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美しき月夜

by Yuriko Miyamoto

A soft, damp night scented with ripening apples under the moon.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Intermediate3,590 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.

静かなquiet晩eveningであるis (copula)
It was a quiet evening.
空気はthe air (topic)柔かくsoftly, gently湿ってbeing damp, moist熟しかけたhalf-ripened, nearly ripe林檎からはfrom the apples甘酸いsweet-and-sour酸性のかおりがan acidic fragrance (subject)快くpleasantly重くheavily眠たい夜気の中にinto the sleepy night air放散しspreading, diffusing薄茶色のlight brown煙のようなsmoke-like玉蜀黍の穂がthe ears of corn (subject)澄みわたったclear, limpid宙にin the sky, midairひっそりとquietly, still影をshadows (object)泛べているare casting, floating
The air was soft and wet, and a sweet-and-sour, acidic smell from the ripening apples spread pleasantly through the heavy, sleepy night air, while the light brown, smoke-like ears of corn cast quiet shadows against the clear sky.
到るところにeverywhere / in every place陰翳light and shadowのof錯綜intricate interminglingがsubject markerあったthere was
Everywhere there was a mix of light and shadow.
夏と秋のsummer and autumn's混り合ったmingled together穏やかなcalmどことなくsomehow淋しいlonely景物がthe scene (subject)今now / justパット咲いたbloomed suddenly銀色のsilver大花輪のようなlike a great wreath月光の下でbeneath the moonlight微かにfaintly震えながらwhile trembling擁き合っているis embracing each other
The calm, somehow lonely scene of summer and autumn mixed together, beneath the moonlight that had just bloomed like a large silver ring, trembled slightly and held each other.

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About the book

The text paints a moist, gentle moonlit night as a couple walks home arm in arm after their niece's wedding reception, recalling their courting days. It then introduces W. Tanner, a company clerk supporting his family on a modest salary, and the calm but uneventful three years of his marriage.

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.

いつもの見馴れたマージーの Style

マージー (Maggie) is a nickname for マーガレット (Margaret), a common English given name. In the text the formal name and the nickname are used alternately, referring to the same person.

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 “Intermediate”. 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.

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