Reading The Tale of Genji
I'm reading The Tale of Genji.
In modern translation, of course, not the ancient language.
I wondered if I would enjoy it, since it is a romance novel that is over a thousand years old, but once I was in this world, I couldn't get out of it.
I would venture to say that the descriptions are as delicate as Virginia Woolf's.
I like the moonlit night. I like the sound of a kimono being grazed. I like the lingering scent of incense.
It's not a broad historical novel, but a human breath. This is a novel that makes you feel like you can hear
... But I have a long way to go. It's said to be a long novel, with 2,400 pages of manuscript paper.
源氏物語を読む
源氏物語を読んでいる。
もちろん、古語でなく現代語訳で。
1000年以上前の恋愛小説なので、はたして楽しめるのかなと思っていたが、一度この世界に入ってしまうと抜け出せなくなってしまった。
敢えて言うなら、ヴァージニア・ウルフのように描写が繊細なのだ。
月夜がいい。着物のかすれる音がいい。香の残り香がいい。
大雑把な歴史小説でなく、人の息（吐息？）が聞こえてきそうな語り口の小説である。
・・・でも、先は長いなあ。原稿用紙で2400枚くらいの大長編小説だそうです。
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