Yoshida Chiaki

From PHOTOGUIDE.JP

Water lily

Yoshida Chiaki (吉田千秋) (1895.2.18-1919.2.24) was the writer and composer of a song called Hitsuji-gusa (ひつじぐさ) which means water lilies. This is the song whose melody was used for the famous song, Biwako Shuko no Uta (琵琶湖周航の歌) written by Oguchi Taro in 1917.

Yoshida Chiaki was from Niitsu (now Niigata city) in Niigata Prefecture. His father was the famous geographer Yoshida Togo (1864-1918) (吉田東伍) who spent 13 years compiling an encyclopedia of Japanese place names. The Yoshida Togo Memorial Museum in Agano, Niigata is dedicated to Chiaki's father.

In 1915, the Hitsuji-gusa song was published in the Aug. issue of a music magazine called Ongakukai 音楽界 and apparently became popular enough for one crew member to suggest that the melody be used with Oguchi's lyrics for Biwako Shuko no Uta. Yoshida's song was actually his Japanese translation of an old (late 19th century) British children's song called Water Lilies (see lyrics below). He composed his own melody to suit his Japanese lyrics. The melody was like a Christian hymn, evidence that Yoshida was influenced by his independent studies at a Christian church. It is a totally different melody from the original Water Lilies song from the UK. The lyrics have Buddhist overtones, so it is interesting that the song is matched with a Christian hymn. Yoshida Chiaki, who died at age 24 from tuberculosis, never met the songwriter Oguchi Taro who also died in his 20s.

Hitsuji-gusa ひつじぐさ

Written and composed by Yoshida Chiaki 吉田千秋

There are three verses. The lyrics on the left column are based on the original writing, the lyrics in the middle includes kanji characters which make it easier to understand if you can read Japanese. The lyrics in the right column is a romanization. The Japanese lyrics are a close translation of the original English song Water Lilies whose lyrics are also shown below. Perhaps you should read the Water Lilies lyrics first (scroll down)

1
おぼろつきよの　月あかり
かすかに池の　おもにおち
波間にうかぶ　かずしらぬ
ひつじぐさをぞ　てらすなる

1 (Kanji)
おぼろ月夜の　月明かり
かすかに池の　面に落ち
波間に浮かぶ　数知らぬ
ひつじ草をぞ　照らすなる

1 (Romanized)
Oboro tsukiyo no, tsuki akari
Kasuka ni ike no, omo ni ochi
Nami ma ni ukabu, kazu shiranu
Hitsuji-gusa o zo, terasu naru

2
雪かとまがふ　はなびらは
こがねの蘂を　とりまきつ
なみのまにまに　ゆるげども
はなの心は　なみだたず

2 (Kanji)
雪かとまがふ　花びらは
黄金の蘂を　取り巻きつ
波のまにまに　揺るげども
花の心は　波立たず

2 (Romanized)
Yuki ka tomagafu, hanabira wa
Kogane no shibe o, tori makitsu
Nami no ma ni ma ni, yuruge domo
Hana no kokoro wa, nami datazu

3
かぜふかばふけ　そらくもれ
あめふれなみたて　さりながら
あだなみのした　そこふかく
萌えいでたりぬ　ひつじぐさ

3 (Kanji)
風吹かば吹け　空曇れ
雨降れ波立たて　さりながら
徒波の下　底深く
萌えいでたりぬ　ひつじ草

3 (Romanized)
Kaze fukaba fuke, sora kumore
Ame fure nami tate, sari nagara
Adanami no shita, soko fukaku
Moe idetarinu, hitsuji-gusa

Essential Vocabulary

Verse 1
おぼろ misty, foggy
かすかに faintly
面 water surface
数知らぬ countless

Verse 2
雪かとまがふ
蘂 stamen, which is the yellow part of the flower surrounded by petals
揺るげども being shaken (by the waves)
花の心 literally "heart of the flower," apparently a metaphoric reference to the entire flower (petals + stamen)
波立たず holding fast against the waves

Verse 3
さりながら while being subjected to (rain and waves)
徒波 fleeting (always changing) waves
萌えいでたりぬ

Water Lilies

By E.R.B.

Misty moonlight, faintly falling
O'er the lake at eventide,
Shows a thousand gleaming lilies
On the rippling waters wide.

White as snow, the circling petals
Cluster round each golden star,
Rising, falling with the waters,
Moving, yet at rest they are.

Winds may blow, and skies may darken,
Rain may pour, and waves may swell;
Deep beneath the changeful eddies
Lily roots fastened well.

Photos


Front of Yoshida Chiaki's home.	Yoshida Chiaki's room on the 2nd floor	Cover of Ongaku-kai magazine	Water Lilies by Yoshida Chiaki on 1st page of Ongaku-kai

Book titled "A Garland of Flower-Poems" owned by Chiaki	Water Lilies by ERB in the book where Chiaki likely found the song	Accordion used by Chiaki	Yoshida Togo Home in Agano