Ottosei

おっとせい/氷に眠る/さいわいを
　　　我も今知る/おもしろきかな
(山川登美子 1879-1909)

ottosei / koori ni nemuru / saiwai wo
　　　ware mo ima shiru / omoshiroki kana
(Yamakawa Tomiko 1879-1909)

I now also know
the happiness
of a seal
　　　sleeping on ice:
　　　how amusing!


We might wonder, like this Japanese blogger, whether sleeping on ice can come to feel amusing (or interesting or funny) at some point. If it wasn't for that last comment about how 'amusing' it is, I would probably have translated 'saiwai' as 'good fortune' or something similar. There seems to be something more going on in the poem than simple amusement though. What is the happiness of a seal sleeping on ice? Against a bleak backdrop, the seal sleeps, protected by its fur from the harsh environment. An image of self-sufficiency, or am I going too far in my interpretation on too little evidence?

Another Japanese blogger suggests (as far as I understand) that Yamakawa may have been amused by finding happiness in the unshowy everyday. But the fact that the seal is sleeping would also seem to be of some significance. The world is harsh, but it is shut out, because the seal is sleeping through it. So I return to self-sufficiency, except it's not only fur that protects the seal, but also loss of consciousness through sleep that is the only way to happiness in this world. How amusing?

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