「私は縁談の事をそれなり忘れてしまひました。私の周圍を取り捲いてゐる青年の顏を見ると、世帶染みたものは一人もゐません。みんな自由です、さうして悉く單獨らしく思はれたのです。斯ういふ氣樂な人の中にも、裏面に這入り込んだら、或は家庭の事情に餘儀なくされて、既に妻を迎へてゐたものがあつたかも知れませんが、子供らしい私は其所に氣が付きませんでした。それから左右いふ特別の境遇に置かれた人の方でも、四邊に氣兼をして、なるべくは書生に縁の遠いそんな内輪の話は爲ないやうに愼しんでゐたのでせう。後から考へると、私自身が既に其組だつたのですが、私はそれさへ分らずに、たゞ子供らしく愉快に修學の道を歩いて行きました。
translation
"I've kind of forgotten about the marriage proposal. When I look at the faces of the young people who surround me, none of them are social. Some of these happy people might have already taken wives if they had slipped into the backyard, or had been forced to do so by family circumstances. Also, even those who were placed in special circumstances, left and right, had a crush on each other, and they were as distant as possible from the shosei. Thinking about it later, I was already in that class, but I didn't realize it, just like a child and enjoyed my studies. I walked down the road.
kanji (pronunciations & definitions)
| 私: I (わたし), me, I (あたくし), I (あたし), I (アタシ) | 縁談: marriage proposal (えんだん), marriage talks | 事: thing (こと), thing (こん), matter, matter, incident | 取: taking (とり), taker, collecting, collector, remover |
| 顏: face (かお), face (がん), visage, visage, look | 見: looking (み), viewing, (please) try (to), view (of life, etc.) (けん), outlook | 一人: one person (いちにん), one person (ひとり), being alone, being alone, being by oneself | 自由: freedom (じゆう), liberty |
| 人: -ian (e.g. Italian) (じん), -ite (e.g. Tokyoite), -er (e.g. performer, etc.), person working with …, man | 中: inside (なか), interior, among, within, middle | 裏面: back (side) (うらめん), back (side) (りめん), reverse, reverse, other side | 或: a certain … (ある), some … |
| 事情: circumstances (じじょう), conditions, situation, reasons, state of affairs | 妻: wife (つま), garnish (esp. one served with sashimi), trimmings, accompaniment, side (remark) | 知: wisdom (ち), jnana (higher knowledge) | 子供: child (こども), children |
| 氣: spirit (き), mind, heart, nature, disposition | 付: furnished with (つき), furnished with (づき), furnished with (ツキ), including, including | 左右: left and right (さう), left and right (さゆう), left and right (そう), right and left, right and left | 特別: special (とくべつ), particular, extraordinary, exceptional, especial |
| 方: direction (かた), way, person, lady, gentleman | 書生: student (しょせい), student who performs housework in exchange for meals and lodging, houseboy (attending school or university) | 縁: connection (to a person, place, etc.) (しょえん), connection (to a person, place, etc.) (ゆかり), relation, relation, affinity | 遠: distant (とお) |
| 話: talk (はなし), speech, chat, conversation, topic | 爲: good (ため), advantage, benefit, welfare, sake | 後: behind (あと), rear, after, later, remainder | 考: thought (こう), report on one’s investigation into …, deceased father |
| 分: minute (unit of time) (ふん), fun (one tenth of a monme, 5.787 grains), one-tenth (ぶ), one percent (one-tenth of a wari), 3 mm (one-tenth of a sun) | 愉快: pleasant (ゆかい), delightful, enjoyable, joyful, cheerful | 道: road (みち), path, street, lane, passage | 歩: pawn (ふ), step (ほ), stride, counter for steps, walking (あゆみ) |