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春昼

by Kyōka Izumi

On a spring noon by the sea, an old man tells of strange events.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Advanced3,517 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.

一one
One
お爺さんGrandfatherお爺さんGrandfather
"Grandfather, Grandfather."
はあhuh? (expression of surprise)私meけえme? (dialectal question particle, echoing in surprise)
"Yes, me?"
とthat (quotation particle)一言でwith a single word直ぐat once応じたansweredのもthe fact that ... too四辺がthe surroundings静かでwere quiet and他にはelsewhere誰もいなかったno one was所為であろうwas probably because of
That he answered at once with a single word was probably because it was quiet all around and no one else was there.

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About the book

The text begins on a spring midday scene, as a passerby calls out to an old man hoeing in a field and asks about the house nearby. The opening moves slowly and in fine detail, dwelling on sunlight, peach blossoms, and the smell of tilled soil as the quiet conversation unfolds.

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.

菜種の花 Customs

Rapeseed flowers, known in Japan as 菜種 or 菜の花, are a spring seasonal topic in haiku. Around March they bloom in swathes of golden yellow.

About the author

Izumi Kyōka (real name Izumi Kyōtarō; 4 November 1873 – 7 September 1939) was a Japanese novelist, writer, and kabuki playwright active in the prewar period. He was known for a Romanticism favoring supernatural tales influenced by the Edo period, and is considered one of the supreme stylists of modern Japanese literature.

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.

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