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それから

And Then

by Natsume Sōseki

Idle Daisuke falls in love with his friend’s wife.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Advanced3,586 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.

一one
One
誰かsomeone慌ただしくhurriedly; in a fluster門前をpast the gate馳けて行くrun along; go running足音がしたthere was the sound of footsteps時when代助のDaishu's頭の中にはin his mind大きなlarge俎下駄がa wooden clog (geta) with a blade-like base空からfrom the skyぶら下っていたwas hanging
When he heard the sound of someone's hurried footsteps running past the gate, a large wooden clog was hanging in Daishu's mind from the sky.
けれどもhoweverそのthat俎下駄a clog (geta) shaped like a cutting boardはtopic marker足音footstepsのpossessive/linking particle遠退くfade away, recede into the distanceに従ってas, in accordance withすうとsmoothly, with a soft sliding motion頭headからfrom抜け出してslipped out and消えてしまったdisappeared (completely)
However, as the footsteps faded away, that clog slipped out of his head and disappeared.
そうしてand then眼eyesがsubject marker覚めたwoke up (past tense of 覚める)
And then he woke up.

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About the book

This passage follows Daisuke through a quiet morning: he wakes from a daydream set off by footsteps outside his gate, notices a camellia that has fallen by his pillow, and, as is his recent habit, places a hand on his chest to check his heartbeat while reflecting on what it means to be alive. The narration moves at an unhurried pace, dwelling closely on his shifting thoughts and small sensations, and reads as calm with an undercurrent of unease.

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.

俎下駄 Customs

「俎（まないた）」 is a thick wooden cutting board for preparing food. 「俎下駄」 refers to a large, thick wooden clog shaped like a cutting board. At the beginning of the novel, Daisuke, half asleep, sees just such a large clog hanging in the air.

八重の椿 Customs

「八重椿」 is the double-flowered camellia. In Japanese, 椿 means camellia. It is well known in Japan that when the camellia fades, the whole flower falls together with its calyx, and this characteristic matches the story's description of the flowers dropping to the ground at night.

書生 Social role

In the Meiji era, a young man who lodged in a household, running errands, guarding the gate, and doing odd jobs in exchange for room and board, sometimes while pursuing his studies. Unlike hired servants of a purely employment relationship (下男, 女中), his status lay between that of a house guest and a menial, and he usually had some education, so he could read newspapers and converse with the master.

About the author

Natsume Sōseki (9 February 1867 – 9 December 1916), born Natsume Kinnosuke, was a Japanese novelist, poet, and scholar regarded as one of the greatest writers in modern Japanese history. His major works include I Am a Cat, Botchan, Sanshirō, Kokoro, and his unfinished final novel Light and Dark.

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.

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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