歳時記の言葉vol7. 薄暑 / The seasonal words in Japanese Haiku vol.7 "Hakusho"

薄暑はやや熱い陽気を表し、季語の一つです。初夏を表現します。

この季節、私たちは少し汗ばむ陽気になり、肌に触れる風が心地よいものです。その上、目には豊かな新緑が目に入ります。そうした日々が雨季がやって来るまで続きます。雨季は6月の後半に始まり、7月中に終えます。日本語で"ツユ"（梅雨）と呼ばれ、とても多湿になります。ですから薄暑の季節はそう長くは続かず終えます。梅雨が到来すると、この心地よい時節を惜しむものです。また、"梅雨"自体も季語の一つです。

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"Hakusho" refers to "weather that's a little bit hot" and is a seasonal word. It expresses the early summer. 

In this season, the weather becomes hot enough to make us perspire, and the wind makes our skin feel pleasant. Moreover, we can see a wealth of new green. The days continue until the rainy season comes. The rainy season starts from the second half of June, and ends in July. It's called "tsuyu" in Japanese, and has very high humidity. So, the "hakusho" season lasts for just a brief period of time. We miss this comfortable season when "tsuyu" starts, and "tsuyu" itself is a seasonal word too.