私は單に好奇心の爲に、竝んで濱邊を下りて行く二人の後姿を見守つてゐた。すると彼等は眞直に波の中に足を踏み込んだ。さうして遠淺の磯近くにわい／＼騒いでゐる多人數の間を通り拔けて、比較的廣々とした所へ來ると、二人とも泳ぎ出した。彼等の頭が小さく見える迄沖の方へ向いて行つた。夫から引き返して又一直線に濱邊迄戻つて來た。掛茶屋へ歸ると、井戸の水も浴びずに、すぐ身體を拭いて着物を着て、さつさと何處へか行つて仕舞つた。
translation
Merely out of curiosity, I watched the backs of the two as they walked down the beach side by side. Then they stepped straight into the waves. Then, we passed through a large number of noisy people near the distant shore, and when we came to a relatively spacious area, we both began to swim. They headed offshore until their heads looked small. I turned back from my husband and came straight back to the beach. When I returned to Kakechaya, I immediately wiped my body, put on my kimono, and left without bathing in the water from the well.
kanji (pronunciations & definitions)
| 私: I (わたし), me, I (あたくし), I (あたし), I (アタシ) | 好奇心: curiosity (こうきしん), inquisitiveness | 爲: good (ため), advantage, benefit, welfare, sake | 下: below (した), down, under, younger (e.g. daughter), bottom |
| 二人: two persons (ににん), two persons (ふたり), two people, two people, pair | 後姿: (a person’s) appearance from behind (うしろすがた), person as seen from behind, back view, retreating figure | 彼等: they (かれら), them, those (あれら), they, they (of people) | 波: wave (なみ), ups and downs, Poland (ぽ), counter for waves (of a repeated occurrence) (は) |
| 足: foot (あし), paw, arm (of an octopus, squid, etc.), leg, gait | 間: space (between) (あいだ), space (between) (あわい), gap, gap, interval | 通: authority (つう), expert, connoisseur, well-informed person, counter for messages, letters, notes, documents, etc. | 比較: comparison (ひかく) |
| 所: place (とこ), place (ところ), spot, spot, scene | 出: coming out (で), going out, outflow, efflux, rising (of the Sun or the Moon) | 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) | 小: smallness (しょう), small item, short month (i.e. having fewer than 31 days), elementary school, smaller (of two things, places, etc. with the same name) |
| 方: direction (かた), way, person, lady, gentleman | 夫: husband (おっと), male (お), manly, brave, heroic | 引: -off (price reduction) (びき), discount, -coated, -plated | 返: number of times (へん), reply, answer |
| 一直線: straight line (いっちょくせん) | 掛茶屋: roadside tea house (かけぢゃや), beach-side cafe, simple, hut-like cafe | 井戸: water well (いど) | 水: water (esp. cool, fresh water, e.g. drinking water) (み), water (esp. cool, fresh water, e.g. drinking water) (みず), fluid (esp. in an animal tissue), fluid (esp. in an animal tissue), liquid |
| 着物: kimono (きもの), Japanese traditional clothing (esp. full-length), clothing, clothes, something to wear (きるもの) | 着: arrival (ちゃく), arriving at …, counter for items or suits of clothing, nth place (in a race), counter for moves | 何處: where (いずく), where (いずこ), where (いづこ), where (いどこ), where (どこ) | 仕舞: end (しまい), close, finish, termination, noh dance in plain clothes |