“A youth that is not troubled by life, a youth that is not corroded by life, an impregnable youth. A youth that endures the encroachments of all time.”
- January 14, 1925 – November 25, 1970
- Born in Japan
- Novelist, playwright, critic, political activist
- He became a representative figure of postwar Japanese literature, and was highly acclaimed both at home and abroad. He pursued his own unique aesthetic with themes of beauty and death, and ultimately committed seppuku at a Self-Defense Forces garrison. His life, which combined literature with action, continues to have a strong influence today.
Japanese
「生に煩わされず、生に蝕まれない鉄壁の青春。あらゆる時の侵蝕に耐える青春。」
English
“A youth that is not troubled by life, a youth that is not corroded by life, an impregnable youth. A youth that endures the encroachments of all time.”
Explanation
In this quote, Mishima portrays youth as an idealized and invulnerable state, one that is unaffected by the troubles and corruptions that typically accompany life. The image of “impregnable youth” evokes a sense of strength and resilience, where youth remains unscathed by the pressures and challenges of the world. This state of youth is uncompromised by the usual difficulties of life, representing a time of purity, vigor, and freedom. The youth described in Mishima’s words is able to withstand the inevitable passage of time and the erosion of experience, symbolizing an ideal that is both timeless and indestructible. Mishima contrasts this image of youthful strength with the vulnerability and fragility that come with age, where time and experience often wear away at one’s idealism and resilience.
Mishima’s ideal of youth in this quote also reflects his broader philosophical themes about impermanence and the transitory nature of life. He often portrayed youth as a period of purity and idealism, untouched by the worldly concerns and decay that follow. In this sense, youth becomes an ephemeral but sacred time, a fleeting moment that holds within it the potential for greatness and endurance, if only it could remain untouched by the trials of life. Mishima’s vision of youth as untroubled by life, and yet enduring the encroachments of time, can be seen as a critique of the inevitable corruption of human experience, where the optimism and strength of youth are often lost to the realities of age and experience.
In a modern context, Mishima’s quote resonates with the idealization of youth in contemporary culture, where youthfulness is often seen as a time of unbridled potential and freedom, but also as something that is easily lost in the face of social pressures, personal challenges, and time itself. The idea of “impregnable youth” serves as a reminder of the value of youthful energy and idealism, even as we acknowledge the inevitable passage of time that leads to a more complex and burdened existence. Mishima’s quote suggests that while youth may not be able to escape the influence of time, it is a moment that can, nonetheless, endure in the mind and spirit as a symbol of strength and freedom that continues to inform one’s sense of self throughout life.
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