翻刻
黄葉すといへとも培養熟し草強けれハ
萎くとして憔悴せす花あらすして眺に
たりぬ偖実生初咲の時邂逅八重千英の花
形現する事あれとも翌夏三歳草になりて
咲時ハ花形乱ｔて初咲の姿を失へり藻蓀に
千英の花形ありて年々歳々異る事
なけれとも類草といへとも花菖蒲ハ稀に
其形をあらわすといへとも全形にあらす去し
夏実生初咲の中八重の形状含たるはなを
撰ひ多く培養せしに翌夏咲たるをみるに
一草のミ花形十倍して未曾有の葩
花開きたり六十余とせ此花形に心酔せしか
漸成願せり嘻人力の造化に冥合せるか遂に
奇品出るにいたれり亦退て顧ハ数十年間
実生培養懈されハ是迄迚も現せさる事
あらましなれとも畢竟魯鈍着眼ゆえに
筌定しかたく折角あらわれたるをも其侭
すたれたる種数多かりなんと後悔歎息
侍れとも是迚も親愛の篤きに依て心酔
し推量ならんか草生懸隔せる菊花に
現代語訳
黄葉するといっても、栽培が熟練し草が強健であれば
萎れることなく憔悴せず、花がなくても眺めに
堪える。さて実生の初咲きの時に、偶然八重千重の花
形が現れることがあるけれども、翌夏三歳草になって
咲く時は花形が乱れて初咲きの姿を失ってしまう。菖蒲（あやめ）には
千重の花形があって年々歳々変わることは
ないけれども、同類の草といっても花菖蒲は稀に
その形を現すといっても完全な形ではない。昨年の
夏、実生初咲きの中で八重の形状を含んだ花を
選んで多く栽培したところ、翌夏咲いたのを見ると
一草のみ花形が十倍して、未曾有の花弁で
花が開いた。六十余年この花形に心酔してきたが
ようやく念願が成就した。ああ、人力が造化と冥合したのか、ついに
奇品が出現するに至った。また振り返って顧みれば、数十年間
実生栽培を怠らなければ、これまででも現すことができなかった
ことはなかったであろうけれども、畢竟愚鈍で着眼が悪いゆえに
確定しがたく、せっかく現れたものもそのまま
廃れた品種が数多くあったであろうと後悔嘆息
しているけれども、これもまた親愛の篤さによって心酔
し推察するのであろうか。草姿が懸け隔たった菊花に
英語訳
Even when the leaves turn yellow, if cultivation is skillful and the plants are strong,
they do not wilt or become emaciated, and even without flowers they are
worth viewing. Now, when seedlings first bloom, occasionally double and multiple-layered flower
forms appear, but when they bloom the following summer as three-year plants,
the flower forms become disordered and lose their initial appearance. In iris (ayame),
there are multiple-layered flower forms that remain unchanged
year after year, but although they are related plants, hanashōbu rarely
displays such forms, and even when it does, they are not perfect forms. Last
summer, I selected flowers containing double forms among the first-blooming seedlings
and cultivated many of them, and when I observed those that bloomed the following summer,
only one plant had a flower form ten times more elaborate, with unprecedented petals
in full bloom. For over sixty years I have been captivated by this flower form, and
finally my wish has been fulfilled. Ah, has human effort merged with the creative force of nature? At last
a remarkable variety has emerged. Looking back again, if I had not neglected
seedling cultivation for decades, there would have been things I could not have achieved
even up to now, but ultimately due to my dullness and poor observation,
it was difficult to determine, and many varieties that appeared with great effort
probably withered away as they were, which I regret and lament.
However, this too is perhaps due to my deep affection causing infatuation
and speculation. In chrysanthemums, which have quite different plant characteristics,