新型コロナ感染拡大に伴い注目を集めた東京・新宿の歌舞伎町で働くホストたちが、歌集「ホスト万葉集」(短歌研究社)を出版した。愛の言葉で女性をもてなすプロたちの作品は、本職の歌人も高く評価。独り歩きした「夜の街」のイメージの裏側にある等身大の素顔がのぞく。
〈行けたら行くねそんなこと別に聞いてない/今日会いに来てくれる君が好き〉(風早涼太)
歌集は約900首から厳選した約300首を収録。「姫」と呼ぶ女性客に思いをはせる歌から、〈千円を前借りにして口にするおにぎり一個の我の悔しさ〉(武尊)と向上心がにじむ作品まで、多彩な内容が際立つ。(KYODO)
Words and phrases
新型(しんがた)コロナ novel coronavirus
感染拡大 (かんせんかくだい) spread of infection
伴(ともな)う associated with, go with
注目 (ちゅうもく) attention
集(あつ)める to attract
東京 (とうきょう) Tokyo
新宿 (しんじゅく) Shinjuku
歌舞伎町 (かぶきちょう) Kabukicho
働(はたら)く to work
ホストたち male host club workers
歌集 (かしゅう) collection of poems
万葉集 (まんようしゅう) Manyoshu, Japan’s oldest poetry anthology
短歌研究社 (たんかけんきゅうしゃ) Tanka Kenkyu Co., Ltd.
出版(しゅっぱん)する to publish
愛 (あい) love
言葉 (ことば) word
女性 (じょせい) woman
もてなす to entertain
プロ professional
作品 (さくひん) work
本職(ほんしょく)の professional
歌人 (かじん) poet
高(たか)く highly
評価(ひょうか)する to evaluate
独(ひと)り歩(ある)きする to take on a life of its own, to have its own wings
夜(よる)の街(まち) nightlife district
イメージ image
裏側 (うらがわ) back side, behind
等身大(とうしんだい)の life-size, true-to-life, real-life
素顔 (すがお) natural face, one’s real self
のぞく to get a glimpse of
行(い)けたら行(い)く to go if one can
そんなこと any such thing, thing like that
別(べつ)に not particularly
聞(き)く to ask, to hear
今日 (きょう) today
会(あ)いに来(く)る to come to see
君 (きみ) you
好(す)き like
風早涼太 (かぜはやりょうた) Ryota Kazehaya
約 (やく) approximately
900首 (きゅうひゃくしゅ) 900 poems
厳選(げんせん)する to select strictly, carefully
収録(しゅうろく)する to record
姫 (ひめ) princess
呼(よ)ぶ to call
客 (きゃく) customer
思(おも)いをはせる to think of
歌 (うた) poem
〜から…まで from 〜 to…
千円 (せんえん) ¥1,000
前借(まえが)り advance loan, advance on salary
口(くち)にする to eat
おにぎり rice ball
一個 (いっこ) one piece
我 (われ) I
悔(くや)しさ chagrin
武尊 (たける) Takeru
向上心 (こうじょうしん) ambition, aspiration
にじむ to exude
多彩(たさい)な multihued, diverse
内容 (ないよう) contents
際立(きわだ)つ to stand out
Quick questions
1) 歌舞伎町が注目を集めたきっかけは何ですか？
2) 歌集には、どのくらいの数の作品が収録されましたか？
3) 歌集にはどのような内容の歌が収録されていますか？
Translation
The male hosts who work in the Kabukicho district of Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, an area that attracted attention associated with the infectious spread of the novel coronavirus, have published a collection of poems, “The Host Manyoshu” (Tanka Kenkyu Co., Ltd.). The work, by men who are pros at entertaining women with words of love, is even highly evaluated by professional poets. It gives a glimpse of the real-life face that’s behind the (negative) image of a “nightlife district” that becomes a character unto itself.
“‘I’ll go if I can’ (you say) though I didn’t particularly ask/ but I like the you who is coming today to meet me” (by Ryota Kazehaya)
Around 300 poems were recorded from around 900 poems that were carefully screened for the collection. From one poem that thinks of a female customer called “Princess” to a work that expresses ambition (saying), “A single rice ball I ate after getting a ¥1,000 salary advance is my taste of chagrin” (by Takeru), the diverse contents stand out.
Answers
1) What caused Kabukicho to attract attention?
新型コロナウイルス感染拡大。
The spread of infection of the novel coronavirus.
2) How many works were recorded in the collection?
約300首が収録されている。
About 300 poems were recorded.
3) What kind of contents have been recorded in the collection?
女性客に思いをはせる歌から向上心がにじむ作品まで。
From a poem for a female customer to a piece that is full of ambition.
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