VOX POPULI: Thoughts of springtime in winter's icy thrall

I have fond memories, going back more than 40 years, of the song "Soshunfu" (Early spring poem). In my elementary school music class, our teacher told us, "From today, we can sing this song because this is the first day of a new season." She played the organ, singing the tune in her beautiful voice. I think it was her favorite. It was the first day of spring. My memory fails me, but it must have been a cold day.

The lyrics, which start with the phrase "It is spring in name only," were difficult for me as a child, but the melody left a deep impression. It can be rendered in various ways. I think a female chorus is most befitting but humming the melody alone or singing it in quiet voice is also pleasant. Before I know it, I find myself singing to myself. Without this song, there must be a bleakness about the feeling of longing for spring.

Thursday marked the first day of spring in the traditional calendar. Just as it says in the song, the change of season came in name only. A mass of very cold air has moved in. Snow continues to fall on the Sea of Japan coast. Chilly winds are blowing on the Pacific Ocean side of the country. Even so, because we have now passed the first day of spring, these low temperatures are referred to as yokan (literally, surplus cold).

In the traditional calendar system that divides the 24 solar periods into a total of 72 sub-periods, this time of the year is called "easterly wind starts to melt ice." The renowned Chinese poet Bai Juyi (772-846) of the Tang dynasty wrote a poem that celebrated early spring: "As ice in a pond starts to melt/ The pond ripples/ Who planned it/ So that spring breeze and water come at the same time?" Spring arrives, emerging from winter as if making good on a promise. The poet put into words the feeling of awe at the workings of nature.

When asked in a science test what ice will become after it melts, a child, instead of giving the expected answer, is supposed to have replied: "spring." I don't know whether the story is apocryphal but it is heartwarming. I think the teacher who taught me the song "Soshunfu" would have marked it correct. I can't wait for spring to come.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 4

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.