初恋花 🌿（金木犀）

　 “ 初恋花 ” アパートの端に ひっそり小さく金木犀 甘く芳醇な香り ピーチやアプリコットを思わせる 米粒ほどの橙黄色の花 隣の家の婆ちゃんが 物知り顔で話し出す 遥か昔の言い伝え 花は月から来たという 色があまりに 月の光に似ているからと 初恋花という別名 忘れられない匂いだから 中国から来た金木犀 遣唐使が魅了され 日本に持ち帰ったという けれど彼らは香りの強い 雄株だけを連れ帰った 金木犀は雌雄異株 雄株だけでは実を結ばない だから今でも 日本の金木犀は雄株だけ 挿し木だけで増えていて その実を見ることは ほとんどできないという 香りが濃くなったら 花を摘んで 小麦と砂糖に混ぜて焼くそうだ とても美味しい ビスケットになるらしい 静かな秋風に揺れている そしてとても短く咲き消える いかにも 初恋花と呼ばれるにふさわしい 　 "First Love Flower" A small, quiet osmanthus stands on the edge of the apartment building. A sweet, mellow fragrance, reminiscent of peaches and apricots, these orange-yellow flowers are the size of a grain of rice. The old lady next door begins to speak with a knowing look. An ancient legend has it that these flowers came from the moon because their color so closely resembles moonlight. They are also known as first love flowers because of their unforgettable scent. Originating from China, the osmanthus was said to have originated in China and was brought back to Japan by envoys to the Tang Dynasty. However, they have a strong fragrance. They brought back only the male plants. Osmanthus is dioecious, meaning male plants alone cannot bear fruit. That's why even now, only male osmanthus plants remain in Japan, propagated solely by cuttings, and it's rare to see the fruit. Once the fragrance is strong, the flowers are picked, mixed with wheat and sugar, and baked. They apparently make delicious biscuits. They sway in the quiet autumn breeze, and their blooms are so short they fade away. Truly worthy of being called the flower of first love.