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器楽的幻覚

by Motojirō Kajii

At a French pianist’s recital, the narrator has a strange vision.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Intermediate2,487 characters · ≈ 10 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.

ある秋one autumn仏蘭西から来たwho had come from France年若いyoung洋琴家がa pianist (subject)その国のthat country's伝統的なtraditional技巧でwith technique豊富な数のa large number of楽曲をpieces (object)冬にかけてthrough the winter演奏して行ったwent on playingことがあったthere was the event that
One autumn, a young piano player came from France and, through the winter, played many songs in that country's old style.
そのthatなかにはamong them独逸Germanyのof古典的なclassical曲目pieces (of music)もalsoあったwereがbutこれまでuntil now噂ばかりonly rumorでand (being)稀にしかonly rarely聴けなかったcould not hear多くのmany仏蘭西France系統のof the lineage/style作品worksが(subject marker)齎らされていたhad been brought
Among them were old German pieces, but many French works that had been only rumors and rarely heard were brought as well.
私が聴いたのはwhat I heard was何週間にもわたるspanning many weeks六回の連続音楽会six consecutive concertsであったがwas, butそれはitホテルのホールhotel hallが会場だったのでsince it was the venue聴衆も少なくthe audience was also small, andそのためtherefore静かなこんもりした感じのなかでin a quiet, softly nestled feeling聴くことができたwas able to listen
I heard six concerts in a row over many weeks, and since the place was a hotel hall, the crowd was small, so I could listen in a quiet, soft feeling.
回数number of timesをobject marker積むto pile up / accumulateにつれてas / in proportion to私Iはtopic marker会場venueにat / toもalso周囲surroundingsのof聴衆audienceのof頭headsやand横顔profilesのof恰好shapes / appearanceにtoもalso慣れてgot used to and教室classroomへinto出るgo out / enterようなlike / such親しさfamiliarity / closenessをobject marker感じたfelt
As the times added up, I got used to the place and to the shapes of the heads and side faces of the people around me, and felt a closeness like going into a classroom.

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About the book

"Musical Hallucinations" is a short story by Kajii Motojirō. The narrator "I" experiences a strange illusion at a piano recital by a French pianist, in which the sound of the music and the performer's movements at the keyboard seem to come apart. Guided by this dissociation of hearing and sight into a solitary, visionary state, the story meticulously traces the process of arriving at the absurdity of human existence.

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.

秋仏蘭西から来た年若い洋琴家 History

“洋琴” is an old term for the piano used from the Meiji to the Taishō period, also written as “ピアノ” at the time. Here it is written in kanji, part of the same practice of transliterating Western concepts with kanji as “仏蘭西” (France).

木枯 Customs

The Japanese word 木枯(ら)し (kogarashi) refers to the dry, cold wind that blows in late autumn to early winter, and is a seasonal word (kigo) in haiku. Here it describes the applause as sweeping past like a gust of that withering wind.

侯爵 Social role

In Japan's modern peerage system, a marquis ranked below a prince (duke) and above a count. After the 1884 Kazoku-rei (Peerage Law), the title was granted to former court nobles, feudal lords, and those who had rendered distinguished service in the Meiji Restoration.

About the author

Motojirō Kajii (February 17, 1901 – March 24, 1932) was a Japanese writer of the early Shōwa period known for his poetic short stories, including "Lemon," "In a Castle Town," "Winter Days," and "Beneath the Cherry Trees." His works were praised by fellow writers such as Yasunari Kawabata and Yukio Mishima, and are admired today for their finely tuned self-observation and descriptive power.

Summary prepared with AI from Wikipedia: 器楽的幻覚 (CC BY-SA)

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.

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