「私は奥さんに氣の毒でしたけれども、また立つて今閉めたばかりの唐紙を開けました。其時Ｋの洋燈に油が盡きたと見えて、室の中は殆んど眞暗でした。私は引き返して自分の洋燈を手に持つた儘、入口に立つて奥さんを顧みました。奥さんは私の後から隱れるやうにして、四疊の中を覗き込みました。然し這入らうとはしません。其所は其儘にして置いて、雨戸を開けて呉れと私に云ひました。
translation
``I felt sorry for Okusan, but I got up again and opened the karakami that I had just closed. I turned around, still holding my lamp in my hand, and stood at the entrance to look at Okusan, who hid behind me and peered into the four walls. He told me to leave the place as it is and open the shutters.
kanji (pronunciations & definitions)
| 私: I (わたし), me, I (あたくし), I (あたし), I (アタシ) | 奥: inner part (おく), interior, back (of a drawer, one’s throat, etc.), depths (e.g. of a forest), recesses (e.g. of a cave) | 氣: spirit (き), mind, heart, nature, disposition | 毒: poison (どく), toxicant, harm, evil influence, ill will |
| 洋燈: lamp (ようとう), lamp (ランプ) | 油: oil (あぶら) | 見: looking (み), viewing, (please) try (to), view (of life, etc.) (けん), outlook | 室: room (しつ), wife (of someone of high rank), scabbard, Chinese “Encampment” constellation (one of the 28 mansions), greenhouse (むろ) |
| 殆: quite (ほとほと), utterly, really, completely | 引: -off (price reduction) (びき), discount, -coated, -plated | 返: number of times (へん), reply, answer | 自分: myself (じぶん), yourself, oneself, himself, herself |
| 持: draw (in go, poetry contest, etc.) (じ), tie | 入口: entrance (いりくち), entrance (いりぐち), entrance (はいりくち), entrance (はいりぐち), entry | 後: behind (あと), rear, after, later, remainder | 然: -like (ぜん), so (さ), like that, in that way, like that (しか) |
| 其儘: without change (そのまま), without change (そのまんま), as is, as is, just like | 雨戸: sliding storm shutter (あまど) | 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 |