犬と小供が去つたあと、廣い若葉の園は再び故の靜かさに歸つた。さうして我々は沈默に鎖ざされた人の樣にしばらく動かずにゐた。うるはしい空の色が其時次第に光を失なつて來た。眼の前にある樹は大概楓であつたが、其枝に滴るやうに吹いた輕い緑の若葉が、段々暗くなつて行く樣に思はれた。遠い往來を荷車を引いて行く響がごろ／＼と聞こえた。私はそれを村の男が植木か何かを載せて縁日へでも出掛けるものと想像した。先生は其音を聞くと、急に瞑想から呼息を吹き返した人のやうに立ち上つた。
translation
After the dog and child left, the broad young leaf garden returned to its former calmness. And so we stood motionless for a while, like people chained in silence. The bright colors of the sky gradually lost their light. The tree in front of me was mostly maple, but the pale green young leaves dripping from its branches seemed to grow darker and darker. I could hear the sound of a cart being pulled in the distance. I imagined it to be a village man carrying a garden plant or something and going to a fair. When Sensei heard that sound, he stood up like a person suddenly breathing out from meditation.
kanji (pronunciations & definitions)
| 犬: dog (Canis (lupus) familiaris) (いぬ), dog (Canis (lupus) familiaris) (イヌ), squealer, squealer, rat | 小供: child (こども), children | 若葉: new leaves (どんよう), new leaves (わかば), young leaves, young leaves, fresh verdure | 園: garden (その), orchard, park, place, world |
| 故: used item (ふる), secondhand item, old, used, previous | 我々: we (われわれ) | 鎖: chain (くさり), chains, lock (じょう), padlock, tablet | 人: -ian (e.g. Italian) (じん), -ite (e.g. Tokyoite), -er (e.g. performer, etc.), person working with …, man |
| 空: emptiness (から), emptiness (カラ), being empty, being empty, not carrying anything | 色: colour (いろ), color, hue, tint, tinge | 次第: depending on (しだい), as soon as, immediately after, upon, as (e.g. “as one is told”, “as one wishes”) | 光: light (ひかり), illumination, ray, beam, gleam |
| 眼: eye (め), eyeball, eyesight, sight, vision | 前: point (さき), tip, end, nozzle, head (of a line) | 樹: tree (き), shrub, bush, wood, timber | 大概: generally (たいがい), mainly, usually, normally, mostly |
| 滴: drop (e.g. of water) (しずく), drip, dripping (たらし), drop, counter for drops of liquid (てき) | 緑: green (みどり), greenery, verdure | 段々: notches (ぎざぎざ), notches (ギザギザ), serration, serration, indentation | 暗: darkness (あん) |
| 遠: distant (とお) | 荷車: cart (にぐるま), wagon | 引: -off (price reduction) (びき), discount, -coated, -plated | 響: echo (ひびき), reverberation, sound (esp. the distinctive sound of an object or activity, e.g. rain, gun, gallop, drum), noise, quality of a sound (e.g. a fine phrase, clear voice, resonant bell) |
| 村: village (そん), village (むら) | 男: man (おっこ), man (おとこ), male, male, fellow | 植木: garden shrubs (うえき), trees, potted plant | 何: what (なに), what (ナニ), you-know-what, you-know-what, that thing |
| 縁日: temple festival (えんにち), fair, fete day, day related to a particular deity and thought to bring divine blessing to those who celebrate it | 出掛: (on the) point of going out (でかけ), (on the) point of going out (でがけ), (at the) moment one is about to leave, (at the) moment one is about to leave, just after leaving | 想像: imagination (そうぞう), supposition, guess | 先生: teacher (せんせい), instructor, master, sensei, title or form of address for a teacher, master, doctor, lawyer, etc. |
| 瞑想: meditation (with closed eyes) (めいそう), contemplation | 返: number of times (へん), reply, answer | 上: above (うえ), over, up, top, summit |