其西洋人の優れて白い皮膚の色が、掛茶屋へ入るや否や、すぐ私の注意を惹いた。純粹の日本の浴衣を着てゐた彼は、それを床几の上にすぽりと放り出した儘、腕組をして海の方を向いて立つてゐた。彼は我々の穿く猿股一つの外何物も肌に着けてゐなかつた。私には夫が第一不思議だつた。私は其二日前に由井が濱迄行つて、砂の上にしやがみながら、長い間西洋人の海へ入る樣子を眺めてゐた。私の尻を卸した所は少し小高い丘の上で、其すぐ傍がホテルの裏口になつてゐたので、私の凝としてゐる間に、大分多くの男が鹽を浴びに出て來たが、いづれも胴と腕と股は出してゐなかつた。女は特更肉を隱し勝であつた。大抵は頭に護謨製の頭巾を被つて、海老茶や紺や藍の色を波間に浮かしてゐた。さういふ有樣を目撃した許の私の眼には、猿股一つで濟まして皆なの前に立つてゐる此西洋人が如何にも珍らしく見えた。
translation
The excellent white skin color of the Westerners caught my attention as soon as I entered Kakechaya. Wearing a pure Japanese yukata, he threw it out on the floor and stood facing the sea with his arms folded. He wore nothing on his skin other than the one we wore. My husband was the first wonder to me. Two days before that, Yui went to the beach and, crouching on the sand, watched for a long time how Westerners entered the sea. The place where I dropped my buttocks was on a slightly elevated hill, and right next to it was the back door of the hotel, so while I was still, many men came out to bathe in salt. None of them showed their torso, arms, or crotch. The woman was successful in hiding the special meat. He usually wore a rubber hood on his head and floated shrimp-brown, navy blue, and indigo in the waves. To my eyes, as someone who witnessed such a scene, this westerner who was standing in front of everyone with only one monkey seemed unusual.
kanji (pronunciations & definitions)
| 西洋人: Western person (せいようじん), Westerner | 優: gentle (やさ), affectionate, Excellent (grade) (ゆう), A, superiority | 白: white (しろ), innocence, innocent person, blank space, white go stone | 皮膚: skin (ひふ) |
| 掛茶屋: roadside tea house (かけぢゃや), beach-side cafe, simple, hut-like cafe | 入: entering (いり), setting (of the Sun), containing, content, audience | 否: no (ひ), the noes, no (いや), no (いな), nay | 私: I (わたし), me, I (あたくし), I (あたし), I (アタシ) |
| 日本: Japan (にっぽん), Japan (にほん) | 浴衣: yukata (light cotton kimono worn in the summer or used as a bathrobe) (ゆかた), yukata (light cotton kimono worn in the summer or used as a bathrobe) (よくい) | 着: arrival (ちゃく), arriving at …, counter for items or suits of clothing, nth place (in a race), counter for moves | 彼: that (あ), that (あれ), that (アレ), that thing, that thing |
| 上: above (うえ), over, up, top, summit | 出: coming out (で), going out, outflow, efflux, rising (of the Sun or the Moon) | 腕組: folding one’s arms (うでぐみ) | 海: sea (うみ), sea (み), sea (わた), sea (わだ), ocean |
| 我々: we (われわれ) | 猿股: undershorts (さるまた) | 一: one (いち), 1, best, first, foremost | 何物: what kind of thing (なにもの), anything (else), nothing (but) |
| 夫: husband (おっと), male (お), manly, brave, heroic | 第一: first (だいいち), foremost, number one, most important, best | 不思議: wonderful (ふしぎ), marvelous, strange, incredible, amazing | 思議: conjecture (しぎ), guess |
| 砂: sand (いさご), sand (すな), grit, grit | 長: height (たき), height (たけ), stature, stature, length (esp. of clothing) | 西洋人: Western person (せいようじん), Westerner | 尻: ass (けつ), ass (ケツ), arse, arse, buttocks |
| 所: place (とこ), place (ところ), spot, spot, scene | 少: small (しょう), little, few | 丘: hill (おか), height, knoll, rising ground, bonus points awarded to the winner at the end of a game | 其: that (それ), it, then, that point (in time), that time |
| 裏口: backdoor (うらぐち), rear entrance, rear exit, unauthorized, illicit | 凝: muscle stiffness (esp. in shoulders) (こり), muscle stiffness (esp. in shoulders) (しこり), lump (in tissue, esp. breast), lump (in tissue, esp. breast), swelling | 間: space (between) (あいだ), space (between) (あわい), gap, gap, interval | 大分: considerably (だいぶ), considerably (だいぶん), greatly, greatly, a lot |
| 男: man (おっこ), man (おとこ), male, male, fellow | 胴: trunk (どう), torso, body, abdomen, waist | 腕: arm (うで), skill, efforts, ability, arm (esp. upper arm) (かいな) | 股: groin (また), thigh, crotch, crutch, fork (in a tree, road, river, etc.) |
| 勝: win (しょう), victory, beautiful scenery, scenic spot, counter for wins | 大抵: mostly (たいてい), ordinarily, usually, generally, probably | 頭: counter for large animals (e.g. head of cattle) (とう), counter for insects in a collection, counter for helmets, masks, etc., head (あたま), head (かしら) | 護謨: gum (ゴム), rubber, eraser, condom |
| 頭巾: headgear (esp. one made of cloth) (ずきん), hood, kerchief, cap, skullcap | 被: indicates the target of an activity (ひ), -ee (e.g. employee, examinee, trustee) | 海老茶: maroon (えびちゃ), reddish-brown | 紺: navy blue (こん), deep blue |
| 波間: interval between the waves (なみあい), interval between the waves (なみま), interval between the waves (はかん), gap between waves, gap between waves | 目撃: witnessing (もくげき), observing, sighting | 許: only (ばかり), only (ばっかり), merely, merely, nothing but | 眼: eye (め), eyeball, eyesight, sight, vision |
| 前: point (さき), tip, end, nozzle, head (of a line) | 西洋人: Western person (せいようじん), Westerner | 如何: how (どう), in what way, how about, (depending on) how (いかん), (depending on) what | 珍: rare (ちん), strange, odd, peculiar, curious |