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ルウベンスの偽画

by Tatsuo Hori

A summer in Karuizawa and a young man’s longing for a girl.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Advanced3,551 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.

それはit / that (topic)漆黒のjet-black / pitch-black自動車car / automobileであったwas (copula, past)
It was a very black car.
そのthat自動車carがsubject marker軽井沢Karuizawaステエションstationのof表口front entranceまでas far as / up to来てcame and停まるstoppedとwhen中からfrom inside一人のoneドイツ人German personらしいwho seemed / looked like娘girlをobject marker降したlet down / got out
When the car pulled up in front of Karuizawa Station and stopped, a girl who looked German got out.
彼はhe (topic)それがit (subject)あんまり美しい車だったのでbecause it was such a beautiful carタクシイではあるまいit probably isn't a taxiと思ったがhe thought, but娘がthe girl (subject)おりるときwhen she got out何かsomething運転手にto the driverちらと渡すのを見たのでbecause he saw her quickly hand it over彼はhe (topic)黄いろい帽子をかぶった娘とwith the girl wearing a yellow hatすれちがいながらwhile passing each other自動車の方へtoward the car歩いて行ったwalked
He thought it wasn't a taxi because it was such a beautiful car, but when the girl got out he saw her quickly hand something to the driver, so he walked toward the car while passing the girl in the yellow hat.
町townへto (direction particle)行ってgo (te-form of 行く)くれたまえplease (do for me) — an imperative request form
"Go to town, please."

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About the book

'A Fake Rubens' is a short story by Hori Tatsuo, which the author himself called his debut work. Set in the highland summer resort of Karuizawa as the season draws to a close, it depicts a young man's affection for a German girl alongside his intertwined feelings for an idealized girl in his mind. The story is notable for its analytical portrayal of love psychology and stream of consciousness, rendered in Hori's characteristically beautiful prose.

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.

軽井沢ステエション History

Since the Canadian missionary A. C. Shaw opened Karuizawa as a summer resort in 1886, it gradually became a residential retreat for foreigners spending their summers in Japan. The references in the text to "西洋婦人たち" (Western women) and "ドイツ人らしい娘" (a girl who looked German) reflect this background.

紅殻色のバンガロオ Customs

バンガロオ (bungalow) is a loanword popular from the Taishō to early Shōwa periods, referring to a single-storey villa at a summer resort or health resort, derived from the English word bungalow. 紅殻 (べんがら) is an iron oxide pigment of a dark reddish-brown colour, commonly used at the time for painting wooden buildings.

「ルウベンスの偽画」 Allusion

ルウベンス refers to the Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640), famous for his full-bodied, sensual depictions of women. In the work, the protagonist privately calls his girlfriend a "Rubens fake".

About the author

Tatsuo Hori (28 December 1904 – 28 May 1953) was a Japanese translator and writer. His work spanned poetry, short stories, and novels.

Summary prepared with AI from Wikipedia: ルウベンスの偽画 (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.

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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This one is marked “Advanced”. Every word is glossed, so you can keep reading even with a small vocabulary.

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