私は暗い人世の影を遠慮なくあなたの頭の上に投げかけて上ます。然し恐れては不可せん。暗いものを凝と見詰めて、その中から貴方の參考になるものを御攫みなさい。私の暗いといふのは、固より倫理的に暗いのです。私は倫理的に生れた男です。又倫理的に育てられた男です。其倫理上の考は、今の若い人と大分違つた所があるかも知れません。然し何う間違つても、私自身のものです。間に合せに借りた損料着ではありません。だから是から發達しやうといふ貴方には幾分か參考になるだらうと思ふのです。
translation
"I will cast the shadow of the dark world over your head without hesitation." But don't be afraid. Look closely at the dark things, and grab what you can refer to from among them. When I say dark, I mean morally dark. I am an ethical born man. He is also an ethically raised man. His ethical thinking may be quite different from that of today's young people. But whatever is wrong is mine. It's not an improvised rental wear. Therefore, I think that it will be of some help to those of you who want to develop it from here.
kanji (pronunciations & definitions)
| 私: I (わたし), me, I (あたくし), I (あたし), I (アタシ) | 暗: darkness (あん) | 人世: this world (じんせい), life | 影: shadow (かげ), silhouette, figure, shape, reflection |
| 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) | 上: above (うえ), over, up, top, summit | 投: pitching ability (とう), counter for throws (of a javelin, bowling ball, etc.), counter for casts (of a line) | 然: -like (ぜん), so (さ), like that, in that way, like that (しか) |
| 不可: wrong (ふか), bad, improper, unjustifiable, inadvisable | 凝: muscle stiffness (esp. in shoulders) (こり), muscle stiffness (esp. in shoulders) (しこり), lump (in tissue, esp. breast), lump (in tissue, esp. breast), swelling | 中: inside (なか), interior, among, within, middle | 貴方: your home (きほう), your residence, you (referring to one’s equal; epistolary style), you (あなた), dear |
| 倫理的: ethical (りんりてき) | 生: pure (き), undiluted, raw, crude, raw (なま) | 男: man (おっこ), man (おとこ), male, male, fellow | 倫理的: ethical (りんりてき) |
| 今: now (いま), the present time, just now, soon, immediately | 若: youth (わか), child (esp. of the young son of someone of high social standing), young, new, like (こと) | 人: -ian (e.g. Italian) (じん), -ite (e.g. Tokyoite), -er (e.g. performer, etc.), person working with …, man | 大分: considerably (だいぶ), considerably (だいぶん), greatly, greatly, a lot |
| 知: wisdom (ち), jnana (higher knowledge) | 何: what (なに), what (ナニ), you-know-what, you-know-what, that thing | 私自身: myself (わたくしじしん), myself (わたしじしん) | 間: space (between) (あいだ), space (between) (あわい), gap, gap, interval |
| 損料: rental fee (そんりょう) | 着: arrival (ちゃく), arriving at …, counter for items or suits of clothing, nth place (in a race), counter for moves | 是: here (ここ), this place, this point, here, now | 幾分: somewhat (いくぶん), to some extent, to some degree, some, part |