義父：もう来年の誕生日は生きて迎えられそうもないよ。
私：お父さん、そんな弱音をはかないでください。退院して海岸を一緒に散歩しましょうよ。
Yowane wo haku
Gifu: Moo rainen no tanjoobi wa ikite mukaeraresoo mo nai yo.
Watashi: Otoosan, sonna yowane wo hakanaide kudasai. Taiin shite kaigan wo issho ni sanpo shimashoo yo.
Father-in-law: I don't think I'll live to see my next birthday.
Me: Don't lose spirit like that, Dad. We'll go for a walk along the beach when you get out of hospital.
Yowane wo haku means to lose heart, grow despondent, feel sorry for oneself, or feel like giving up.
My father-in-law is 88 years old. When he was still in his 50s he was as energetic as a young man, regularly practicing his archery at the training hall. Shigoto de iya na koto ga atte mo, yowane wo haita koto nado nai (Even when he'd had a bad day at work, you never heard him feeling sorry for himself). He always kept his back perfectly straight, and his face was always alert. He reminded me of a samurai lord. He was always fair to everyone. Watashi ga kosodate ga taihen de yowane wo hakiso ni naru to, itsumo adobaisu shite kureta (When I found it difficult bringing up my children and felt like giving up, he'd give me advice). Sonna koto de yowane wo haite wa ikenai yo (You shouldn't lose heart over something like that), he'd say.
However, he's been in hospital a long time now, and Chichi mo yowane wo haku koto ga ooku natta (My father-in-law has started to grow despondent). His throat was so full of phlegm that he had to have it cut open and now he can't talk without a piece of equipment attached to his throat. He has a telephone next to his bed, and I'd like to phone him every day, but when I think of how it hurts him to use his voice, I can't bring myself to call him. I'd like to go and spend every day close to him, but I can't because of my work, which I feel really bad about. I was telling my daughter the other day how I wish I could just quit myjob and go and spend every day by her grandfather's side. "I'm tired of working," I told her. But she replied, Okaasan made yowane wo haite wa dame yo (You mustn't let yourself get down too, Mom).
The hospital where my father-in-law is is on the coast at Kamakura, within earshot of the sea. When the spring comes, I hope we'll be able to go for a walk together along the shore. Otoosan, yowane wo hakanaide, ganbatte ne (Don't lose heart, Dad. Keep your spirits up).