The Last Rose of Summer (Niwa no Chigusa)

This Irish folk song, deeply cherished by the Japanese people since before World War II under the name "Niwa no Chigusa" (literally, "Grass in the Garden"), was translated into Japanese by Tadashi Satomi (originally titled "Kiku" (Chrysanthemum) to be more familiar to Japanese audiences). It was included in the third volume of "Shogakko Shokashu" (Elementary School Song Collection), published in Meiji 17 (1884). The original title is "The Last Rose of Summer."

The original melody is an old Irish folk song called "The Blarney Pilgrim," one of the pieces included in "A General Collection of the Ancient Music of Ireland" compiled by the folk music collector Edward Bunting. The poem is by Thomas Moore, Ireland's representative national poet. From his university days, Moore greatly admired Bunting and repeatedly pleaded with him to write his own poems for the folk songs Bunting had collected, but Bunting consistently refused his requests. However, after nearly ten years, Moore finally got the opportunity to write poems, and he published a collection of Irish folk songs with his own lyrics. This collection, realized after many years of longing, includes many famous Irish songs still sung today, such as "Niwa no Chigusa" (The Last Rose of Summer), "The Minstrel Boy," and "Believe Me, if All Those Endearing Young Charms." The collection not only features melodies but also includes piano accompaniments, arranged by composer John Andrew Stevenson.

"Niwa no Chigusa" (The Last Rose of Summer) spread throughout Europe after its melody was quoted in Friedrich von Flotow's opera "Martha," which premiered in Germany in 1847. It became the subject of many works, primarily in the 19th century, with numerous composers such as Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Glinka, and Gounod leaving behind variations and arrangements. Even in the 20th century, composers like Reger, Hindemith, and Britten wrote works based on this song.

In this song, Moore poeticizes "a single rose blooming quietly out of season in summer," but the background to the song's creation and spread is closely related to the famine and emigration issues Ireland faced in the 19th century. In Ireland, potatoes had been the staple food since the 16th century, but the country frequently suffered from famines. Particularly during the Great Famine that occurred for four years from 1845, a potato blight caused over a million deaths from starvation, and those who barely survived abandoned their country, with two million people emigrating across the sea to America, Australia, and mainland Britain. People might have projected their helpless feelings of losing beloved family and friends and being left alone onto "a single rose blooming quietly at the end of summer," as depicted by Moore.

The population outflow due to the Great Potato Famine dealt a severe blow to Ireland, causing a significant population decline, but it also became an impetus for Irish music, including "Niwa no Chigusa" (The Last Rose of Summer), to spread worldwide. Irish music that traveled to America with immigrants eventually became country music, laying the foundation for subsequent American music. Although the losses from the tragic Great Famine caused by potato crop failure were immeasurable, the soul of the Irish people has been continuously passed down to this day in the form of music.