、有り。

　

I first discovered John Ruskin through Yoshio Inoue’s Japanese translations of The Stones of Venice and Mornings in Florence. According to Wikipedia, Ruskin was a renowned art critic, but it seems that during his student days, he aspired to be a poet. That piqued my curiosity, so I searched for his poetry—and sure enough, I found a collection of his verses. But what truly stirred my poetic heart was a manuscript from his university years. I stumbled upon it on an auction site, and the moment I saw it, I thought, “Maybe I can sing this.” As soon as that thought crossed my mind, a melody came to me.

Coincidentally, the theme of the upcoming Nuyorican Poets Cafe Online Open Mic was “Moon Song,” and I also wanted to see the host, Elemet2al, again. So I created the video in about ten days.

As for my singing—please forgive its roughness—but I hope you'll enjoy this remarkably mature and solemn requiem, which is hard to believe was penned by a young man who would later become a giant of letters. It’s a beautiful work that feels especially fitting for this summer season, when memories of war so often return to us.

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自筆詩稿『A Song of the Sea（海のうた）』、"JR" のイニシャル入り

執筆者：ジョン・ラスキン氏｜クライスト・チャーチ｜オックスフォード大学

ラスキンは1836年10月にオックスフォード大学に入学し、在学中は詩作に多くの時間を費やしました。1839年には名誉あるニューディゲート賞を受賞しました。

https://www.sothebys

Autograph manuscript poem “A Song of the Sea”, initialled JR

Written by Mr. John Ruskin | Christ Church | Oxford. Ruskin matriculated in October 1836, and devoted much of his time at Oxford to writing verse. He won the prestigious Newdigate Prize in 1839.

https://www.sothebys