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愛猫・ブロッサムの葬儀で思ったこと
昨年暮れ、愛猫を事故で失った筆者は、
家族であることの価値や意味、そして無償の愛を
彼から教えてもらったという。
Blossom's funeral
A few weeks have passed since my beloved cat Blossom was hit by a car and killed. The circumstances surrounding his sudden death are still too painful to recall. Upon discovering his body on the pavement outside my building, I could only pull myself together long enough to call my good friend and neighbor, Hiroko, who arrived moments later with her friend, Nori.
I had met the two women just over a year ago, when I had taken Blossom to the park near our house for a few minutes of fresh air. We struck up a friendly conversation, and I learned that Hiroko was the neighborhood animal advocate. For almost 20 years, she has been feeding the stray cats who live in the area, attending to their illnesses, and even paying to have them spayed or neutered out of her own pocket.
From that moment on, Hiroko, Nori and I became good friends. It was only natural for me to call them first when Blossom died. Within minutes, they collected and cleaned his body and had him placed in a makeshift cardboard coffin.
About an hour later, the four of us (my husband, Hiroko, Nori and I) drove to a nearby pet temple where his funeral was to take place. Never having attended a pet funeral, I wasn't sure what to expect, but the facility was really no different than a regular funeral home.
We were greeted by formally dressed attendants, who ushered us into a private viewing room where we could say the first of several goodbyes to the deceased. About half an hour later, he was discreetly transferred into a white, flower-filled coffin and we were joined by the temple priest who performed the ritual chants.
After the ceremony, we all filed into the basement crematorium and watched as his body made its final journey into the waiting furnace. We were then led into another waiting room by a black-suited attendant, and as we made our way there through the temple cemetery, we were accompanied by several cats. Two of them had been waiting for us outside the door of the crematorium, and my heart gave a quick jump because they so closely resembled Blossom and our remaining cat, Petal.
About half an hour later, we were led back to the crematorium where Blossom's bones and ashes were laid out on a marble slab. The attendant explained to us which bones were which and transferred them into a metal tray where we carefully picked them up with long chopsticks and placed them in a tiny urn. He completed the task for us by adding the remaining ashes and they were later presented to us in a silk brocade box.
The entire process took about two hours. Most people would probably think the ¥60,000 price tag excessive and unnecessary. He was, after all, "only a cat." But I beg to differ. In his all too brief life, Blossom taught me the value and meaning of "family," community, and unconditional love. It was a lesson I paid for dearly in every sense of the term. (515 words)
Discussion:
What are your feelings about animal funerals?
Shukan ST: Jan. 20, 2006
(C) All rights reserved
- could only pull myself together long enough to 〜
- 〜する間だけかろうじて自制心を取り戻すことができた
- for a few minutes of fresh air
- ちょっと新鮮な空気にあたろうと思って
- struck up a friendly conversation
- 気さくに会話を交わし始めた
- animal advocate
- 動物擁護に関わっている人
- stray cats
- 野良猫
- attending to 〜
- 〜の看病をして
- paying to 〜 out of her own pocket
- 自分で〜のためのお金を負担して
- have them spayed or neutered
- 不妊処置や去勢をさせる
- From that moment on
- そのとき以来
- makeshift
- 仮の
- cardboard coffin
- ダンボールの棺
- 〜 where his funeral was to take place
- これから彼の葬儀が行なわれる〜
- wasn't sure what to expect
- どんなものなのか予想がつかなかった
- (was)no different than 〜
- 〜と変わらなかった
- were greeted by 〜
- 〜の出迎えを受けた
- formally dressed attendants
- 礼服を着た案内係
- ushered us into 〜
- 私たちを〜へと案内した
- private viewing room
- 死んだペットと対面するための個室
- the deceased
- 故人(ネコのこと)
- (was)transferred into 〜
- 〜へと移された
- discreetly
- しめやかに
- priest
- お坊さん
- performed the ritual chants
- お経を唱えた
- ceremony
- 葬式
- filed into 〜
- 一列になって〜に入った
- crematorium
- 火葬場
- furnace
- 火炉
- made our way there through 〜
- 〜の中を歩いた
- cemetery
- 墓地
- gave a quick jump
- 瞬間ドキッとした
- bones and ashes
- 遺骨と灰
- were laid out
- 乗せられた
- marble slab
- 大理石の台
- which bones were which
- どの骨がどの部分のものか
- metal tray
- 金属のトレー
- urn
- 骨つぼ
- silk brocade box
- 絹の錦織の布で包んだ箱
- excessive
- 度を超えた
- beg to differ
- 失礼ながら賛成できない
- brief
- 短い
- unconditional
- 無償の
- lesson I paid for dearly
- たいへんな代価を払って得た教訓
- in every sense of the term
- あらゆる意味で