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絵本の春

by Kyōka Izumi

In a ruined samurai quarter after the snow, childhood returns.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Advanced3,491 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.

もとのthe former (original)邸町mansion districtの's / of荒果てたruined / laid waste土塀earthen wallがsubject marker今もeven nowそのままas it is / unchangedになっているhas remained (in that state)
The ruined earthen wall in the old mansion district remains as it was even now.
雪が消えてthe snow has melted andまだ間もないit has not been long since乾いたばかりのjust dried山国でin a mountain country石のごつごつしたrough and stony狭い小路がthe narrow path霞みながらwhile being hazy一条煙のようにlike a wisp of smokeぼっと黄昏れて行くfades into a dim dusk
The snow has melted, and not long after, just dried—in a mountain country—the narrow stone-paved path, while hazy, like a line of smoke, fades into a dim dusk.
弥生の末からfrom the end of Marchちっとずつの遅速はあってもthough there are slight differences in earliness or lateness花は一時に咲くのでsince the flowers bloom all at onceその一ならびのthat row of塀の内にwithin the walls桃紅梅椿も桜もpeach, red plum, and camellia, as well as cherryあるいは満開にあるいはsome in full bloom, and some初々しい花にin fresh young blossoms色香を装っているare adorned with color and fragrance
From the end of March, though with slight differences in timing, the flowers bloom all at once, so within that row of walls, peach, red plum, camellia, and cherry, some in full bloom, some in fresh buds, display their color and scent.
石垣の草にはin the grass of the stone wall蕗の薹もbutterbur buds too萌えていようwill be sprouting
In the grass of the stone wall, butterbur buds will also be sprouting.

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About the book

This passage describes a lane of peach blossoms beside a crumbling earthen wall in the snow-cleared hometown, where few people pass, yet at dusk the footsteps of flower-viewers returning across a bridge seem to carry clearly from afar. It reads like gazing at a hazy scene in twilight, where what is visible and what is imagined blend together in quiet solitude.

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.

「貸本」と、かなで染めた Customs

A 貸本屋 was a book-lending shop: readers paid a small rental fee to take books home to read. Flourishing from the Meiji to Taishō periods, it was one of the main ways ordinary people read novels. Hanging on the door was a paper sign reading 「かしほん」(the kana writing of 貸本, 'book lending'), serving as a simple advertisement.

高島田だった Customs

A type of 島田髷, a woman's hairstyle, the 高島田 was worn high and ornate, typically by unmarried girls or brides. The original text says she wore the takashimada when she died, indicating that she died young, while still an unmarried young woman.

手習傍輩 History

In a temple school (寺子屋), the lessons of writing practice and reading were called 「手習い」, and one's fellow pupils were called 「傍輩（同輩）」. That is, the two were classmates from their days at the private school, and this old friendship is the reason the two households still kept in touch and why the shopboy was often sent to deliver letters.

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.

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What level is it?

This one is marked “Advanced”. 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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