上野から歸つた晩は、私に取つて比較的安靜な夜でした。私はＫが室へ引き上げたあとを追ひ懸けて、彼の机の傍に坐り込みました。さうして取り留めもない世間話をわざと彼に仕向けました。彼は迷惑さうでした。私の眼には勝利の色が多少輝いてゐたでせう、私の聲にはたしかに得意の響があつたのです。私はしばらくＫと一つ火鉢に手を翳した後、自分の室に歸りました。外の事にかけては何をしても彼に及ばなかつた私も、其時丈は恐るゝに足りないといふ自覺を彼に對して有つてゐたのです。
translation
The night I returned from Ueno was a relatively peaceful night for me. I followed K up into the room and sat down by his desk. I deliberately made him gossip. He seemed annoyed. There must have been a glint of triumph in my eyes, and my voice certainly had a ring of pride. After holding my hand over a brazier with K for a while, I went back to my room. Even though I was nowhere near as good as him when it came to outside affairs, I had a feeling that I was not good enough for him at the time.
kanji (pronunciations & definitions)
| 上野: Kōzuke (former province located in present-day Gunma Prefecture) (こうずけ) | 晩: evening (ばん), night, dinner, evening meal, counter for nights | 私: I (わたし), me, I (あたくし), I (あたし), I (アタシ) | 取: taking (とり), taker, collecting, collector, remover |
| 比較的: comparatively (ひかくてき), relatively | 夜: evening (よ), evening (よる), night, night, dinner | 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) |
| 上: above (うえ), over, up, top, summit | 懸: credit (かけ), money owed on an account, bill, hanger, holder | 彼: that (あ), that (あれ), that (アレ), that thing, that thing | 机: desk (つき), desk (つくえ) |
| 留: ruble (Russian currency) (ルーブリ), ruble (Russian currency) (ルーブル), rouble, rouble, stationary point (りゅう) | 世間話: small talk (せけんばなし), chat, gossip | 迷惑: trouble (めいわく), bother, annoyance, nuisance, inconvenience | 眼: eye (め), eyeball, eyesight, sight, vision |
| 色: colour (いろ), color, hue, tint, tinge | 多少: a little (たしょう), some, somewhat, slightly, to some degree | 聲: voice (こえ), singing (of a bird), chirping (of an insect), hoot, voice | 得意: satisfaction (とくい), pride, triumph, elation, one’s strong point |
| 一: one (いち), 1, best, first, foremost | 火鉢: brazier (ひばち), hibachi | 手: hand (て), arm, forepaw, foreleg, handle | 翳: haze (esp. in spring) (かすみ), mist, dimness (of sight), shade (かげ), shadow |
| 外: outside (そと), outside (と), exterior, exterior, the open (air) | 事: thing (こと), thing (こん), matter, matter, incident | 何: what (なに), what (ナニ), you-know-what, you-know-what, that thing | 及: and (および), as well as |
| 足: foot (あし), paw, arm (of an octopus, squid, etc.), leg, gait | 對: versus (たい), against, vs., v., to (e.g. score of 4 to 2, ratio of 3 to 1, vote of 320 to 180) | 有: existence (ゆう), possession, having, limited company, bhava (becoming, existence) (う) |