Songs of the past - Arishihi no Uta

Japanese: 在りし日の歌 - ありしひのうた

Nakahara Chuya's second collection of poems. Published by Sogensha in 1938 (Showa 13). Contains 58 poems, mostly written between 1934 and 1937. The title "In the past" does not mean "during his lifetime" but is synonymous with "days gone by." While his first collection of poems, "Song of the Goat" (1934), sings of the raw frustration, loss, regret, and prayer that stem from disharmony in human relationships, this collection is distinctive in that the poet, who resides in the "days gone by," sees reality as an illusion and creates a primitive fantasy world with a childlike attitude.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

中原中也の第2詩集。1938年(昭和13)，創元社刊。1934‐37年の作品を中心に，58編を収録。表題の〈在りし日〉は〈生前〉の意ではなく，〈過ぎし日〉と同義である。処女詩集《山羊の歌》(1934)が，人間関係の不調和に由来するなまなましい挫折感，喪失感，悔恨，祈願を歌っているのに対し，この詩集は，〈過ぎし日〉に身を置いた詩人が，現実を仮象と観じ，小児のような姿勢で原初的な幻想世界を創造しているところに特色がある。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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