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溺れかけた兄妹

by Takeo Arishima

At summer’s end, a brother and sister are nearly lost to the waves.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Intermediate3,600 characters · ≈ 14 minSource: 青空文库

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Sample: three-line reading

Each word has its meaning in this sentence underneath, and each sentence has a full translation. Read the original and glance down only when you need to.

土用波というthe so-called doyo waves (high waves of the midsummer season)高い波がhigh waves (subject)風もないのにeven though there is no wind at all海岸に打寄せるbeat against the shore頃になるとwhen the time comes that海水浴に来ているhave come to swim at the beach都の人たちもthe city people too段々gradually別荘をしめてclose up their summer houses帰ってゆくgo on homeようになりますcome to do (as a gradual change)
When the time comes that high waves called doyo waves beat on the shore even without wind, the city people who come to swim gradually close up their summer houses and go home.
今まではuntil now海岸の砂の上にもalso on the sand of the coast水の中にもalso in the water朝から晩までfrom morning till night沢山の人がmany people集って来てcame gathering砂山からでもeven from the sand hill見ているとwhen one lookedあんなに大勢な人間がso many people一たいon earth何所からfrom where出て来たのだろうとcould be coming from, I wonder不思議に思えるほどですがenough to seem wondrous, but九月にはいってからafter September began三日目になるその日にはon that day, which was the third day見わたすかぎりas far as one could see砂浜の何所にもanywhere on the sandy beach人っ子一人いませんでしたthere was not a single person
Until now, on the sand and in the water, from morning till night, many people gathered, and seen from the sand hill, it seemed a wonder where so many people could come from; but on that day, the third day after September began, as far as one could see, there was not a single person anywhere on the sandy beach.
私の友達のＭmy friend Mとand私Iとand妹my younger sisterとはand (topic marker)お名残だといってsaying it was a farewell海水浴にゆくgo for a swim in the seaことにしましたdecided to
My friend M, my sister, and I decided to go for a last swim, saying it was a farewell to the sea.
お婆様がGrandmother (subject)波がthe waves (subject)荒くなって来るare getting roughからbecause行かないnot go方がよくはないかmight it not be betterとthat (quoting)仰有ったsaidのですit is that (explanatory)けれどもbutこんなにsoお天気はいいthe weather is fineしand (listing reasons)風はなしするthere is no windからso大丈夫だit is all rightといってsaying that仰有ることをwhat she said (object)聞かずにwithout listening出かけましたset out
Grandmother said it might be better not to go because the waves were getting rough, but we did not listen to her, saying the weather was so fine and there was no wind, so it would be all right, and we set out.

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About the book

The text recounts how the narrator, a friend named M, and a younger sister go swimming at the seaside in late summer, despite rough waves, and are swept away, nearly drowning. The opening moves at a calm pace, describing the emptied beach and the shape of the waves, quiet on the surface yet tinged with a growing unease.

Cultural notes (selection)

Background a translation can’t carry: social roles, history and allusions. While reading, tap “Note” at the end of a sentence to see them all.

土用波 Customs

Refers to long-period swell around the summer doyō (the roughly eighteen days before the first day of autumn, from late July to early August), caused by distant typhoons and the like. Large waves can appear at the shore even when there is no wind. In the text, large waves still occur as late as September, so the old woman's worry has a realistic basis.

About the author

Takeo Arishima (March 4, 1878 – June 9, 1923) was a Japanese novelist, short-story writer, and essayist active during the late Meiji and Taishō periods. His two younger brothers, Ikuma Arishima and Ton Satomi, were also authors, and his son was the internationally known film and stage actor Masayuki Mori.

How the glosses are made

Word glosses and sentence translations are generated in context by AI models (DeepSeek and Zhipu GLM), and every word is checked to have a gloss. AI can make mistakes; you can report problems from the book page.

FAQ

Is this the original text?

Yes. The library holds the opening section of the public-domain original, taken from 青空文库.

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What level is it?

This one is marked “Intermediate”. Every word is glossed, so you can keep reading even with a small vocabulary.

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English and Chinese glosses are prepared in advance; signed-in readers can generate other languages.

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