「一口でいふと、伯父は私の財産を胡魔化したのです。事は私が東京へ出てゐる三年の間に容易く行なはれたのです。凡てを伯父任せにして平氣でゐた私は、世間的に云へば本當の馬鹿でした。世間的以上の見地から評すれば、或は純なる尊い男とでも云へませうか。私は其時の己れを顧みて、何故もつと人が惡く生れて來なかつたかと思ふと、正直過ぎた自分が口惜しくつて堪りません。然しまた何うかして、もう一度あゝいふ生れたままの姿に立ち歸つて生きて見たいといふ心持も起るのです。記憶して下さい、あなたの知つてゐる私は塵に汚れた後の私です。きたなくなつた年數の多いものを先輩と呼ぶならば、私はたしかに貴方より先輩でせう。
translation
“In a nutshell, my uncle swindled my fortune. Things were easily done during the three years I was in Tokyo. From a worldly point of view, I was a real fool, but from a more worldly point of view, I might as well say that I was a pure and honorable man. When I look back and wonder why people weren't born badly, I can't help but feel sorry for myself for being too honest. Remember, the me you know is me after I've been smeared with dust. I'm sure he's older than you.
kanji (pronunciations & definitions)
| 一口: mouthful (ひとくち), morsel, bite, gulp, sip | 伯父: uncle (おじ), uncle (しゅくふ), uncle (はくふ), uncle (one’s father’s older brother) (えおじ) | 私: I (わたし), me, I (あたくし), I (あたし), I (アタシ) | 財産: property (ざいさん), fortune, assets |
| 東京: Tokyo (とうきょう), Tokyo (とうけい) | 出: coming out (で), going out, outflow, efflux, rising (of the Sun or the Moon) | 三年: three years (さんねん) | 間: space (between) (あいだ), space (between) (あわい), gap, gap, interval |
| 行: line (of text) (ぎょう), row, verse, carya (austerities), samskara (formations) | 凡: about (おおよそ), roughly, approximately, generally, on the whole | 伯父: uncle (おじ), uncle (しゅくふ), uncle (はくふ), uncle (one’s father’s older brother) (えおじ) | 任: obligation (にん), duty, charge, responsibility |
| 本當: truth (ほんと), truth (ほんとう), truth (ホント), truth (ホントウ), truth (ホントー) | 馬鹿: idiot (ばか), idiot (バカ), moron, moron, fool | 世間: world (せけん), society, people, the public | 世間的: public (attention, recognition, etc.) (せけんてき), social (standing, acceptance, etc.), worldly (fame, desires, etc.) |
| 以上: not less than … (いじょう), … and over, … and above, … and upwards, … or more | 見地: point of view (けんち), viewpoint, standpoint | 評: criticism (ひょう), commentary, review | 或: a certain … (ある), some … |
| 尊: zun (ancient Chinese wine vessel, usu. made of bronze) (そん), honorific prefix referring to the listener, counter for buddhas, Lord (みこと), Highness | 男: man (おっこ), man (おとこ), male, male, fellow | 己: oneself (itself, etc.) (おのれ), I, me, you, by oneself (itself, etc.) | 何故: why (なぜ), why (なにゆえ), how, how |
| 惡: evil (あく), wickedness, (role of) the villain (in theatre, etc.), the bad guy | 生: pure (き), undiluted, raw, crude, raw (なま) | 正直: honest (しょうじき), frank, candid, straightforward, honestly | 過: surplus- (か), excess-, over-, per- (chemical with more of a certain element than found in other compounds of the same constituents) |
| 然: -like (ぜん), so (さ), like that, in that way, like that (しか) | 何: what (なに), what (ナニ), you-know-what, you-know-what, that thing | 一度: once (いちど), once (ひとたび), one time, one time, on one occasion | 姿: figure (すがた), form, shape, appearance, dress |
| 心持: feeling (こころもち), mood, sensation, disposition, mental attitude | 起: source (おこり), origin, cause, beginning, genesis | 記憶: memory (きおく), recollection, remembrance, memory, storage | 下: below (した), down, under, younger (e.g. daughter), bottom |
| 塵: rubbish (ごみ), rubbish (ゴミ), trash, trash, garbage | 汚: oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) (よごれ), oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) (ヨゴレ) | 後: behind (あと), rear, after, later, remainder | 多: multi- (た) |
| 貴方: your home (きほう), your residence, you (referring to one’s equal; epistolary style), you (あなた), dear |