オランダ国王陛下の晩餐会におけるスピーチをめぐって、前の私の文章に関して、コメント欄でいささか論議になっていたので、参考までに国王のスピーチの全文を転載しておく。
ただ１２月初旬に出す小説の校正中で、時間がないのでこれに対して
感想を述べる時間はない。
シンプルな英語でしかし格調高く、天皇陛下への礼は尽くしつつ、欠点のない見事な挨拶文である。
むろん、日蘭の政治と歴史に通暁したプロが作成、それにおそらく
文章の手練れが手を入れたと推察される。
心情的に謳い上げるところは謳い上げ、良い仕事をしている。
ただ内容に対しては、もう本当にたくさん言わせていただきたいことが
あるのだが・・・・たとえば歴史を述べるにしてもオランダが日本に
やって来たのは端的に侵略目的であった。
一事が万事で、残りの文言も全て自国の悪辣さは棚に上げ、あくまでも自らは善意の犠牲者の立場に据え、日本をさりげく「悪人」と規定、それも露骨ではなく優雅な手法で、なかなか外交的には立派な文章である。しかし感心してもいられない。加害者としての自らを棚に上げ、被害者として自己を位置づけ、賠償金を取りに来る国は他にもあるが。
一端しか述べる時間がない。
いずれ改めて書くかもしれぬが。
追記
たとえば出島に関するこの記述。
Deshima was the place where we learnt each other's language and studied each other's science and culture.
嘘ではないが、事実の一端にしか触れず、日本侵略と奴隷化目的を腹に持っていた根っこはスルー、という華麗な技。
更に追記
出島入口に立てられた「制札」にいわく、
禁 制
一、 傾城之外、女入事
| 1944年4月 | 軍司令部が4ヵ所の慰安所を閉鎖。 | 小田島董大佐の勧告による |
| 1948年 | オランダのバタヴィア臨時軍法会議にかけられる。 | 12名のうち11名が有罪、うち1名が死刑。 |
| 1990年 | 対日道義的債務基金（JES）設立。 | 総額2億5500万円をオランダ人女性に支払い始めた。 |
| 2001年 | 総額2億5500万円を支払い終わる。 |
・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
http://www.koninklijkhuis.nl/globale-paginas/taalrubrieken/english/speeches/speeches-archive/2014/oktober/speech-by-his-majesty-the-king-at-the-state-banquet-on-the-occasion-of-the-state-visit-to-their-majesties-the-emperor-and-empress-of-japan-tokyo/
Speech by His Majesty the King at the state banquet on the occasion of the State Visit to Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan, Tokyo
29 October 2014
Your Majesty,
It is a great pleasure for my wife and I to be here as your and Empress Michiko's guests. And we are all the more grateful that Crown Prince Naruhito and Princess Masako are here to welcome us too. I have visited your country on many occasions. But this is the first time that I am here as King of the Netherlands. Our first State Visit outside Europe is to your country. A country with which we share a unique history and - we are sure - a successful future.
Let me quote a haiku written in 1679 by the great poet Basho:
Oranda mo
Hana ni kinikeri
Uma ni kura
The Dutchmen too have
come to see the cherry blooms
Saddle my horse!
It is now autumn, not spring. Yet I wanted to bring this poem to mind. It recalls a time when the Dutch were the only Westerners permitted to enter your country.
For over 200 years, the Dutch trading post of Deshima was the only link between Japan and the West. A narrow bridge between two worlds - two civilisations. A bridge which carried not only spices, sugar, textiles and copper, but also books, instruments, artworks,
knowledge and ideas.
The city of Nagasaki deserves praise for the restoration of this historic site and the reconstruction of the bridge. I hope I'll get a chance to walk across it one day.
Deshima was the place where we learnt each other's language and studied each other's science and culture. An important role was played here by Japan's rangakusha, who studied Western learning through Dutch texts. In fact, a man who spoke Dutch - the renowned Fukuzawa Yukichi - graces your 10,000 yen notes to this day. It is fascinating to think that for so many years, Japan looked out at the Western world through a small Dutch window.
Your Majesty,
Even when Japan opened up to the rest of the world, the relationship between our countries remained close. For instance in the fields of medical science and water management. The Dutch engineer Johannis de Rijke is still famous in your country.
We realise, though, that even back then, Japan had a long tradition of hydraulic expertise. Deshima, for example, was an engineering triumph. An artificial island in the sea, built on piles, which survived many a typhoon.
We will not forget the history of our forefathers. Their hard work, their creativity, their achievements and their interaction shaped the world in which we now live. Their history will never be 'over'. Its fruits will remain with us - both the sweet and the bitter.
So we will not forget - cannot forget - the experiences of Dutch civilians and soldiers in the Second World War. The wounds inflicted in those years continue to overshadow many people's lives. Grief for the victims endures to this day. Memories of imprisonment, forced labour and humiliation have left scars on the lives of many.
The Japanese people, too, suffered terribly during the war, especially in the final phase, marked by such destructive violence.
Acknowledging the suffering of others provides a foundation for reconciliation. Many in Japan and the Netherlands have actively worked to foster such reconciliation, enabling new trust to grow.
For centuries, a tiny bridge only five metres wide was the only link between our two countries. Today, countless bridges of friendship and partnership connect Japan and the Netherlands. Across the seas, the skies and cyberspace.
Over 450 Japanese businesses are active in the Netherlands. They directly employ over 35,000 Dutch people. In turn, Dutch entrepreneurs and experts are contributing to economic advances in Japan.
We are working closely to find sustainable sources of energy. The Netherlands is also glad to be able to help rebuild the horticulture sector in Miyagi, one of the regions hit so hard by
the tsunami in 2011.
A key issue in both Japan and the Netherlands is how to safeguard prosperity and quality of life in an ageing society. It will take brain power and resolve to ensure sustainable growth in the long term. The reforms that are needed are not simple. But if there are two countries that can inspire one another in this field, they are Japan and the Netherlands. When I look at the dynamic role played by designers, researchers, artists and creative entrepreneurs in our two countries, I think: together we can achieve so much. I hope that our visit will help drive this idea home.
The same applies to our joint commitment to the international legal order, and to peace and security. Japan is dedicated to peace and is examining the best way to foster peace in today's world, with a more proactive contribution. The Netherlands appreciates these efforts and we recall with admiration the humanitarian role played by Japan in Al Mutannah between 2004 and 2006. There, in Iraq, our troops worked side by side.
Your Majesty,
The tone for our cooperation was set over four centuries ago by Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. In 1609 he wrote to my ancestor Prince Maurits: 'If two countries strive to achieve the same goal, surely there can be no objection, however far apart they might lie. Your vessels may anchor in every port. Let us from now on deepen our friendship even more.'
That age-old wish is one that we share.
I would like to invite everyone present to raise their glasses to your health, Your Majesty, to the health of Empress Michiko and of the members of your family. May the friendship between Japan and the Netherlands blossom and bear fruit in the years to come!
Thank you.
更に追記 時間を盜みながら書いているので、まとまりのつかぬ文章になってしまったが、
概略歴史のおさらいを。
総兵力5万5千人によってわずか10日間の戦闘で、日本軍はインドネシア全域を制圧。
日本により、330年にわたって続いたオランダのインドネシア植民地支配が終焉。
日本の支援によりインドネシア人による軍隊の結成や官僚の育成、法制度や教育体制の整備などを着々と進めたインドネシア。
日本が敗れた２日後の1945年8月17日、スカルノ初代大統領は独立を宣言。
「インドネシア人は極めて従順な種族である。日本軍が降伏してしまった現在、我々が上陸すれば、彼らはただちに元どおり従順になるに違いない」とオランダ人は独立宣言を無視、イギリス軍とスラバヤに上陸。
日本人による現地の人々への、誇りを持てという教育を見くびっていたのである。
インドネシア軍はもはや白人に飼われる家畜ではなかった。
日本軍の武器を持ったインドネシアの民衆軍に強襲され、イギリス軍は一個師団が全滅。
白人たちが日本を憎むのは、こうして家畜だった有色人種に、人間であることを日本が教え込んだせいもある。
スラバヤの市街地を占領するのに100日間も費やしたイギリスは軍事制圧を断念、和平交渉に転じる。
スラバヤ戦争で市街地を灰にし、約2万人もの犠牲者を出したことに対してイギリスは何ら謝罪も補償もしていない。
イギリス軍は撤退したが、オランダはインドネシアの再植民地化になおも固執する。
１947年7月、オランダは再びインドネシアに対して軍事行動を。
このころ東京裁判では・・・・
オランダは、インドネシア独立を支援した日本の指導者を「侵略戦争」を行った罪で裁いていた。
この欺瞞を、日本こそは忘れずにいよう。
外交の席で永遠に持ち出せばよろしい。オランダが、決着のついた事案を延々と
持ち出す気なら。