080306育儿中的鱼和熊掌
江戸中ごろに始まる金魚売りは涼しげな商売で、夏の季語でもある。とはいえ、品物が泳ぐ水桶（みずおけ）を運んで売り歩くのは重労働だ。炎天下、よろけることもあった。〈金魚売り己（おの）れの影へ水零（こぼ）す〉中村苑子。
始于江户中期的叫卖金鱼生意给人一种清凉的感觉，还是俳句中的夏日季语。可要带着装有商品优游其中的水桶走街串巷，实在是个重体力活。赤日炎炎之下，有时难免脚步踉跄。“金鱼贩，水泼自身影” 中村苑子。
明治までの金魚売りには天秤棒（てんびんぼう）が欠かせない。両端に桶を下げ、真ん中を肩に担ぐ。昔の旅姿にある振り分け荷物のように、前後に等しく荷を下げ安定させた。同じことをすると、がぜん不安定になるのが自転車だ。
一直到明治时代，天平棒（扁担）还是金鱼小贩少不了家伙什。两端挂水桶，肩在正中挑。和古代出门人行李均分前后一般，挑子两头要一般重，保持平衡。可骑自行车时如果也如法炮制，就会突然失去平衡。
転ぶと命にかかわるから、前後に幼児を乗せれば交通違反となる。黙認してきた警察が「禁止」を強く打ち出すと、母親らから「送り迎えができない」「買い物に困る」と悲鳴が上がった。
因为一摔到就性命相关，所以前后载着小孩骑车就违反交通规则了。以前警察对此一直是睁一眼闭一眼的，后来强令“禁止”了，这么一来，妈妈们就叫苦连天了，说什么“没法接送孩子了”、“买东西时怎么哪？”。
警察庁は、安定して走れる自転車なら３人乗りを認める方針に転じ、メーカー団体に試作を要請したという。安定の工夫とは、低い重心や三輪化だろうか。ともあれ、母の声が行政と産業界を動かし、交通ルールを変えようとしている。
据说警察厅已改变方针，说只要是能稳定行驶的自行车，则坐3个人也没问题，还要求有关厂商进行试制。要稳定，大概也只有降低重心及三轮化了吧。这个姑且不论，总之妈妈们的呼声正推动着行政以及制造行业，并将改变交通规则。
細腕に力を込め、よろよろと進む３人乗りは「子育て奮戦中」の見えない旗を掲げている。老いる日本が子を欲する時に、国が四角四面に育児の足を奪っては時代感覚を問われよう。かといって、危険な習慣を放ってはおけない。３人用の開発とともに、数年しか使わない「特殊車」の負担を軽くする道も皆で考えたい。
瘦弱的胳膊使劲捏把，载着3人自行车晃晃悠悠地奋力向前，仿佛揭起了一面看不见的旗帜，上面写着“育儿奋斗中”。在这老迈的日本正思儿之际，国家若仍是一味的方正死板，拖了育儿的后腿，将会因不识时务而遭责问。话虽如此，危险的习惯也不能放任不管。在开发3人坐自行车的同时，大家也要考虑降低这种只用几年的“特殊自行车”带来的经济负担。
幼子を事故から守り、子育ての現実にも気を配る。どちらも譲れぬ安全と利便とを、社会の天秤棒にどうぶら下げるか。「金魚え～金魚～」の声に群がった人々のように、関係者総出でワイワイやれないか。
既要保证儿童的安全，又要考虑育儿的现实。安全和便利，两者互不相让，该如何悬挂在社会天平棒的两端呢？“金鱼，卖金鱼了”，听到这样的叫卖声人们都会聚拢过来。在育儿问题上，相关者是否也会全体出动，献计献策呢？
英译：
How do we balance safety and convenience?
03/07/2008
Kingyo-uri, or itinerant goldfish vendors, who first appeared around the middle of the Edo Period (1603-1867), were a cooling sight during summer months. Kingyo-uri is a kigo seasonal keyword for summer in haiku poetry.
But it was hard work pounding the streets hauling heavy pails filled with swimming fish. The physical exertion under the scorching sun sometimes made vendors falter. A haiku by Sonoko Nakamura goes: "The goldfish vendor/ Spills water/ On his own shadow."
Until the Meiji Era (1868-1912), every vendor used a trademark long pole to carry goldfish. Pails hung from each end of the pole, the center of which rested on the vendor's shoulder. The even distribution of weight at both ends of the pole stabilized the load. This reminds me of how travelers of old carried their belongings in furiwake-nimotsu, a strap slung over one's shoulder which swung back and forth with poise due to the weight of the bundles attached.
But this principle of weight distribution does not work when riding a bicycle. In fact, it makes the bicycle dangerously unstable.
Triple-riding, whereby a rider shares his or her bicycle with one child in the front seat and another in the back seat, is against the law because a fall could be fatal. But police kept their eyes closed to this practice for years until the National Police Agency finally decided to put a stop to it.
The move, however, was met with protests from mothers, who insisted that triple-riding was the only way they could take their small children to and from daycare facilities or go with them on shopping excursions.
The police agency backpedaled. It decided to allow triple-riding, provided the bicycle is designed for stability, and reportedly asked a bicycle manufacturers' association to build a prototype. I imagine the prototype will be something like a tricycle or a bicycle with a low center of gravity. In any case, the mothers' voices moved the government and industry, resulting in an imminent change in the nation's traffic rules.
Triple-riding mothers, pedaling unsteadily with their kids in front and back, look as if they are carrying an invisible banner that says, "struggling to raise (our) kids." In this day and age when our graying society is desperately crying out for more babies, the government would be considered totally out of touch with reality for enforcing rigid rules that deprive mothers of their means of transport.
But unsafe conduct should not be allowed, either. While we await the development of safe bikes for triple-riding, we should also think of ways to alleviate the financial burden on families who have to invest in these "special vehicles" that they won't be needing after a few years.
Small children must be protected from accidents, but consideration should be given to the actual conditions of raising children. How do we balance safety and convenience, neither of which ought to be sacrificed?
I hope everyone concerned will get involved and have lively discussions on what will work best, just as people used to gather around a goldfish vender in the old days.
--The Asahi Shimbun, March 6(IHT/Asahi: March 7,2008) |
发表于 2008-3-9 11:56:50
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发表于 2008-3-10 14:36:37
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