父はかねてから腎臟を病んでゐた。中年以後の人に屡見る通り、父の此病は慢性であつた。其代り要心さへしてゐれば急變のないものと當人も家族のものも信じて疑はなかつた。現に父は養生の御蔭一つで、今日迄何うか斯うか凌いで來たやうに客が來ると吹聽してゐた。其父が、母の書信によると、庭へ出て何かしてゐる機に突然眩暈がして引ッ繰返つた。家内のものは輕症の腦溢血と思ひ違へて、すぐその手當をした。後で醫者から何うも左右ではないらしい、矢張り持病の結果だらうといふ判斷を得て、始めて卒倒と腎臟病とを結び付けて考へるやうになつたのである。
translation
My father had been suffering from kidney disease for some time. As is often the case with people after middle age, my father's illness was chronic. On the other hand, there was no doubt that he and his family believed that there would be no sudden change as long as he did what was necessary. In fact, partly because of my good health, my father was whispering about the arrival of guests, as if he had somehow survived until today. My father, according to my mother's letter, was out in the garden doing something and suddenly felt dizzy and turned over. My wife mistakenly thought it was a case of migraine bleeding, and immediately took care of it. Afterwards, I was told by the doctor that there was nothing wrong with it, and that it was the result of a chronic disease.
kanji (pronunciations & definitions)
| 父: father (あて), father (かそ), father (かぞ), father (しし), father (ちち) | 病: illness (やまい), disease, bad habit, weakness, fault | 中年: middle-age (ちゅうねん), middle age, midlife, one’s middle years | 以後: after this (いご), from now on, hereafter, thereafter, since (then) |
| 人: -ian (e.g. Italian) (じん), -ite (e.g. Tokyoite), -er (e.g. performer, etc.), person working with …, man | 通: authority (つう), expert, connoisseur, well-informed person, counter for messages, letters, notes, documents, etc. | 慢性: chronic (illness) (まんせい) | 要心: care (ようじん), precaution, guarding, caution |
| 信: honesty (しん), sincerity, fidelity, trust, reliance | 疑: doubt (ぎ), distrust, suspicion (of) | 現: reality (うつつ), consciousness, present (e.g. government, administration) (げん), current, existing | 養生: taking care of one’s health (ようじょう), recuperation, covering (with a protective material), coating, curing (concrete) |
| 一: one (いち), 1, best, first, foremost | 今日: today (きょう), today (こんじつ), today (こんち), today (こんにち), this day | 客: guest (かく), guest (きゃく), visitor, visitor, customer | 母: mother (あも), mother (いろは), mother (おも), mother (かか), mother (はは) |
| 庭: garden (にわ), yard, courtyard, field (of action), area | 出: coming out (で), going out, outflow, efflux, rising (of the Sun or the Moon) | 何: what (なに), what (ナニ), you-know-what, you-know-what, that thing | 機: loom (はた), chance (き), opportunity, machine, aircraft |
| 眩暈: dizziness (げんうん), dizziness (めまい), giddiness, giddiness, vertigo | 眩暈: dizziness (げんうん), dizziness (めまい), giddiness, giddiness, vertigo | 引: -off (price reduction) (びき), discount, -coated, -plated | 家内: (my) wife (かない), (my) wife (やうち), inside the home, inside the home, one’s family |
| 後: behind (あと), rear, after, later, remainder | 醫者: doctor (いしゃ), physician | 左右: left and right (さう), left and right (さゆう), left and right (そう), right and left, right and left | 矢張: as expected (やはり), sure enough, just as one thought, after all (is said and done), in the end |
| 結果: result (けっか), consequence, outcome, effect, as a result of … | 得: profit (とく), advantage, benefit, gain, rebirth in paradise, entering nirvana | 卒倒: fainting (そっとう), swooning | 付: furnished with (つき), furnished with (づき), furnished with (ツキ), including, including |