「十一月の寒い雨の降る日の事でした。私は外套を濡らして例の通り蒟蒻閻魔を拔けて細い坂路を上つて宅へ歸りました。Ｋの室は空虚うでしたけれども、火鉢には繼ぎたての火が暖かさうに燃えてゐました。私も冷たい手を早く赤い炭の上に翳さうと思つて、急いで自分の室の仕切を開けました。すると私の火鉢には冷たい灰が白く殘つてゐる丈で、火種さへ盡きてゐるのです。私は急に不愉快になりました。
translation
"It was a cold, rainy day in November. I soaked my overcoat and, as usual, passed through Konnyaku Enma and climbed the narrow slope back to my house. K's room seemed empty. However, the brazier was still burning warmly, and I wanted to put my cold hands on the red charcoal as soon as possible, so I hurriedly opened the partition of my room. The charcoal brazier was covered with white, cold ash, and it was almost full of fire.
kanji (pronunciations & definitions)
| 十一月: November (じゅういちがつ), eleventh month of the lunar calendar | 寒: midwinter (かん), cold season, coldest days of the year, cold (さぶ), cold (さむ) | 雨: rain (あめ), rainy day, rainy weather, the November suit (in hanafuda) | 日: day (ひ), days, sun, sunshine, sunlight |
| 私: I (わたし), me, I (あたくし), I (あたし), I (アタシ) | 外套: overcoat (がいとう), greatcoat, cloak, wrap, mantle | 例: example (れい), instance, illustration, case, precedent | 通: authority (つう), expert, connoisseur, well-informed person, counter for messages, letters, notes, documents, etc. |
| 閻魔: Yama (king of the world of the dead, who judges the dead) (えんま), Emma, Yan, Yomna, Yama (king of the world of the dead, who judges the dead) | 閻魔: Yama (king of the world of the dead, who judges the dead) (えんま), Emma, Yan, Yomna, Yama (king of the world of the dead, who judges the dead) | 細: detail (さい), details, small (いささ), small (いさら), little | 坂路: ramp (はんろ), slope |
| 宅: house (たく), home, one’s house, one’s home, one’s husband | 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) | 空虚: emptiness (くうきょ), hollowness, vacancy, void, inanity |
| 火: fire (ひ), flame, blaze, Tuesday (か), fire (second of the five elements) | 暖: warming (だん), warmth | 冷: refrigerator (れい), cold, cool, cold sake, cold water (ひや) | 手: hand (て), arm, forepaw, foreleg, handle |
| 赤: red (あか), crimson, scarlet, red-containing colour (e.g. brown, pink, orange), Red (i.e. communist) | 炭: charcoal (すみ), charred remains | 翳: haze (esp. in spring) (かすみ), mist, dimness (of sight), shade (かげ), shadow | 急: sudden (きゅう), abrupt, unexpected, urgent, pressing |
| 仕切: partition (しきり), division, boundary, compartment, settlement of accounts | 灰: ash (はい), ashes | 白: white (しろ), innocence, innocent person, blank space, white go stone | 丈: only (だけ), just, merely, simply, no more than |
| 不愉快: unpleasant (ふゆかい), disagreeable, displeasing, uncomfortable, unhappy |