歳時記の言葉 vol.3　"雀隠れ" / The season words in Japanese haiku. Vol.3 "Suzume_gakure"


「雀隠れ」という晩春を表現する季語があり、名詞として使われます。「雀を隠す草」の意味です。
晩春、草々はその丈を高く伸ばし始めるので、雀たちはそこに身を隠すことができるようになります。「雀隠れ」はそういった状況を表します。雀は日本人に最も親しまれている鳥ですが、この国の都市化で数を減らして来ました。近い将来、この季語は無くなるかもしれません。自然と言葉、言語というのは密接な関係があると言えましょう。

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There is a seasonal word "Suzume_gakure" which expresses the late spring, and is used as a noun. It means "The grass which hides sparrows."
In late spring, the height of the grass begins to grow high, so the sparrows become able to hide in the grass. "Suzume_gakure" shows such a situation. Sparrows are the most familiar birds among the Japanese, but have decreased in numbers with the urbanization of this country. In the near future, this seasonal word might become obsolete. We can say that nature and words, or language have close connection.

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