Rain won't stop me.
Wind won't stop me.
Neither will driving snow.
Sweltering summer heat will only
raise my determination.
With a body built for endurance,
a heart free of greed,
I' Il never lose my temper,
trying always to keep
a quiet smile on my face. My daily diet must be simple:
several heaped bowls of brown rice,
some vegetables and miso.
I'll listen to others, observe
carefully, and refuse to forget.
I'll make my home in a hut with a thatched roof,
near a meadow surrounded by pine trees. If a child were to fall ill in the east,
I'd run there to help with the nursing.
If a mother were to overwork herself in the west,
I'd be there to carry the heavy bundles of rice.
If a man were on the verge of death in the south,
I'd rush to soothe his fears.
If bitter lawsuits and fighting
were to break out in the north,
I'd urge all parties
to come together and talk things over. In days of drought, I'd weep,
just weep.
In unseasonable cold spells, I'd walk the fields
and worry over the stunted crops.
People may call me a fool.
I doubt if anyone will applaud me.
Then again, perhaps none will detest me either.
All this is my goal ― the person
I want to become. written by Kenji Miyazawa translated by Arthur Binard
絵本『雨ニモマケズ Rain Won't』（今人舎より）
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
アーサー・ビナードさんが英訳した「雨ニモマケズ」を駒込看板にしました。
JR駒込駅から見える駒込看板は、私が看板業をしていたころから続いています。
昔、駒込看板に掲載した「とあるスポーツ紙記者殿」は新聞記事にもなって、
私にとっては大都会でいろんな人との出会いがありました。
私は「雨ニモマケズ」が好きで、過去に2回駒込看板に書いたことがあります。
（小宮山栄）