塾の生徒さんと一緒に今月から源氏物語を読んでいます。I've been reading the tale of Genji with my students at my cram school since the beginning of this month. テキストはこちらを使っています。
Our textbook is this one.
文庫本サイズながらAlthough it's a small-sized book, it has original text from each volume of the tale, with easy to grasp translations. 原文も各巻から重要な部分が抜粋され、It also explains paradigm and words of Heian period, which are so interesting. 意訳がついていて、この当時の考え方や用語の解説もあり、とても面白い本です。ビギナーズクラシックスのシリーズは中国古典もあり、The series of Beginners' Classics also has Chinese literature, all of which are intriguing. どれも楽しくてお勧めです。
源氏物語なんて古くさいと思っている方はまずはこの本から始めてみたら、If you think the Tale of Genji is too old fashioned, you'd be surprised to find that it has such modern aspects. あまりにも現代と通じる内容に驚くはずです。主人公光源氏は、The main character Hikaru Genji is a cruel playboy who controls many women at his will with taking advantage of his good looking. 自分の魅力を武器にさまざまな女性を意のままに操り、ひどいプレイボーイではありますが、どこか憎めません。But I can't blame him somehow. 幼い頃に母を亡くした喪失感が女性遍歴の始まりとなり、It's maybe because his girl hunting has its root in his childhood in solitude when he lost his mother as a toddler. どんなに愛されても満たされない孤独感が見えるからでしょうか？So he can't be satisfied no matter how he is loved by other women as he searches mother's love in every lady he meets.
女性もいろいろな立場や性格の人がいて、Genji's lovers have a variety of statuses and personalities. For example, Utsusemi is an older married woman in middle class who is secretly allured to Genji but tries to reject him to protect her married life, 光源氏に惹かれながらも拒絶する空蝉のような人、地方貴族の娘でもプライドを捨てない明石の君など、another young local aristocrat Akashi no kimi is so ambitious to be a wife of a higher class man while hiding her inferiority complex to have been born far from the then capital Kyoto. それぞれに個性的で面白いです。They are all vividly depicted.
全文の現代語訳は、The translation of all the text into modern Japanese are written by 与謝野晶子、Yosano Akiko, 谷崎潤一郎、Tanizaki Jyunichiro, 瀬戸内寂聴版がありますが、and Setouchi Jyakucho, all of whom are great authors. 私は瀬戸内さんのを読みました。And I've read Setouchi's version. また他の人の訳を読んだら違った魅力があるはずです。I'm sure that all of them have its character and its own beauty
名作はいつの時代でも新鮮だから古典になっているのですね。Masterpieces have never to fade freshness, that's why they become classics. 日本人なら一生に一度は読まないともったいないです。ぜひ。As Japanese, we shouldn't die until we read the Tale of Girl once. I strongly recommend you read this!