父はしばらくそれを眺めた後、起つて床の間の所へ行つて、誰の目にもすぐ這入るやうな正面へ證書を置いた。何時もの私ならすぐ何とかいふ筈であつたが、其時の私は丸で平生と違つてゐた。父や母に對して少しも逆らふ氣が起らなかつた。私はだまつて父の爲すが儘に任せて置いた。一旦癖のついた鳥の子紙の證書は、中々父の自由にならなかつた。適當な位置に置かれるや否や、すぐ己れに自然な勢を得て倒れやうとした。
translation
After staring at it for a while, my father got up, went to the alcove, and placed the certificate in front of him so that anyone could see it right away. If I had always been like this, I would have said something right away, but at that time I was completely different from what I normally do. I didn't feel the slightest bit of rebellion against my father and mother. I deceived myself and left it to my father. Once I got used to it, the torinoko paper certificate was not at my father's disposal. As soon as I was put in the proper position, I immediately gained a natural momentum and tried to fall down.
kanji (pronunciations & definitions)
| 父: father (あて), father (かそ), father (かぞ), father (しし), father (ちち) | 床: bed (とこ), bedding, sickbed, alcove, riverbed | 間: space (between) (あいだ), space (between) (あわい), gap, gap, interval | 所: place (とこ), place (ところ), spot, spot, scene |
| 誰: who (た), who (たれ), who (だあれ), who (だれ) | 目: eye (め), eyeball, eyesight, sight, vision | 正面: front (しょうめん), frontage, facade, main, the front (まとも) | 何時: when (いつ), at what time, how soon, normal times, ordinary days |
| 何: what (なに), what (ナニ), you-know-what, you-know-what, that thing | 筈: should (be) (はず), bound (to be), expected (to be), must (be), nock (of a bow) | 丸: circle (まる), circle (マル), entirety, entirety, whole | 平生: usual (へいぜい), ordinary |
| 對: versus (たい), against, vs., v., to (e.g. score of 4 to 2, ratio of 3 to 1, vote of 320 to 180) | 少: small (しょう), little, few | 逆: reverse (ぎゃく), opposite, converse (of a hypothesis, etc.), inverse (function), inverse (さか) | 氣: spirit (き), mind, heart, nature, disposition |
| 爲: good (ため), advantage, benefit, welfare, sake | 儘: as (it is) (まま), as (it is) (まんま), as (it is) (ママ), remaining (in a state), remaining (in a state) | 任: obligation (にん), duty, charge, responsibility | 一旦: once (いったん), for a short time, briefly, temporarily, one morning |
| 鳥: bird (とり), bird (トリ), bird meat (esp. chicken meat), bird meat (esp. chicken meat), fowl | 中々: very (なかなか), considerably, easily, readily, fairly | 父: father (あて), father (かそ), father (かぞ), father (しし), father (ちち) | 自由: freedom (じゆう), liberty |
| 否: no (ひ), the noes, no (いや), no (いな), nay | 己: oneself (itself, etc.) (おのれ), I, me, you, by oneself (itself, etc.) | 自然: nature (しぜん), natural, spontaneous, automatic, naturally | 勢: energy (せい), military strength, force (いきおい), force (いきよい), vigor |
| 倒: reverse (さかしま), inversion, upside down, unreasonable, absurd |