私を呼びに來るのは、大抵御孃さんでした。御孃さんは縁側を直角に曲つて、私の室の前に立つ事もありますし、茶の間を拔けて、次の室の襖の影から姿を見せる事もありました。御孃さんは、其所へ來て一寸留まります。それから屹度私の名を呼んで、『御勉強？』と聞きます。私は大抵六づかしい書物を机の前に開けて、それを見詰めてゐましたから、傍で見たらさぞ勉強家のやうに見えたのでせう。然し實際を云ふと、夫程熱心に書物を研究してはゐなかつたのです。頁の上に眼は着けてゐながら、御孃さんの呼びに來るのを待つてゐる位なものでした。待つてゐて來ないと、仕方がないから私の方で立ち上るのです。さうして向ふの室の前へ行つて、此方から『御勉強ですか』と聞くのです。
translation
"It was usually the daughter who came to call me." Sometimes she would turn right on the porch and stand in front of my room, and sometimes she would pass through the tea room and appear behind the fusuma of the next room. The daughter comes to that place and stays there for a moment. Then he called my name once and asked, "Are you studying? ’ I ask. I usually had an embarrassing book open in front of my desk and stared at it, so from my side I must have looked like a studious person. But to tell the truth, I did not study books as enthusiastically as my husband. With my eyes fixed on the page, it was as if I was waiting for her to call me. If you don't wait for me, I'll have to stand up for you. Then I go to the front of the room on the other side and ask, "Are you studying?"
kanji (pronunciations & definitions)
| 私: I (わたし), me, I (あたくし), I (あたし), I (アタシ) | 大抵: mostly (たいてい), ordinarily, usually, generally, probably | 縁側: engawa (えんがわ), external corridor on the outer side of traditional Japanese houses, bone at the base of a fin (esp. of a flatfish), meat at the base of a fin | 直角: right angle (ちょっかく), perpendicular |
| 室: room (しつ), wife (of someone of high rank), scabbard, Chinese “Encampment” constellation (one of the 28 mansions), greenhouse (むろ) | 前: point (さき), tip, end, nozzle, head (of a line) | 事: thing (こと), thing (こん), matter, matter, incident | 茶: tea (ちゃ), tea plant (Camellia sinensis), tea preparation, making tea, brown |
| 次: next (つぎ), following, subsequent, stage, station | 襖: fusuma (ふすま), Japanese sliding screen, everyday garment worn by men in ancient Japan (あお) | 影: shadow (かげ), silhouette, figure, shape, reflection | 姿: figure (すがた), form, shape, appearance, dress |
| 其所: there (place relatively near listener) (そこ), there (place just mentioned), that place, then (of some incident just spoken of), that (of point just raised) | 一寸: one sun (approx. 3.03 cm) (いっすん), little bit (of time, distance, etc.), a little (ちょいと), a little (ちょっと), a little (ちょと) | 留: ruble (Russian currency) (ルーブリ), ruble (Russian currency) (ルーブル), rouble, rouble, stationary point (りゅう) | 屹度: surely (きっと), surely (キッと), undoubtedly, undoubtedly, almost certainly |
| 名: name (な), given name, title, fame, renown | 大抵: mostly (たいてい), ordinarily, usually, generally, probably | 六: six (む), six (むう), six (ろく), 6, 6 | 書物: book (しょもつ), volume |
| 傍: near (そく), near (そば), near (はた), close, close | 勉強家: diligent student (べんきょうか), studious person | 然: -like (ぜん), so (さ), like that, in that way, like that (しか) | 熱心: zealous (ねっしん), enthusiastic, ardent, fervent, keen |
| 頁: page (ページ), nth page, page …, kanji “big shell” radical (おおがい) | 上: above (うえ), over, up, top, summit | 眼: eye (め), eyeball, eyesight, sight, vision | 着: arrival (ちゃく), arriving at …, counter for items or suits of clothing, nth place (in a race), counter for moves |
| 仕方: way (しかた), method, means, resource, course | 方: direction (かた), way, person, lady, gentleman | 行: line (of text) (ぎょう), row, verse, carya (austerities), samskara (formations) | 此方: this way (こち), this way (こちら), this way (こっち), this direction, this direction |