何も知らない私は、伯父を信じてゐた許でなく、常に感謝の心をもつて、伯父をありがたいものゝやうに尊敬してゐました。伯父は事業家でした。縣會議員にもなりました。其關係からでもありませう、政黨にも縁故があつたやうに記憶してゐます。父の實の弟ですけれども、さういふ點で、性格からいふと父とは丸で違つた方へ向いて發達した樣にも見えます。父は先祖から讓られた遺産を大事に守つて行く篤實一方の男でした。樂みには、茶だの花だのを遣りました。それから詩集などを讀む事も好きでした。書畫骨董といつた風のものにも、多くの趣味を有つてゐる樣子でした。家は田舍にありましたけれども、二里ばかり隔つた市、――其市には伯父が住んでゐたのです、――其市から時々道具屋が懸物だの、香爐だのを持つて、わざ／＼父に見せに來ました。父は一口にいふと、まあマンオフミーンズとでも評したら好いのでせう、比較的上品な嗜好を有つた田舍紳士だつたのです。だから氣性からいふと、濶達な伯父とは餘程の懸隔がありました。それでゐて二人は又妙に仲が好かつたのです。父はよく伯父を評して、自分よりも遙かに働きのある頼もしい人のやうに云つてゐました。自分のやうに、親から財産を讓られたものは、何うしても固有の材幹が鈍る、つまり世の中と鬪ふ必要がないから不可いのだとも云つてゐました。此言葉は母も聞きました。私も聞きました。父は寧ろ私の心得になる積で、それを云つたらしく思はれます。『御前もよく覺えてゐるが好い』と父は其時わざ／＼私の顏を見たのです。だから私はまだそれを忘れずにゐます。此位私の父から信用されたり、褒められたりしてゐた伯父を、私が何うして疑がふ事が出來るでせう。私にはたゞでさへ誇になるべき伯父でした。父や母が亡くなつて、萬事其人の世話にならなければならない私には、もう單なる誇ではなかつたのです。私の存在に必要な人間になつてゐたのです。
translation
Knowing nothing, I never believed in my uncle, but I always respected him with a grateful heart. My uncle was a businessman. He also became a member of the association. Perhaps because of that connection, I remember that I had connections with the government. He is my father's true younger brother, but in that respect, it seems that his personality has developed in a completely different direction from his father's. My father was a sincere man who carefully protected the inheritance inherited from his ancestors. For pleasure, I gave tea flowers. I also liked reading poetry collections. He seemed to have many interests, even in antique calligraphy. The house was in the countryside, but a few miles away in a city,--where my uncle lived,--from that city every now and then a utensil-maker would bring a hanging item or an incense burner. I came here on purpose to see my father. To put it simply, my father was a gentleman from the countryside with relatively refined tastes. Therefore, in terms of temperament, there was a considerable distance between him and his brilliant uncle. And yet the two of them were strangely on good terms. My father often spoke of my uncle, saying that he was a much more reliable person than himself. He also said that it was impossible for someone like myself, who had been entrusted with property by his parents, to lose his inherent strength no matter what. My mother also heard these words. I heard too. Rather, it seems that my father said that out of a product of my knowledge. ``I hope you remember well,'' said my father when he deliberately looked at me. So I still remember it. How could I have any doubts about my uncle, who was trusted and praised by my father all this time? He was just an uncle I should be proud of. After my father and mother passed away, I had to rely on them for everything. I had become the person necessary for my existence.
kanji (pronunciations & definitions)
| 何: what (なに), what (ナニ), you-know-what, you-know-what, that thing | 知: wisdom (ち), jnana (higher knowledge) | 私: I (わたし), me, I (あたくし), I (あたし), I (アタシ) | 伯父: uncle (おじ), uncle (しゅくふ), uncle (はくふ), uncle (one’s father’s older brother) (えおじ) |
| 許: only (ばかり), only (ばっかり), merely, merely, nothing but | 常: constant (とこ), unchanging, eternal, ordinary (ただ), ordinary (タダ) | 感謝: thanks (かんしゃ), gratitude, appreciation, thankfulness | 心: mind (こころ), heart, spirit, the meaning of a phrase (riddle, etc.), heart (しん) |
| 事業家: enterprising man (じぎょうか), businessman, industrialist | 議員: member of an assembly (ぎいん), member of the Diet, member of parliament, member of Congress | 縁故: relation (えんこ), connection, affinity | 記憶: memory (きおく), recollection, remembrance, memory, storage |
| 弟: younger brother (おとうと), younger brother (てい), little brother, little brother, kid brother | 性格: character (of a person) (せいかく), personality, disposition, nature, characteristics | 丸: circle (まる), circle (マル), entirety, entirety, whole | 方: direction (かた), way, person, lady, gentleman |
| 先祖: ancestor (せんぞ), forefather, foremother | 遺産: inheritance (いさん), bequest, legacy, heritage | 大事: important (だいじ), serious, crucial, valuable, precious | 守: babysitting (もり), babysitter, protecting, keeping, keeper |
| 一方: one (esp. of two) (いっぽう), the other, one way, the other way, one direction | 男: man (おっこ), man (おとこ), male, male, fellow | 茶: tea (ちゃ), tea plant (Camellia sinensis), tea preparation, making tea, brown | 花: flower (はな), blossom, bloom, petal, cherry blossom |
| 事: thing (こと), thing (こん), matter, matter, incident | 好: friendship (ぎ), friendship (よしび), friendship (よしみ), friendly relations, friendly relations | 骨董: antique (こっとう), curio | 風: swing (ふり), shake, wave, swinging, appearance |
| 趣味: hobby (しゅみ), pastime, tastes, preference, liking | 有: existence (ゆう), possession, having, limited company, bhava (becoming, existence) (う) | 家: house (いえ), residence, dwelling, family, household | 田舍: rural area (いなか), countryside, the sticks, hometown |
| 住: dwelling (じゅう), living | 時々: sometimes (ときどき), occasionally, at times, from time to time, now and then | 道具屋: second-hand shop (どうぐや), curio shop | 道具屋: second-hand shop (どうぐや), curio shop |
| 持: draw (in go, poetry contest, etc.) (じ), tie | 一口: mouthful (ひとくち), morsel, bite, gulp, sip | 評: criticism (ひょう), commentary, review | 比較: comparison (ひかく) |
| 上品: elegant (じょうひん), refined, polished, stylish, sophisticated | 上品: elegant (じょうひん), refined, polished, stylish, sophisticated | 嗜好: taste (しこう), liking, preference | 田舍: rural area (いなか), countryside, the sticks, hometown |
| 紳士: gentleman (しんし) | 濶達: broad-minded (かったつ), open-minded, openhearted, generous, magnanimous | 懸隔: difference (けんかく), discrepancy | 二人: two persons (ににん), two persons (ふたり), two people, two people, pair |
| 自分: myself (じぶん), yourself, oneself, himself, herself | 人: -ian (e.g. Italian) (じん), -ite (e.g. Tokyoite), -er (e.g. performer, etc.), person working with …, man | 親: parent (おや), parents, mother and father, dealer, banker | 財産: property (ざいさん), fortune, assets |
| 鈍: dull (どん), dull (のろ), slow, slow, stupid | 世: world (よ), society, public, life, lifetime | 中: inside (なか), interior, among, within, middle | 必要: necessary (ひつよう), needed, essential, indispensable, necessity |
| 言葉: language (けとば), language (ことば), dialect, dialect, word | 母: mother (あも), mother (いろは), mother (おも), mother (かか), mother (はは) | 寧: rather (むしろ), better, instead, if anything | 心得: knowledge (こころえ), understanding, rules, regulations, guideline |
| 御前: you (おまい), you (おまえ), presence (of a god, nobleman, etc.), presence (of a god, nobleman, etc.), presence (of a nobleman, the emperor, etc.) (ごぜ) | 顏: face (かお), face (がん), visage, visage, look | 信用: confidence (しんよう), trust, faith, reputation, credit (finance) | 疑: doubt (ぎ), distrust, suspicion (of) |
| 世話: care (せわ), looking after, help, assistance, aid | 存在: existence (そんざい), being, presence | 人間: human being (にんげん), human, person, man, mankind |