始めて先生の宅を訪ねた時、先生は留守であつた。二度目に行つたのは次の日曜だと覺えてゐる。晴れた空が身に沁み込むやうに感ぜられる好い日和であつた。其日も先生は留守であつた。鎌倉にゐた時、私は先生自身の口から、何時でも大抵宅にゐるといふ事を聞いた。寧ろ外出嫌ひだといふ事も聞いた。二度來て二度とも會へなかつた私は、其言葉を思ひ出して、理由もない不滿を何處かに感じた。私はすぐ玄關先を去らなかつた。下女の顏を見て少し躊躇して其所に立つてゐた。此前名刺を取次いだ記憶のある下女は、私を待たして置いて又内へ這入つた。すると奧さんらしい人が代つて出て來た。美くしい奧さんであつた。
translation
When I visited Sensei's house for the first time, he was out. I remember the second time I went there was the following Sunday. It was a perfect day, and I could feel the clear sky sinking into my body. Sensei was away that day as well. When I was in Kamakura, I heard from Sensei himself that he was almost always at home. I also heard that he hates going out. Having come twice but never met again, I remembered those words and somehow felt unreasonable dissatisfaction. I did not leave the door immediately. Looking at the maid's face, I hesitated a little and stood there. The maid, who remembered me taking business cards the other day, left me waiting and went back inside. Then someone who seemed to be Mrs. Oku came out to take his place. She was a beautiful wife.
kanji (pronunciations & definitions)
| 先生: teacher (せんせい), instructor, master, sensei, title or form of address for a teacher, master, doctor, lawyer, etc. | 宅: house (たく), home, one’s house, one’s home, one’s husband | 先生: teacher (せんせい), instructor, master, sensei, title or form of address for a teacher, master, doctor, lawyer, etc. | 留守: absence (るす), being away from home, house-sitting, house-sitter, being left unattended to (of one’s studies, etc.) |
| 行: line (of text) (ぎょう), row, verse, carya (austerities), samskara (formations) | 次: next (つぎ), following, subsequent, stage, station | 日曜: Sunday (にちよう) | 晴: clear weather (はれ), fine weather, formal, ceremonial, public |
| 身: one’s body (み), one’s person, oneself, one’s appearance, one’s place (in society, etc.) | 感: feeling (かん), sensation, emotion, admiration, impression | 好: friendship (ぎ), friendship (よしび), friendship (よしみ), friendly relations, friendly relations | 日和: weather (ひより), climatic conditions, fine weather, clear day, situation |
| 先生: teacher (せんせい), instructor, master, sensei, title or form of address for a teacher, master, doctor, lawyer, etc. | 自身: (one’s) self (じしん), oneself | 自身: (one’s) self (じしん), oneself | 口: mouth (くち), opening, hole, gap, orifice |
| 大抵: mostly (たいてい), ordinarily, usually, generally, probably | 宅: house (たく), home, one’s house, one’s home, one’s husband | 事: thing (こと), thing (こん), matter, matter, incident | 寧: rather (むしろ), better, instead, if anything |
| 嫌: disliking (いや), disliking (や), disliking (イヤ), not wanting, not wanting | 二度: again (ふたたび), once more, a second time, two times (にど), twice | 二度: again (ふたたび), once more, a second time, two times (にど), twice | 私: I (わたし), me, I (あたくし), I (あたし), I (アタシ) |
| 出: coming out (で), going out, outflow, efflux, rising (of the Sun or the Moon) | 理由: reason (りゆう), reason (わけ), pretext, pretext, motive | 何處: where (いずく), where (いずこ), where (いづこ), where (いどこ), where (どこ) | 玄關: entrance (げんかん), front door, entryway, entranceway, entry hall |
| 下女: maidservant (げじょ) | 顏: face (かお), face (がん), visage, visage, look | 見: looking (み), viewing, (please) try (to), view (of life, etc.) (けん), outlook | 少: small (しょう), little, few |
| 其所: there (place relatively near listener) (そこ), there (place just mentioned), that place, then (of some incident just spoken of), that (of point just raised) | 名刺: business card (めいし) | 取次: agency (とりつぎ), agent, intermediation, distributor, answering (the door, phone, etc. on someone’s behalf) | 記憶: memory (きおく), recollection, remembrance, memory, storage |
| 人: -ian (e.g. Italian) (じん), -ite (e.g. Tokyoite), -er (e.g. performer, etc.), person working with …, man | 代: substitution (しろ), material, price, margin (e.g. for stapling, etc.), area required for something | 美: beauty (び), august (み), beautiful |