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鹿踊りのはじまり

by Kenji Miyazawa

In the evening light, deer dance around a forgotten hand towel.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Intermediate3,599 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.

そのときat that time西のof the west / in the westぎらぎらのちglitteringぢれたcurled雲のclouds' / of the cloudsあいだからfrom between夕陽はthe evening sun赤くred (adverbial form)ななめにslantingly苔のmossy / of moss野原にonto the field注ぎpouredすすきはthe pampas grassみんなall白い火のようにlike white fireゆれてswayed and光りましたshone
At that time, from between the glittering, curled clouds in the west, the evening sun poured red and slanting onto the mossy field, and all the pampas grass swayed and shone like white fire.
わたくしがI (subject)疲れてgrew tired andそこにthere睡りますとwhen I sleptざあざあhard (blowing sound)吹いていたwas blowing風がthe wind (subject)だんだんgradually人のことばにinto human wordsきこえbecame audibleやがてbefore longそれはit (topic)いまnow / at that time北上のof Kitakami山の方やthe mountains and野原にin the fields行われていたwas being performed鹿踊りのof the deer danceほんとうのtrue精神をspirit (object)語りましたtold
When I was tired and slept there, the wind that had been blowing hard gradually began to sound like human words, and soon it told of the true spirit of the deer dance that was then being performed in the mountains and fields of Kitakami.
そこらがthat areaまだstillまるっきりentirely丈高いtall草grassやand黒いdark林woodsのままだったときwhen it was still in that state嘉十Kajuは(topic marker)おじいさんたちgrandfathersとwith北上川Kitakami Riverのof東eastからfrom移ってきてmoved and came小さなsmall畑fieldを(object marker)開いてopened粟milletやand稗barnyard grassを(object marker)つくっていましたwas growing (crops)
When the area was still entirely tall grass and dark woods, Kaju moved with his grandfathers from east of the Kitakami River, opened a small field, and grew millet and barnyard grass.
あるときonce / one time嘉十はKaju (topic)栗の木chestnut treeからfrom落ちてfell and少しa little左の膝left kneeを(object marker)悪くしましたhurt (unfortunately)
Once Kaju fell from a chestnut tree and hurt his left knee a little.

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About the book

"The Beginning of the Deer Dance" is a fairy tale by Kenji Miyazawa, included in his first collection, "The Restaurant of Many Orders," published in 1924. It begins on a grassland at sunset, where a herd of deer gathers around a handkerchief and begins to dance. It is one of the early works that shows Miyazawa's imaginative world where nature and living creatures intertwine.

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.

鹿踊り Customs

A folk performing art of the Tōhoku region: dancers wear deer-head props and dance to flute and taiko drum accompaniment. It has been handed down in areas such as Iwate Prefecture and is usually performed at the Bon festival or other festive occasions.

小屋をかけて泊って療す Customs

Refers to tōji (hot-spring therapy): in the past, Tōhoku farmers who fell ill or suffered from overwork would stay for a long time at hot-spring resorts, putting up a small hut or lodging in a tōji hut, bathing daily and recuperating in the waters. Iwate Prefecture has many hot springs in its mountains, and this was a traditional way for farm households to recover from illness.

栃の団子 Customs

A food custom of mountain villages in Tōhoku. The nuts of the tochi tree (Japanese horse chestnut) contain toxic substances, so after many days of processing—shelling, soaking in water, treating with lye—to remove the toxins, they are ground into flour, shaped into dumplings and steamed. In rice-poor regions they were an important famine food.

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.

Summary prepared with AI from Wikipedia: 鹿踊りのはじまり (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.

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