恍惚之間，又聽到湧泉的聲音，噗噗，噗噗⋯⋯猶如大地的沉穩而不規律的呼吸。這陣子，每逢看到不甘之事，心裡感五味雜陳，但還未來得及細味時，回過神來，已發現耳朵搶著來療癒，追溯出數月前，我在靜岡的柿田川公園裡聽到的聲音，而聲音帶領我回到那片撼動人心卻平和的風景。
柿田川，靜岡縣東部的水源，它供應著靜岡縣居民的生活用水，同時孕育出無數貴重的生命。這河川的水的主要來源，非來自天上，而是來自地下，來自富士山。白雪與雨水落在富士山頂，沿著逾萬年前因富士山噴發而積成的溶岩，緩緩地滲到地下去，雪水、雨水在地下跑了二三十年，終於找到了缺口一湧而上，成為了柿田川。
柿田川公園建於柿田川的上流地域，是為了展示及保護湧泉而興建的。公園內綠蔭茂密得不見天，不消幾步，卻已是車水馬龍的公園。那天我跟丈夫到靜岡，完成了一個工作會議，腦袋有點石化了，心血來潮來到柿田川公園。站在展示台上，從上而下清楚看見水源自地下翻滾地湧出。想到它經歷過的長途跋涉、時光荏苒，若非柔靭堅壯如水，大概無法越過重重障礙。
如水，只要如水，某天定會衝破所有阻撓，湧出並結聚成柿田川湧泉般，溫柔而壯麗的風景。
I was in a trance and heard the sound of the spring again. The throbbing hiss sounds like the heavy but irregular breath of the earth. Lately, whenever I see something unfair and unsettling, mixed emotions would just surge up in my chest. But before I am fully conscious of it, my ears would try to cure me as a reflex. A few months back, I was in Kakita River Park in Shizuoka Prefecture. The sound of water there left me a lasting impression; since then, this sound became a key to bring me back to that captivating spectacle over and over again.
Kakita River is an essential source of water in the eastern part of Shizuoka Prefecture, supplying people in the area water every day and also gives life to countless other precious lives. Most of the river’s source water comes from springs created by rainfall and melting snow on Mount Fuji. The water has been underground for more than 25 years. Rain or snow fell onto the flanks of Mt. Fuji and made its way through Mt. Fuji’s porous lava. Finally, it reached the soil of this place that allowed it to emerge and formed the Kakita River.
Located at the upper bank of the Kakita River, Kakita River Park was designed to showcase and protect the spring. Walking in the park amid the ample greenery, you will soon run into lots of tourists. I was in Shizuoka the other day with my husband after finishing a work meeting. My mind was a bit stuck, so I had this spontaneous idea to visit the park. Standing on one of those viewing platforms, one can clearly see how the water emerge from below the river’s bed. Coming to think about the long journey the water has traveled through to reach this spot, the water is actually the strongest matter to seep through so many layers of rocks.
Be water, and you can get over all the obstacles someday. By merging together, you emerge as a powerful spring-like the Kakita River and form such a gentle but gorgeous scenery.
