ある日私は神田に用があつて、歸りが何時もよりずつと後れました。私は急ぎ足に門前迄來て、格子をがらりと開けました。それと同時に、私は御孃さんの聲を聞いたのです。聲は慥にＫの室から出たと思ひました。玄關から眞直に行けば、茶の間、御孃さんの部屋と二つ續いてゐて、それを左へ折れると、Ｋの室、私の室、といふ間取なのですから、何處で誰の聲がした位は、久しく厄介になつてゐる私には能く分るのです。私はすぐ格子を締めました。すると御孃さんの聲もすぐ已みました。私が靴を脱いでゐるうち、――私は其時分からハイカラで手數のかゝる編上を穿いてゐたのですが、――私がこゞんで其靴紐を解いてゐるうち、Ｋの部屋では誰の聲もしませんでした。私は變に思ひました。ことによると、私の疳違かも知れないと考へたのです。然し私がいつもの通りＫの室を拔けやうとして、襖を開けると、其所に二人はちやんと坐つてゐました。Ｋは例の通り今歸つたかと云ひました。御孃さんも『御歸り』と坐つた儘で挨拶しました。私には氣の所爲か其簡單な挨拶が少し硬いやうに聞こえました。何處かで自然を踏み外してゐるやうな調子として、私の鼓膜に響いたのです。私は御孃さんに、奥さんはと尋ねました。私の質問には何の意味もありませんでした。家のうちが平常より何だかひつそりしてゐたから聞いて見た丈の事です。
translation
"One day, I had some business in Kanda, so I came back later than usual." I hurriedly came to the gate and opened the lattice. At the same time, I heard the voice of the daughter. I immediately thought that the voice had left K's room. If you go straight from the entrance, you will see the tea room and the daughter's room. As someone who has been in trouble for a long time, I can understand how much I did. I quickly tightened the grid. Then the daughter's voice immediately fell silent. While I was taking off my shoes—I had been wearing stylish lace-up shoes since that time, which took a lot of effort—I stooped down to untie my shoelaces. I didn't hear anyone in my room. I changed my mind. I thought it might be my mistake. However, when I opened the fusuma to pass through K's room as usual, the two of them were sitting there. As usual, K asked if he had just returned. The daughter also said ``Welcome back,'' and said hello. For me, perhaps because of my temper, that simple greeting sounded a little stiff. It sounded in my eardrums as if somehow I was out of step with nature. I asked the daughter, what is the wife? My question made no sense. The house was a little quieter than usual, so I asked about it.
kanji (pronunciations & definitions)
| 神田: field affiliated with a shrine (the tax-exempt proceeds of its harvest going to pay for shrine operations) (かみた), field affiliated with a shrine (the tax-exempt proceeds of its harvest going to pay for shrine operations) (しんでん) | 用: business (よう), task, errand, engagement, use | 何時: when (いつ), at what time, how soon, normal times, ordinary days | 後: behind (あと), rear, after, later, remainder |
| 急: sudden (きゅう), abrupt, unexpected, urgent, pressing | 足: foot (あし), paw, arm (of an octopus, squid, etc.), leg, gait | 門前: before the gate (もんぜん), in front of the gate, one’s hand being completely concealed (メンゼン), not having called any tiles | 格子: lattice (こうし), latticework, window bars, grid, grating |
| 聲: voice (こえ), singing (of a bird), chirping (of an insect), hoot, voice | Ｋ: K (ケイ), K (ケー), k, k, kilo- | 室: room (しつ), wife (of someone of high rank), scabbard, Chinese “Encampment” constellation (one of the 28 mansions), greenhouse (むろ) | 出: coming out (で), going out, outflow, efflux, rising (of the Sun or the Moon) |
| 行: line (of text) (ぎょう), row, verse, carya (austerities), samskara (formations) | 茶: tea (ちゃ), tea plant (Camellia sinensis), tea preparation, making tea, brown | 部屋: room (へや), chamber, apartment, flat, pad | 二: two (に), two (ふ), two (ふう), two (ふた), 2 |
| 折: opportunity (おり), chance, occasion, time, folding | 間取: layout (of a house or apartment) (まどり), arrangement of rooms | 何處: where (いずく), where (いずこ), where (いづこ), where (いどこ), where (どこ) | 誰: who (た), who (たれ), who (だあれ), who (だれ) |
| 厄介: trouble (やっかい), burden, nuisance, bother, worry | 能: talent (のう), gift, function, noh (theatre) | 分: minute (unit of time) (ふん), fun (one tenth of a monme, 5.787 grains), one-tenth (ぶ), one percent (one-tenth of a wari), 3 mm (one-tenth of a sun) | 靴: shoe (くつ), shoes, boots, footwear, footgear |
| 時分: time (じぶん), hour, season, time of the year | 靴紐: shoelace (くつひも), bootlace | 解: solution (of an equation, inequality, etc.) (かい), root (e.g. of a polynomial), solution (to a given problem), answer, explanation | 變: strange (へん), odd, peculiar, weird, curious |
| 考: thought (こう), report on one’s investigation into …, deceased father | 然: -like (ぜん), so (さ), like that, in that way, like that (しか) | 通: authority (つう), expert, connoisseur, well-informed person, counter for messages, letters, notes, documents, etc. | 襖: fusuma (ふすま), Japanese sliding screen, everyday garment worn by men in ancient Japan (あお) |
| 二人: two persons (ににん), two persons (ふたり), two people, two people, pair | 例: example (れい), instance, illustration, case, precedent | 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) | 挨拶: greeting (あいさつ), greetings, salutation, salute, condolences |
| 少: small (しょう), little, few | 硬: hardness (こう) | 自然: nature (しぜん), natural, spontaneous, automatic, naturally | 外: outside (そと), outside (と), exterior, exterior, the open (air) |
| 鼓膜: eardrum (こまく), tympanic membrane | 響: echo (ひびき), reverberation, sound (esp. the distinctive sound of an object or activity, e.g. rain, gun, gallop, drum), noise, quality of a sound (e.g. a fine phrase, clear voice, resonant bell) | 奥: inner part (おく), interior, back (of a drawer, one’s throat, etc.), depths (e.g. of a forest), recesses (e.g. of a cave) | 尋: fathom (じん), fathom (ひろ) |
| 何: what (なに), what (ナニ), you-know-what, you-know-what, that thing | 意味: meaning (いみ), significance, sense | 家: house (いえ), residence, dwelling, family, household | 平常: normal (へいじょう), usual, ordinary, everyday |
| 丈: only (だけ), just, merely, simply, no more than | 事: thing (こと), thing (こん), matter, matter, incident |