“Hotaru no Hikari (The Glow of a Firefly)” and Flies

At sunset recently, I went outside and found myself surrounded by the glow of many fireflies. This shower of lights took my breath away. I thought it would be much more beautiful when it got darker, so I went outside again later, but there was not even the glow of a single firefly. What happened?

It’s been a year and a half since I moved to this house with a garden in a small town called Chestertown. My garden once was overgrown and rough, but it is gradually getting tidier. For the insects, birds, and small animals inhabiting my garden, I was the newcomer who intruded into their life cycles. I wonder how I can cohabit with them. I’m getting to understand the system of nature that seasonally changes. Just a little while ago, when I was writing this newsletter, several flies were circling around me and forced me to stop writing. I chased them with a fly swatter to drive them away and just came back to my desk to continue writing. But they persistently fly back no matter how many times I drive them away—this really annoys me. It is said that flies become active in hot places and are attracted to certain smells and dark colors. I think I should keep my house cooler, lighten my dark hair, and avoid black clothes in order not to be disturbed by them. Will this strategy of staying away from dark colors work?

Recently, I had the chance to visit my artist friends living near the Chesapeake Bay, a

20-minute drive west from my place. I always think that artists’ houses are treasure

troves, allowing people a peek at their studios and lifestyles. In my friends' house, as I

expected, there were their works and objects selected with their sensibilities. Seeing

all this, I felt I was taking home many souvenirs. The house is not far from downtown,

but driving there I passed through corn fields and encountered wild deer families. The

views from the house—trees, grasses, and rabbits—were also beautiful, as though it

were a story of my friends' personal histories. Everything was perfect there!

Back to the glow of fireflies––every Japanese person knows a song called “Hotaru no Hikari (The Glow of a Firefy).” The tune is the Scottish folk song “Auld Lang Syne,” and Chiune Inagaki, a Japanese scholar and poet, created the Japanese lyrics roughly based on the lyrics of “Auld Lang Syne” about 140 years ago, in 1881. “Hotaru no Hikari” is sung or played as a farewell song at the end of a year or a day, as well as at closing time in department stores and restaurants. Japanese people automatically leave where they are upon hearing this music that is the sign of closing. Nobody taught them this, but all Japanese follow this custom. In Japan, people are always conscious of the feeling of a situation and their surroundings. This may explain Japanese people’s commitment to their immediate environments and tendency to perfect details.

The phrase “the glow of a firefly” appears only in the first verse of the lyric, but it has been embedded in the Japanese consciousness for more than a century––the power of a firefly glowing on its own beautifully and fantastically in a moment. The fireflies seemed to come to my garden and glimmer for matchmaking and procreation momentarily—fireflies glow only at dusk. I am grateful to them for this beautiful view in a quiet place. I hope they will come to my garden annually as my July event.

Hotaru no Hikari (The Glow of a Firefly)

Hotaru no hikari

Mado no yuki

Fumi yomu tsukihi

Kasane tsutsu 

Itsushika toshi mo

Sugi no to o

Akete zo kesa wa

Wakare yuku

(We read books by the glow of a firefly or the snow light near the window. Years have passed, and this morning, we are about to separate and embark on our own ways.)

Tomaru mo yuku mo

Kagiri tote 

Katami ni omou

Chiyorozu no

Kokoro no hashi o

Hitokoto ni

Sakiku to bakari

Utou nari

(Some will stay here, and some will leave. But we have thoughts for each other. Although we have lots of things to say, we sing simply for each other’s well-being.)

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P.S. A firefly and a fly—both have “fly” in their names, but they are different species. A firefly is a calm and likable insect, while a fly is constantly moving and is an annoying pest. But regardless of whether I like them or not, they maintain a balance in nature, I think. I drew these two contrasting creatures on my scarves.

Yuh Okano, 7. 2021