#kanbun

写案献之、如状者、

異国用心事、条々篇目具

被載下之候歟、然者楯并

石築地上垣楯令用意之、

来月一日以前、可被打越其

要害候

I couldn’t find anything relevant on Aozora Bunko, but this panel made me wonder if IRL Jōno Saigiku ever used to write in kanbun.

In kanbun, you have different readings:

1st picture: Chinese phonetic reading ondoku;

2nd picture: Japanese explanatory reading kundoku (that you can also call yomikudashi). Here, you could say that it’s a “Classical Japanese translation” of some kanbun.

This is a written version of Japanese Emperor Hirohito’s speech, which was broadcasted in August 14th, 1945. It was actually not understood by a lot of Japanese people, because it was in kanbun (which is a lot more easier to understand when it’s written, but still).

As you can see, it looks like Jōno’s letter.

All the tiny signs (in orange) you can see on the left side of the Chinese characters are indicating in which order you have to read the characters and on the right side, are characters (always in katakana, not in hiragana) that you also have to read, those are mostly particles but not only.

I actually never saw a text written like this with my own eyes, but you could come across this. You have to look at the position of the point to know which particles it is!

有薬、不可好毒。

Kusuri areba tote, doku wo konomubekarazu.

🇬🇧 Just because you have the cure, do not be addicted to the poison.

君問歸期未有期

巴山夜雨漲秋池

何當共剪西窗燭

卻話巴山夜雨時

A poem by 李商隱, who lived in the late Tang dynasty as it was declining. Traditionally, its title has been something like 夜Night 雨Rain 寄to the 北North. I think it’s very pretty.

I’m not sure who the poem is addressed to; one might assume it’s his wife, but it could just as well be a friend. Either way, I’d be perfectly happy to get a poem like this from someone I knew who was far away.

Anyway, here’s my translation.

君問歸期未有期 You ask when I will return; I know not when.

巴山夜雨漲秋池 The night rain of mount Ba fills autumn ponds.

何當共剪西窗燭 When, surely, will we together trim the candle by the west window,

Tra i corsi che sto seguendo c'è anche Lingua Giapponese Classica dove studiamo 漢文 (kanbun) che è praticamente cinese. Vabbè tutto questo per dire che è tale e quale al latino e ogni volta che traduco mi rendo conto che su ste cose sono davvero incapace. Mi piacevano le versioni di latino e mi piace anche Kanbun ma non sono per niente brava in queste cose, è proprio un dato di fatto... e questo mi mette un po' di frustrazione, uffa.

My kind of sex~

(E non è nemmeno tanto una bugia, in fondo.)

宋人有閔其苗之不長而揠之者，芒芒然歸，謂其人曰：「今日病矣，予助苗長矣！」其子趨而往視之，苗則槁矣。

宋Song 人man 者who 有had a 閔worry of 其his 苗之seedlings’ 不not 長growing 而and 揠pulled 之them, 芒芒One by one [he] did 然so and 歸went home, 謂addressing 其his 人people (family), 曰saying：「今日Today I am 病tired 矣! 予I 助helped the 苗seedlings 長grow 矣!」其His 子son 趨hurried 而and 往went to 視see 之it; if it was a 苗seedling, 則then it was 槁withered 矣indeed.

大小戴，註禮記。述聖言，禮樂備。

大Elder and 小younger 戴Dai 註annotated the 禮記Book of Rites. [They] 述described the 聖sage’s 言words [and had] the 禮rites and 樂music 備prepared.

That is, 戴聖 and his uncle 戴德. Their work reduced the original number of sections in the book down from 214, its current number of sections being 49. 

曰國風，曰雅頌。號四詩，當諷詠。

曰Say 國State 風Airs, 曰Say 雅Court Hymns and 頌Eulogies; 號called the 四four [types of] 詩poetry, [they] 當should [be] 諷recited and 詠sung.

These are the four types of poetry in the Book of Poetry. 國風 were simple folk songs, while 雅 and 頌 tend to be more ritual or court songs.

詩既亡，春秋作。寓褒貶，別善惡。

The 詩Book of Poetry 既having then 亡ceased, the 春Spring and 秋Autumn [Annals] were 作made. They 寓contained 褒praise and 貶criticism, 別seperating 善good and 惡evil.

亡??? who killed poetry

三傳者，有公羊。有左氏，有彀梁。

者As for the 三three 傳commentaries, 有there was 公Gong 羊Yang’s, 有there was 左Zuo 氏Shi’s, and 有there was 彀Gou 梁Liang’s.

The commentaries, for those unaware, are just what they sound like. There is a long tradition of scholars leaving notes and highlighting the meaning and contexts of the text; Though they were less involved in the face-value meaning and more focused on overall implications. They’re vital to understanding the classics in the context of history and how they shaped each era. 

經既明，方讀子。撮其要，記其事。

The 經Classics, 既having been made 明clear, 方now when 讀reading the 子masters, 撮pick out 其their 要vital points and 記note 其their 事facts.