「かつては其人の膝の前に跪づいたといふ記憶が、今度は其人の頭の上に足を載せさせやうとするのです。私は未來の侮辱を受けないために、今の尊敬を斥ぞけたいと思ふのです。私は今より一層淋しい未來の私を我慢する代りに、淋しい今の私を我慢したいのです。自由と獨立と己れとに充ちた現代に生れた我々は、其犠牲としてみんな此淋しみを味はわなくてはならないでせう」
translation
"The memory of once kneeling in front of that person's knees now makes me want to put my feet on that person's head. Instead of putting up with the lonelier me of the future, I want to put up with the lonelier me of the present. As a sacrifice, everyone must taste this loneliness."
kanji (pronunciations & definitions)
| 膝: knee (ひざ), knee (ヒザ), lap, lap, knee and thigh (while sitting) | 前: point (さき), tip, end, nozzle, head (of a line) | 記憶: memory (きおく), recollection, remembrance, memory, storage | 今度: this time (こんど), now, next time, another time, shortly |
| 上: above (うえ), over, up, top, summit | 足: foot (あし), paw, arm (of an octopus, squid, etc.), leg, gait | 載: 10^44 (さい), hundred tredecillion | 私: I (わたし), me, I (あたくし), I (あたし), I (アタシ) |
| 受: vedana (sensation) (じゅ) | 今: now (いま), the present time, just now, soon, immediately | 尊敬: respect (そんけい), esteem, reverence, honour, honor | 一層: even more (いっそう), still more, all the more, more than ever, one layer |
| 代: substitution (しろ), material, price, margin (e.g. for stapling, etc.), area required for something | 自由: freedom (じゆう), liberty | 己: oneself (itself, etc.) (おのれ), I, me, you, by oneself (itself, etc.) | 現代: present age (げんだい), present day, today, modern era, modern times |
| 我々: we (われわれ) | 犠牲: sacrifice (ぎせい), victim, sacrifice (to a deity), (living) sacrifice (いけにえ), victim | 味: flavor (あじ), flavour, taste, charm, appeal |