「まだあるといふ程の理由でもないが、以前はね、人の前へ出たり、人に聞かれたりして知らないと恥のやうに極が惡かつたものだが、近頃は知らないといふ事が、それ程の恥でないやうに見え出したものだから、つい無理にも本を讀んで見やうといふ元氣が出なくなつたのでせう。まあ早く云へば老い込んだのです」
translation
"It's not really a reason to say that there is still one, but in the past, I used to be embarrassed not to know about it when I was in front of people or asked by people, but these days I don't know. But since it didn't seem so embarrassing, I guess I lost the energy to force myself to read the book.
kanji (pronunciations & definitions)
| 程: extent (ほど), degree, measure, limit, bounds | 理由: reason (りゆう), reason (わけ), pretext, pretext, motive | 以前: before (いぜん), prior to, ago, the past, before | 人: -ian (e.g. Italian) (じん), -ite (e.g. Tokyoite), -er (e.g. performer, etc.), person working with …, man |
| 出: coming out (で), going out, outflow, efflux, rising (of the Sun or the Moon) | 知: wisdom (ち), jnana (higher knowledge) | 恥: shame (じょく), shame (はじ), embarrassment, embarrassment, disgrace | 極: quite (ごく), very, 10^48, quindecillion, pole (きょく) |
| 近頃: lately (ちかごろ), recently, nowadays, terribly, awfully | 事: thing (こと), thing (こん), matter, matter, incident | 見: looking (み), viewing, (please) try (to), view (of life, etc.) (けん), outlook | 無理: unreasonable (むり), unreasonable (ムリ), unnatural, unnatural, unjustifiable |
| 元氣: lively (げんき), full of spirit, energetic, vigorous, vital | 早: already (はや), now, by this time, quick, early | 老: old age (ろう), age, old people, the old, the aged |