奥さんは果して留守でした。下女も奥さんと一所に出たのでした。だから家に殘つてゐるのは、Ｋと御孃さん丈だつたのです。私は一寸首を傾けました。今迄長い間世話になつてゐたけれども、奥さんが御孃さんと私だけを置き去りにして、宅を空けた例はまだなかつたのですから。私は何か急用でも出來たのかと御孃さんに聞き返しました。御孃さんはたゞ笑つてゐるのです。私は斯んな時に笑ふ女が嫌でした。若い女に共通な點だと云へばそれ迄かも知れませんが、御孃さんも下らない事に能く笑ひたがる女でした。然し御孃さんは私の顏色を見て、すぐ不斷の表情に歸りました。急用ではないが、一寸用があつて出たのだと眞面目に答へました。下宿人の私にはそれ以上問ひ詰める權利はありません。私は沈默しました。
translation
"His wife wasn't home." The maid also went out with his wife. That's why the only people left at home were K and his daughter. I tilted my head. I've been under her care for a long time, but I've never had a case where her wife left the house alone and left me alone. I asked the daughter if she could do something urgent. The daughter was just smiling. I hated the woman who laughed at such times. If I were to say that it was a common trait of young women, it might go that far, but the daughter was also a woman who liked to laugh at trivial matters. However, when the daughter saw the color on my face, her expression immediately returned to disappointment. I answered earnestly that it was not an urgent business, but that I had come on a short notice. As a lodger, I have no right to ask any further questions. I was silent.
kanji (pronunciations & definitions)
| 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) | 果: phala (attained state, result) (か), enlightenment (as the fruits of one’s Buddhist practice), fruit, counter for pieces of fruit, end (はたて) | 留守: absence (るす), being away from home, house-sitting, house-sitter, being left unattended to (of one’s studies, etc.) | 下女: maidservant (げじょ) |
| 出: coming out (で), going out, outflow, efflux, rising (of the Sun or the Moon) | 家: house (いえ), residence, dwelling, family, household | Ｋ: K (ケイ), K (ケー), k, k, kilo- | 丈: only (だけ), just, merely, simply, no more than |
| 一寸: one sun (approx. 3.03 cm) (いっすん), little bit (of time, distance, etc.), a little (ちょいと), a little (ちょっと), a little (ちょと) | 首: neck (くび), neck (クビ), head, head, dismissal (from a job) | 傾: slanting (ななめ), slanting (なのめ), tilted, tilted, sloping | 今迄: until now (いままで), so far, up to the present |
| 世話: care (せわ), looking after, help, assistance, aid | 宅: house (たく), home, one’s house, one’s home, one’s husband | 空: emptiness (から), emptiness (カラ), being empty, being empty, not carrying anything | 例: example (れい), instance, illustration, case, precedent |
| 急用: urgent business (きゅうよう) | 返: number of times (へん), reply, answer | 笑: laugh (わらい), laughter, smile, sneer, sex aids (e.g. dildos, pornographic books, erotic woodblock prints, etc.) | 時: time (とき), hour, moment, occasion, case |
| 嫌: disliking (いや), disliking (や), disliking (イヤ), not wanting, not wanting | 若: youth (わか), child (esp. of the young son of someone of high social standing), young, new, like (こと) | 共通: common (きょうつう), shared, mutual, to be common (to), to be shared (by) | 迄: until (a time) (まで), till, to, up to, to (a place or person) |
| 下: below (した), down, under, younger (e.g. daughter), bottom | 事: thing (こと), thing (こん), matter, matter, incident | 能: talent (のう), gift, function, noh (theatre) | 然: -like (ぜん), so (さ), like that, in that way, like that (しか) |
| 表情: facial expression (ひょうじょう), countenance, look, appearance, expression (vocal, etc.) | 一寸: one sun (approx. 3.03 cm) (いっすん), little bit (of time, distance, etc.), a little (ちょいと), a little (ちょっと), a little (ちょと) | 用: business (よう), task, errand, engagement, use | 眞面目: serious (まじめ), serious (マジメ), earnest, earnest, sober |
| 下宿人: lodger (げしゅくにん), roomer | 以上: not less than … (いじょう), … and over, … and above, … and upwards, … or more | 問: question (とい), query, counter for questions (もん) | 詰: stuffing (つめ), stuffing (づめ), packing, packing, end (esp. the foot of a bridge) |