「水を得た魚」と言おうとしたのに「魚を得た水」と言い間違えたことがあった。その時はただ、ふふふと笑って失敗をごまかしたが、こうやって文字で見てみると、「魚」の文字と「水」の文字が入れ替わっただけの単純なミスも、世界観をすっかり変えてしまった。
（言い間違えたあの日から随分と月日が経ったある日、）学校帰りにふらり立ち寄ったペットショップで、金魚や熱帯魚の水槽を眺めていた。魚が泳ぐ賑やかな水槽が並ぶ中、たった一つ、ただ水しか入っていない水槽があった。「水質管理中」とラベルが貼られ、水の中に魚はいない。そこで私は急にあの日の言い間違い「魚を得た水」を思い出す。それから立て続けに心に浮かんだのは「水を得た魚」の”魚”が元気なのは当たり前だけれど、実は「魚を得た水」の”水”だって魚と同じくらいに生き生きしているのではないだろうか、水だって魚がいたら嬉しいのではないだろうかと言う空想をした。
　魚にとっての水、水にとっての魚。水の中の魚、魚の中の水、水が失われた魚、本物の魚、偽物の魚。ある・ない、内と外、生と死、主体・客体・・・・あらゆる対義語のペアや、言葉と言葉の間にあるグラデーションの中を行ったり来たりしながら、「水を得た魚⇄魚を得た水」について手を動かしながら考えた。

“水を得た魚 The fish that has obtained water" is a phrase used in Japan to emphasize that water is essential for fish and to point out an indispensable element for something. I once tried to say “水を得た魚/fish that obtained water”, but I accidentally said “魚を得た水/water that obtained fish”. At that time, I simply laughed it off with a "hehehe," but looking at it this way, I realized that such a simple mistake of swapping the characters for
“魚/fish” and “水/water” completely changed my perspective.
(After quite some time had passed since that day when I misspoke,) one day, on my way home from school, I stopped by a pet shop. I was looking at the fish tanks with goldfish and tropical fish, where the fish were happily swimming. Among them, there was a single tank with only water, and a label reading “水質管理中/water quality management” was attached. There were no fish in the water. That's when I suddenly remembered my misspoken words from that day, “魚を得た水/water that obtained fish" Then, the thought that came to me immediately after was about “水を得た魚/fish that obtained water." It made me wonder if the “水/water” in this context might be just as lively as the “魚/fish”, and if water would be delighted to have fish as well! It was a flight of fancy.
For fish, water; for water, fish. Fish in the water, water in the fish, fish without water, real fish, fake fish. Existence and non-existence, inside and outside, life and death, subject and object... While contemplating the pairs of opposites and the gradients between words, I pondered the concept of “水を得た魚⇄魚を得た水/ fish that obtained water ⇄ water that obtained fish."