13夜の観月会に誘われた。浜松市の鴨江にある曹洞宗のお寺のご住職から。
秋のこの時期には、檀家の人にお声がけをして月を見る会をするそうだ。そういえば最近、まともに月を見たことはないかもしれない。ご住職や家族の方々にも会いたく、東海道線に乗った。
生憎の天気になってしまった。大磯のあたりを走っている時から空はどんよりと曇っていて、これではしばらくぶりの月を拝めることもないだろうな、とそちらの方は早々に諦めた。
お寺に到着する頃は、だいぶ雲も晴れて、青空も見えていたのだけど長続きはしなかった。空が暗さを増す頃には、時雨じみて月は拝めそうになかった。
お寺の広間に入ると、100人近い人が集まって夕食の弁当を食べていた。みんな表情は晴れやかで、楽しそうにしている。改めてこのお寺のコミュニティの力を感じた。まあ、そりゃそうだよね、鎌倉で仕事をしている私がわざわざ浜松まで月を見に来るのだから、このお寺の魅力は何か特別なものがあるのだ、きっと。
月は見れない夜だったが、本堂でコンサートがあった。みんなこれが楽しみでやってくる。
昨夜は、フルート、リコーダー、鍵盤ハーモニカ、オカリナの演奏。これにキーボードの伴奏が加わる。昨夜は夜は少し暖かく、本堂の窓や扉は開いていて、秋の虫の鳴く声も聞こえてきた。
馴染みのあるいくつかの楽曲の演奏が続いた。秋の夜にふさわしい選曲。
演奏者は楽器を鍵盤ハーモニカに変えて、月の砂漠の演奏を始めた。
前奏のアレンジメロディーが、確か私が小学5年か6年の時に練習したものと近く、ああ、そうだった、そういうメロディーだった、と思った途端、虫の鳴き声が止んだ。ように私には思えた。
そして月が見えた。
I was invited to a 13th night moon-watching party. From the head priest of a Soto Zen temple in Kamoe, Hamamatsu City.
He said that at this time of the year in autumn, he asks his parishioners to join him for a moon-watching party. Come to think of it, I may not have seen the moon properly recently. I took the Tokaido Line to see the priest and his family members.
The weather turned out to be unfavorable. The sky was overcast from the time we were driving around Oiso, and I gave up on that side early, thinking that I would not be able to see the moon for the first time in a while.
By the time we arrived at the temple, the clouds had cleared up and we could see blue sky, but it didn't last long. By the time the sky was darkening, it was raining and it looked like we would not be able to see the moon.
When I entered the hall of the temple, I found nearly 100 people gathered there eating their dinner lunches. Everyone looked cheerful and happy. Once again, I felt the power of this temple community. Well, of course I should have known that, since I work in Kamakura and came all the way to Hamamatsu to see the moon, there must be something special about this temple.
It was a night when the moon could not be seen, but there was a concert in the main hall. Everyone comes here because they are looking forward to it.
Last night, flute, recorder, keyboard harmonica, and ocarina were played. This was accompanied by keyboard accompaniment. The night was a little warmer last night, the windows and doors of the main hall were open, and we could hear the chirping of the autumn insects.
The performance continued with several familiar tunes. The music selections were appropriate for an autumn evening.
The performer changed his instrument to a keyboard harmonica and began playing Desert of the Moon.
The arranged melody of the prelude was close to the one I had practiced in the fifth or sixth grade, and as soon as I thought, "Oh, yes, that's the melody," the buzzing of the insects stopped. It seemed to me that it was the same melody I had practiced in the fifth or sixth grade.
And then I saw the moon.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)