Crane and Turtle 鶴亀

日本舞踊には、能からとられた曲が多いのですが、この鶴亀も、その一つです。

時は八世紀、中国は玄宗皇帝の御世です。四季の節会の最初の儀式に、皇帝は月宮殿におでましになり、長寿の象徴である鶴と亀に舞を舞わせられます。そののち、皇帝も自ら舞を舞い、宮殿に還御されます。

おめでたい雰囲気が特徴で、そのため、結婚式など慶事に踊られます。

歌詞 抜粋：

それ青陽の春になれば　四季の節会の事始め
不老門にて日月の　光を君の叡覧にて
百官卿相袖を連ぬ　その数一億百余人　拝をすすむる　万戸の声    一同に　拝するその音は　天に響きておびただし

千代のためしの数々に　何をひかまし姫小松
齢に比ふ丹頂の　鶴も羽袖をたをやかに
千代をかさねて舞遊ぶ　みぎりにしげる呉竹の    みどりの亀の　幾万代も池水に　棲めるも安き君が代を    仰ぎ奏でて鶴と亀　齢を授け奉れば　君も御感の余りにや　舞楽を奏して舞ひたまふ

山河草木国土豊かに   千代万代と舞ひたまへば　官人駕輿丁（かよちょう）御輿を早め
君の齢も長生殿に　君の齢も長生殿に　還御なるこそめでたけれ

As Nihon Buyo or Japanese traditional dance developed through Noh drama, there are pieces that came directly from Noh. I would like to introduce Tsurukame, or “Crane and Turtle,” one of the pieces based on Noh, which describes a scene from a New Year’s celebration held in the Tang Dynasty in China.

Because of its celebratory feeling, this dance is often used at marriages.

Lyrics is as follows (excerpt):

As it is spring at the beginning of four seasons, our emperor honors the light of sun and moon at the gate of eternal youth.

Hundreds of officials and a million of people gather to greet the emperor. Their voices resound in the heaven and earth.

For the example of lives of thousand’s years, what can we take except our princess pine tree?

A crane is spreading her wings and dance her thousands years. A turtle nearby bamboo trees at the bank of a pond is having peace for ten thousand years of our emperor’s reign. Our emperor is inspired of their dances and himself stands and dances.

Court people also dance and our emperor dances so that mountains, rivers, grass and trees are all prosperous as all the lives of our land is prosperous and thrive thousands and ten thousands.

Then officials and palanquin bearer prepares emeperor’s carriage and our emperor goes back to his castle of longevity.