赤い貨車
On a vast Soviet plain stands a train of red freight cars.
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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.
About the book
The text opens on a broad field in the Soviet Union: an unfinished embankment, a girl named Nastya hoeing a potato patch, and the eight red freight cars she watches every day. The tone is quiet and unhurried, with the stillness of the cars quietly stirring the girl's anticipation.
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.
Refers to the period of the 1917 Russian Revolution and the subsequent civil war. Set in the Russian countryside shortly after the revolution, this story depicts construction projects such as railways and embankments being halted and abandoned amid the turmoil.
A transliteration of the Russian платок, referring to the square headscarf worn by Russian women to cover the head, tied at the back. It is a typical part of the traditional dress of rural Russian women.
Refers to the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo (later renamed Pushkin) outside St. Petersburg, a Baroque palace expanded for Empress Catherine II in the 18th century. After the revolution, the palace and its gardens were opened to the public as a park, becoming a place for workers to rest and visit.
About the author
Miyamoto Yuriko (née Chūjō; 13 February 1899 – 21 January 1951) was a Japanese novelist, short-story writer, social activist, and literary critic active during the Taishō and early Shōwa eras. She is best known for her autobiographical fiction, including Nobuko, Banshū heiya, and Fūchisō, and for her involvement in proletarian and women's liberation movements.
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.
Do I need to pay or sign up?
Library books are free to read without an account. Other gloss languages and importing your own texts need an account and credits.
What level is it?
This one is marked “Advanced”. Every word is glossed, so you can keep reading even with a small vocabulary.
Can I use another gloss language?
English and Chinese glosses are prepared in advance; signed-in readers can generate other languages.