其花は又規則正しく凋れる頃になると活け更へられるのです。琴も度々鍵の手に折れ曲がつた筋違の室に運び去られるのです。私は自分の居間で机の上に頬杖を突きながら、其琴の音を聞いてゐました。私には其琴が上手なのか下手なのか能く解らないのです。けれども餘り込み入つた手を彈かない所を見ると、上手なのぢやなからうと考へました。まあ活花の程度位なものだらうと思ひました。花なら私にも好く分るのですが、御孃さんは決して旨い方ではなかつたのです。
translation
The flowers are also revived when they fall down regularly. The koto is also often carried away into a room with slanting lines that are bent in the hands of the keys. In my living room, resting my chin on the desk, I listened to the sound of the koto. I don't know if the koto is good or bad. However, when I saw that I was not able to move the hands that were involved, I thought that I was not good at it. Well, I thought it would be about the size of a living flower. I know well if it's flowers, but the daughter was never a good person.
kanji (pronunciations & definitions)
| 頃: (approximate) time (ころ), (approximate) time (ごろ), around, around, about | 活: living (かつ), life, judo art of resuscitation, action, activity | 更: alternately (こもごも), in succession, one-fifth of the night (approx. 2 hours) (こう), growing late (ふけ), latening | 琴: koto (13-stringed Japanese zither) (こと), koto (13-stringed Japanese zither) (そう), stringed instrument, stringed instrument, zheng (Chinese zither) |
| 鍵: key (かぎ), key (カギ), lock, lock, key (to a problem, success, etc.) | 手: hand (て), arm, forepaw, foreleg, handle | 折: opportunity (おり), chance, occasion, time, folding | 曲: composition (きょく), piece of music, song, track (on a record), tune |
| 運: fortune (うん), luck, chance | 私: I (わたし), me, I (あたくし), I (あたし), I (アタシ) | 自分: myself (じぶん), yourself, oneself, himself, herself | 居間: living room (Western style) (いま), sitting room |
| 上: above (うえ), over, up, top, summit | 頬杖: resting one’s chin in one’s hands (つらづえ), resting one’s chin in one’s hands (ほおづえ), resting one’s chin in one’s hands (ほほづえ), brace (in construction), brace (in construction) | 突: very (とっ), much | 音: sound (おと), sound (おん), sound (ね), noise, noise |
| 下手: humble position (したて), humble position (したで), inferior, inferior, underarm grip on opponent’s belt | 能: talent (のう), gift, function, noh (theatre) | 解: solution (of an equation, inequality, etc.) (かい), root (e.g. of a polynomial), solution (to a given problem), answer, explanation | 餘: other (よ), another, remaining, leftover, over |
| 所: place (とこ), place (ところ), spot, spot, scene | 見: looking (み), viewing, (please) try (to), view (of life, etc.) (けん), outlook | 考: thought (こう), report on one’s investigation into …, deceased father | 活花: ikebana (いけばな), ikebana (せいか), Japanese art of flower arrangement, Japanese art of flower arrangement, fresh flower |
| 位: throne (くらい), crown, (nobleman’s) seat, government position, court rank | 花: flower (はな), blossom, bloom, petal, cherry blossom | 好: friendship (ぎ), friendship (よしび), friendship (よしみ), friendly relations, friendly relations | 分: minute (unit of time) (ふん), fun (one tenth of a monme, 5.787 grains), one-tenth (ぶ), one percent (one-tenth of a wari), 3 mm (one-tenth of a sun) |
| 旨: principle (むね), aim, main purpose, central part, pillar | 方: direction (かた), way, person, lady, gentleman |