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山男の四月

by Kenji Miyazawa

A mountain man hunting rabbits dreams he is turned into a pill.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Intermediate3,485 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.

山男the mountain manは(topic marker)金いろの眼golden eyesを(object marker)皿のようにしmaking them like platesせなかをかがめてbending his backにしね山Mount Nishineの'sひのき林cedar forestのofなかをthrough the middle of兎a rabbitを(object marker)ねらってaiming atあるいていましたwas walking
The mountain man's golden eyes grew as big as plates; he bent his back and walked through the cedar forest of Mount Nishine, aiming for a rabbit.
ところがhowever兎はas for the rabbitとれないでnot being caught, and山鳥がa pheasant (subject)とれたのですwas caught (explanatory)
However, he did not catch a rabbit; he caught a pheasant.
それはthat (topic)山鳥がthe pheasant (subject)びっくりしてbeing startled and飛びあがるfly upとこへto the place where山男がthe mountain man (subject)両手をboth hands (object)ちぢめてdrawing in and鉄砲だまのようにlike a bulletからだをhis body (object)投げつけたthrew (at)ものですからbecause it was the case that山鳥はthe pheasant (topic)はんぶんhalf潰れてwas crushed andしまいましたended up (past)
That was because the pheasant, surprised, flew up, and the mountain man, drawing in both hands, threw his body like a bullet, so the pheasant was half crushed.
山男はthe mountain man (topic)顔をhis face (object)まっ赤にしturned bright red大きな口をhis big mouth (object)にやにやまげてgrinning broadlyよろこんでrejoicing, delightedそのthatぐったりlimply首をits neck (object)垂れたthat hung down山鳥をthe pheasant (object)ぶらぶら振りまわしながらwhile swinging it about森からfrom the forest出てきましたcame out
The mountain man's face turned bright red, and happy, he smiled broadly with his big mouth and came out of the forest swinging the pheasant, its head hanging limp.

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About the book

This passage follows a mountain man who sets out to catch a rabbit but catches a wild bird instead, then drifts into a strange, light-headed state, transforms himself into a woodcutter, and wanders into a town. It reads slowly and concretely, with a hazy feeling somewhere between waking life and dream.

About the author

Kenji Miyazawa (27 August 1896 – 21 September 1933) was a Japanese novelist, poet, and children's literature writer from Hanamaki, Iwate, who also worked as an agricultural science teacher. His major works include Night on the Galactic Railroad, Kaze no Matasaburō, Gauche the Cellist, and The Night of Taneyamagahara, and his work gained its reputation mostly after his death.

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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