私は又一人家のなかへ這入つた。自分の机の置いてある所へ來て、新聞を讀みながら、遠い東京の有樣を想像した。私の想像は日本一の大きな都が、何んなに暗いなかで何んなに動いてゐるだらうかの畫面に集められた。私はその黒いなりに動かなければ仕末のつかなくなつた都會の、不安でざわ／＼してゐるなかに、一點の燈火の如くに先生の家を見た。私は其時此燈火が音のしない渦の中に、自然と捲き込まれてゐる事に氣が付かなかつた。しばらくすれば、其灯も亦ふつと消えてしまふべき運命を、眼の前に控えてゐるのだとは固より氣が付かなかつた。
translation
"I entered the house alone again." I went to my desk and read the newspaper, imagining distant Tokyo. My imagination was focused on a picture of Japan's largest city, how it was moving in such a dark place. In the midst of the turmoil of anxiety in a city that had come to a point where there was no end to the situation, I saw Sensei's house like a single point of light. At that time, I didn't realize that this light was naturally entangled in a silent whirlpool. After a while, I didn't realize that I was faced with a fate that would cause that light to go out as well.
kanji (pronunciations & definitions)
| 私: I (わたし), me, I (あたくし), I (あたし), I (アタシ) | 人家: house (じんか), dwelling, human habitation | 自分: myself (じぶん), yourself, oneself, himself, herself | 机: desk (つき), desk (つくえ) |
| 新聞: newspaper (しんぶん) | 遠: distant (とお) | 東京: Tokyo (とうきょう), Tokyo (とうけい) | 想像: imagination (そうぞう), supposition, guess |
| 大: large (おお), big, great, major, important | 都: capital (esp. Kyoto, Japan’s former capital) (みやこ), seat of government, capital (of music, fashion, etc.), city (e.g. of light), location of the Imperial Palace | 何: what (なに), what (ナニ), you-know-what, you-know-what, that thing | 暗: darkness (あん) |
| 集: collection (しゅう), compilation | 黒: black (くろ), black stone, guilt, guilty person | 仕末: management (しまつ), dealing with, settlement, cleaning up, disposal | 不安: anxiety (ふあん), uneasiness, worry, apprehension, fear |
| 如: tathata (the ultimate nature of all things) (にょ), like (こと), like (ごと), like (もころ), similar to | 先生: teacher (せんせい), instructor, master, sensei, title or form of address for a teacher, master, doctor, lawyer, etc. | 家: house (いえ), residence, dwelling, family, household | 見: looking (み), viewing, (please) try (to), view (of life, etc.) (けん), outlook |
| 音: sound (おと), sound (おん), sound (ね), noise, noise | 渦: whirlpool (うず), swirl, eddy, vortex, maelstrom | 中: inside (なか), interior, among, within, middle | 自然: nature (しぜん), natural, spontaneous, automatic, naturally |
| 氣: spirit (き), mind, heart, nature, disposition | 付: furnished with (つき), furnished with (づき), furnished with (ツキ), including, including | 亦: again (また), once more, once again, another time, some other time | 運命: fate (うんめい), destiny, lot |
| 前: point (さき), tip, end, nozzle, head (of a line) |