第二次世界大戦前のロマン派受容
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概要
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Japan resumed its diplomatic relations with foreign countries in 1853 after over 200 years' isolation. Once Japan was open, various western cultures and literatures were introduced. English Romantic poetry was introduced to Japan about this period and has been widely loved by poets, novelists, and general readers. In this paper I survey how five major Romantic poets-Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley, and Keats-were received in Japan before World War II. The first mention of the Romantic poets in Japan was in the translation of Samuel Smiles's Self-Help (1859), which was published under the title of Saigoku Risshihen in 1871. As the general atmosphere in Japan was the eager desire for rising in the world, the description tends to emphasize the poets' advancement from low status to higher; for example, Byron became famous after struggling with his lame leg, and Keats became a genius in spite of low birth. Though the introduction was not necessarily accurate, the book served to draw the attention of Japanese poets and novelists to the Romantic poets. Ten years after the introduction, easier poems were translated and included in the collections of European poems such as Tateki Owada's Obei Meika Shishu (1894). Among the Romantic poets, Wordsworth was the most popular in the eary stage; "Lucy Gray," "Michael," and "Immortality" were already translated in the 1890's. The reason of his popularity was his emphasis on natural beauty, as Japan has a long tradition of nature poetry. Already in 1893, the first independent book on Wordsworth was published by Yaokichi Miyazaki; then in 1905, the first collection of Wordsworth's translated poems followed. On the other hand, Coleridge was late to be read; the first book on the poet was issued in 1931, almost forty years later than that on Wordsworth. The first selection of Coleridge's translated poems was published in 1940, again thirty-five years behind Wordsworth's. Byron, in particular, was passionately loved and imitated from the early days. He was fascinating to the Japanese readers because of his narrative charm, exotic atmosphere, and his biographical facts. Ogai Mori translated the opening passage of "Manfred" and ten stanzas from Childe Harold in 1889. Tokoku Kitamura created a poem based on "The Prisoner of Chillon" and a drama based on "Manfred." These imitations were widely read, though not necessarily successful. From the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, "Byronic fever" was prevalent. Shelley, combined with Byron, was also enthusiastically read as a revolutionary poet, eager for independence and freedom, as Japan had politically democratic atmosphere in those days. His works were not imitated like Byron's, but his lines were cited in novels. Keats was late to become popular among a general audience. Though he was translated by poets and novelists and sometimes imitated in the 1890's, the number of such publications was small. Besides, people had for a long time been affected by the prejudice that he was an unhappy, love-sick poet. It is interesting to note that after World War II, Keats became most popular among the five Romantic poets, considering the late reception in the early days. Thus, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley, and Keats were well received and gradually became popular, each in a different way, during the seventy years after their first appearance in a Japanese book.
- 桃山学院大学の論文
- 1999-12-20