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月世界競争探検

by Shunrō Oshikawa

Two airships race to the moon in a love-driven rescue mission.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Intermediate1,060 characters · ≈ 4 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.

博士doctor捜索隊search teamのof出発departure
The Search Team Sets Out
明治四十年十月十日October 10, Meiji 40の's (possessive particle)東京新聞the Tokyo Newspaperはtopic particleいずれをno matter which one見てlookingもeven / no matterまずfirst読者readersの's (possessive particle)目を惹いたcaught the eye ofのnominalizerはtopic particle一号活字でin size-one type恋の競争飛行船の月界探検"The Race of Love: Airship Moon Exploration"と表題をas the headlineだしput out (and)本文にもin the body text too二号沢山のplenty of size-two type次のごときthe following, such as空前のunprecedented記事であったwas an article
In the October 10, Meiji 40 issue of the Tokyo Newspaper, the first thing to catch every reader's eye, no matter which page they turned to, was a headline in size-one type reading "The Race of Love: Airship Moon Exploration," and the body text, set in plenty of size-two type, was the following unheard-of article.
今よりfrom now; before now凡そabout; approximately半年以前half a year ago即ちthat is; namely今年五月一日May 1 of this yearを以てon (that date); as of東京大学教授professor of Tokyo University篠山博士Professor Shinoyamaが(subject marker)月界探検lunar expeditionのためfor the purpose of自らhimself発明せるthat he had invented飛行船airshipに(marker of vehicle boarded)乗じboarded and助手一名one assistantとともにtogether with吾が地球our Earthを(object marker)出発せるthat he departed事はthe fact that ... is読者のof the readers未だstill; yet記憶せらるるis remembered処ならんwill surely be (the case)がbutその後since then博士よりはfrom the professor今日までuntil today杳としてsilently; with no trace一片の消息a single piece of newsだになくnot evenあるいはperhaps; some飛行船の不完全のためbecause of the airship's imperfection中途on the way; midwayその目的をhis goal達せずしてwithout reaching, and研究のためfor researchその一命をhis life捧げしにはthat he gave up非ずやis it not so? perhapsと伝うso it is saidものさえありてthere are even those who say, and飛説紛々としてwild rumors flying about生じarise氏の知己はthe professor's acquaintances日夜day and night憂慮しつつあるare worryingがbutここにhere最も哀れなるはthe saddest thing is氏の愛子his beloved daughter月子嬢のof Miss Tsukiko身の上にしてher fate, and幼にしてin childhood母をher mother失いたるwho had lost嬢はthe young ladyただonly天にも地にもin heaven and on earth博士一人をthe professor alone力としいたりしにhad relied on as her strength, but計らずもunexpectedly今回の不幸に際しin this misfortune悲歎やる方なくher grief knows no bounds日は日もすがらday after day夜は夜もすがらnight after night父の身をher father's welfare配慮いてworrying about, and泣き明かせるweeping until dawnほどにてto such an extent thatそのあまりso much so that花をもeven flowers欺く麗容もher flower-deceiving beauty tooあたらalas; in vain夜半の嵐a midnight stormにin; by散り失せぬべきwould be scattered and lostほどのto the extent of容体となりぬhas become her condition
"About half a year ago, that is, on May 1 of this year, Professor Shinoyama of Tokyo University rode the airship he himself invented for a moon exploration and left our Earth with one assistant; readers may still remember this, but since then, to this day, not a single word has come from the professor. Some even say that perhaps, because the airship was imperfect, he did not reach his goal on the way and gave his life for research. Wild rumors have risen and spread, and the professor's friends worry day and night. But the saddest here is the fate of his beloved daughter, Miss Tsukiko. Having lost her mother as a child, she had only the professor, in heaven and on earth, as her strength, and now, in this sudden misfortune, her grief has no end. Day and night she thinks of her father and cries until morning, so that her beauty, which could fool even flowers, has wasted away until she looks as if she might be lost in a midnight storm.
その様をthat situation黙視するに忍びずcould not bear to stand by in silence一身を賭してrisking their lives博士の生死をthe professor's life or death探らんwould seek to find outその報酬としてas the reward for that運よくluckily探りあてたる方へはto whichever one succeeded in finding him嬢の一身をthe young lady's person托せらるべしshould be entrustedと嬢にto the young lady申込みたるwho had proposed二人の青年紳士ありthere were two young gentlemen
Unable to stand by in silence, two young gentlemen offered Miss Tsukiko a proposal: they would risk their lives to find out whether the professor was alive or dead, and as a reward, she should give her hand to whichever of them was lucky enough to find him.

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About the book

A sensational newspaper report announces that Dr. Shinoyama has vanished on his airship voyage to the moon, and two young men who love his daughter Tsukiko agree that whoever rescues the doctor may win her hand, so both set off on competing airships. The passage opens in the style of a news article, and the launch scene reads briskly and vividly.

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.

一号活字 Customs

In the Meiji period, newspaper type was graded by size, with ichi-gō (No. 1) being the largest, used mainly for headlines of major news. Here the headline "恋の競争飛行船の月界探検" (A Rivalry of Love: A Dirigible Voyage of Exploration to the Moon) is printed in No. 1 type, showing how the paper used this sensational headline to attract readers.

秋山男爵 History

Baron (danshaku) was the lowest of the five peerage ranks (prince, marquis, count, viscount, baron) established by the 1884 Kazoku-rei (Peerage Ordinance). In Meiji fiction, a baron often serves as the identity of a male protagonist, hinting at his social standing, and here it forms a contrast with Kumoi Fumihiko.

日比谷公園 History

Hibiya Park, opened in 1903, was Tokyo's first Western-style park. Located in the city centre, it often served as a venue for large-scale gatherings and major ceremonies.

About the author

Shunrō Oshikawa (real name Masaari Oshikawa; March 21, 1876 – November 16, 1914) was a Japanese author, journalist, and editor. He is best known as a pioneer of science fiction.

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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