私は其所に坐つて、よく書物をひろげました。Ｋは何もせずに默つてゐる方が多かつたのです。私にはそれが考へに耽つてゐるのか、景色に見惚れてゐるのか、若しくは好きな想像を描いてゐるのか、全く解らなかつたのです。私は時々眼を上げて、Ｋに何をしてゐるのだと聞きました。Ｋは何もしてゐないと一口答へる丈でした。私は自分の傍に斯うぢつとして坐つてゐるものが、Ｋでなくつて、御孃さんだつたら嘸愉快だらうと思ふ事が能くありました。それ丈ならまだ可いのですが、時にはＫの方でも私と同じやうな希望を抱いて岩の上に坐つてゐるのではないかしらと忽然疑ひ出すのです。すると落ち付いて其所に書物をひろげてゐるのが急に厭になります。私は不意に立ち上ります。さうして遠慮のない大きな聲を出して怒鳴ります。纏まつた詩だの歌だのを面白さうに吟ずるやうな手緩い事は出來ないのです。只野蠻人の如くにわめくのです。ある時私は突然彼の襟頸を後からぐいと攫みました。斯うして海の中へ突き落したら何うすると云つてＫに聞きました。Ｋは動きませんでした。後向の儘、丁度好い、遣つて呉れと答へました。私はすぐ首筋を抑えた手を放しました。
translation
"I sat there and spread out my books." Most of the time, K just sat quietly, doing nothing. I had no idea whether he was lost in thought, admired the scenery, or imagined something he liked. From time to time I raised my eyes and asked K what he was doing. K could simply say that he was doing nothing. I could have thought that it would be nice if the person sitting like that next to me wasn't K, but his daughter. That's all right, but sometimes I suddenly start to suspect that K might be sitting on a rock with the same hopes as I do. Then, I suddenly felt reluctant to sit quietly and spread out my books there. I wake up suddenly. Then he yells in a loud, unreserved voice. I can't do something loose like reciting a collection of poems or songs with amusement. It yells like Tadano Jinto. One day, I suddenly grabbed him by the collar. I asked K what he would do if he fell into the sea. K didn't move. I replied that it would be fine to leave it behind and send it to me. I immediately let go of the hand that was holding my neck.
kanji (pronunciations & definitions)
| 私: I (わたし), me, I (あたくし), I (あたし), I (アタシ) | 其所: there (place relatively near listener) (そこ), there (place just mentioned), that place, then (of some incident just spoken of), that (of point just raised) | 書物: book (しょもつ), volume | Ｋ: K (ケイ), K (ケー), k, k, kilo- |
| 方: direction (かた), way, person, lady, gentleman | 多: multi- (た) | 考: thought (こう), report on one’s investigation into …, deceased father | 景色: scenery (けいしょく), scenery (けしき), scene, scene, landscape |
| 好: friendship (ぎ), friendship (よしび), friendship (よしみ), friendly relations, friendly relations | 想像: imagination (そうぞう), supposition, guess | 全: all (ぜん), whole, entire, complete, total | 解: solution (of an equation, inequality, etc.) (かい), root (e.g. of a polynomial), solution (to a given problem), answer, explanation |
| 眼: eye (め), eyeball, eyesight, sight, vision | 上: above (うえ), over, up, top, summit | 一口: mouthful (ひとくち), morsel, bite, gulp, sip | 答: answer (こたえ), reply, response, answer, solution |
| 丈: only (だけ), just, merely, simply, no more than | 自分: myself (じぶん), yourself, oneself, himself, herself | 傍: near (そく), near (そば), near (はた), close, close | 愉快: pleasant (ゆかい), delightful, enjoyable, joyful, cheerful |
| 能: talent (のう), gift, function, noh (theatre) | 可: acceptable (か), satisfactory, allowed, permitted, approval | 時: time (とき), hour, moment, occasion, case | 同: the same (どう), the said, likewise |
| 岩: rock (いわ), boulder, crag, cliff, anchor | 忽然: sudden (こつぜん), abrupt, unexpected | 疑: doubt (ぎ), distrust, suspicion (of) | 出: coming out (で), going out, outflow, efflux, rising (of the Sun or the Moon) |
| 付: furnished with (つき), furnished with (づき), furnished with (ツキ), including, including | 急: sudden (きゅう), abrupt, unexpected, urgent, pressing | 厭: disliking (いや), disliking (や), disliking (イヤ), not wanting, not wanting | 不意: sudden (ふい), abrupt, unexpected, unforeseen |
| 大: large (おお), big, great, major, important | 聲: voice (こえ), singing (of a bird), chirping (of an insect), hoot, voice | 纏: battle standard decorated with hanging strips of paper or leather (まとい), fireman’s standard (Edo period) | 詩: song (うた), singing, classical Japanese poem (esp. tanka), modern poetry, poem (し) |
| 面白: amusing (おもしろ), funny, interesting | 吟: recitation (of a poem) (ぎん), chanting, singing, composition (of a poem), composed poem | 如: tathata (the ultimate nature of all things) (にょ), like (こと), like (ごと), like (もころ), similar to | 突然: abrupt (とつぜん), sudden, unexpected |
| 後: behind (あと), rear, after, later, remainder | 海: sea (うみ), sea (み), sea (わた), sea (わだ), ocean | 中: inside (なか), interior, among, within, middle | 突: very (とっ), much |
| 呉: go (ご), soy beans soaked and mashed to a creamy paste (ingredient of tofu and soy milk), Wu (region in China, south of the lower Yangtze), Wu (kingdom in China during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms era; 902-937 CE), Southern Wu | 答: answer (こたえ), reply, response, answer, solution | 首筋: nape of the neck (くびすじ), back of the neck, scruff of the neck | 抑: in the first place (そもそも), to begin with, from the start, originally, ab initio |