(562) 鶯宿梅 Oushukubai

　鶯宿梅(Oushukubai) I saw this word a hauta song Harusame. Its lyrics were written by Shibata Hanamori about 170 years ago. An unnamed prostitute put a tune to this poem. I learned Harusame in my shamisen lessen. I like this melody. There are several performances of Harusame in YouTube.

My favorite one is Misora Hibari's dancing scene in a samurai movie. She was dancing in kimono and singing to the shamisen, a banjo-like instrument with three strings. She sang that she is uguisu the Japanese nightingale, the one she loves is the plum tree. I couldn't understand love between a nightingale and a plum tree. I am a little confused because I imagined several nightingales in a plum tree. The expression 鶯宿梅(oushukubai) nightingale's-home-plum tree was quite new to me. But the other day I learned a famous old waka poem and its anecdote.

  The next short story explains what 鶯宿梅(oushukubai) is. It goes like this;
(The emperor had a red-blossoming plum tree very dear to him. It died, and his minister was sent to seek and get a tree like it. At last, one was found and asked of the lady who owned it. She loved the plum tree for its blooms, and because a nightingale would come there and sing; but she could not deny since it was the order of the emperor. When the tree was taken away, she tied to it a little paper, upon which was written:

  Chioku nare ba itomo Kashiikeshi 勅なればいともかしこし
  Uguisu no Yado wato towaba　鶯の宿はと問わば
  Ikaga kota yen.　　　　　　　　いかが答へむ
”As it is the order of the emperor, I am filled with awe; but if am asked where is the home of the nightingale, what shall I answer?" The emperor, touched by the verse, returned the plum tree.)
ーTwenty Months in Japan by H. G. Hawkinsー

日本で過ごした二十ヶ月

• 作者: H・G・ホーキンス
• 出版社/メーカー: 創風社出版
• 発売日: 2023/09/20
• メディア: 単行本（ソフトカバー）

  This incident happened more than 1,000 years ago in Kyoto in Japan. This plum tree is called oushukubai, which means Japanese nightingale's-home tree.

  Now I return to the hauta song, Harusame. I try to understand the meaning of these lyrics.

春雨に　しっぽり濡るるうぐいすの
Harusame ni shippori nururu Uguisuno

羽風に匂う梅が香や
Ha-kaze ni Niou Ume ga Ka ya

花に戯れ　しおらしや
Hana ni tawamure shiorashiya

小鳥でさえも一筋に
Kotori de saemo Hitosuji ni

ねぐら定めぬ　気はひとつ
Negura sadamenu Ki wa hitotsu

私しゃ鶯　主は梅
Watasha Uguisu Nushi wa Ume

やがて　身まま気ままになるならば
Yagate mimama kimama ni narunaraba

サアー　鶯宿梅じゃないかいなー
Saa Oushuku Bai ja naikai naa

サアーサ　何でもよいわいな
Saasa nan demo yoiwai naa

A Japanese nightingale gets wet moistly in the spring rain
The fragrance of plum blossoms wafting fragrantly in the breeze of feathers
The lovely nightingale playing in the plum blossoms
Even such a fragile little bird
Has its roost firmly set
And lives in the plum tree sincerely

I am the nightingale, you are the plum tree
Someday I will be free
If I am free to do as I please
Then I'll fly to you, my home of the plum tree
Oh, it doesn't matter anymore
Oh, I don't care anymore
*