Torii.

From 田山花袋「赤い鳥居」

静夫にはその赤い小さい鳥居が際立つて眼についた。しかもそれは何故であるかは、かれにもわかつてゐなかつた。或は何処かの無名画家の小さな展覧会か何かで見た油絵の一小幀にそのシインが似てゐるので、それでその眼を惹いたかもわからない。それともまた、それから向うに松林がつゞいて、川がつゞいて、その下にかの女のゐる町の甍が見えてゐるためであつたかも知れない。それともまた、ある日そこに来て、深くかの女を思つた余りに、その祠の前に手を合せたためかも知れない。いつだつたかかれはその小さな鳥居の下で、三年も人知れず燃えてゐるその恋心をかの女に打明けて跪いて泣いた夢から愕然として覚めたことがあつたのを思ひ起した。その時、夢の中にも本当に泣いたと見えて、枕の布が微かにぬれてゐたことを思ひ起した。

• 展覧会　　　　てんらんかい　　exhibition

• 油絵　　　　　あぶらえ　　　　oil painting

• 松林　　　　　まつばやし　　　pine forest

• 甍　　　　　　いらか　　　　　roof tile

• 祠　　　　　　ほこら　　　　　shrine

• 恋心　　　　　こいごころ　　　crush, budding love　

• 打明ける　　　うちあける　　　to reveal, to confess

• 跪く　　　　　ひざまずく　　　to kneel

• 愕然（とする）がくぜん　　　　to be in shock

Translation:

Shizuo noticed the small red torii. He wasn’t sure why it stood out to him. Perhaps because the scene resembled an oil painting by some unknown artist he had once seen at a small exhibition. Perhaps that’s what caught his eye. Or maybe it was because below the pine forest and the river, he saw the roof tiles of her town. Or perhaps it was because, one day, overcome by the thought of her, he had come to this very place to press his hands together in prayer before the shrine. He recalled how, at one time, he had woken up in shock from a dream in which, under this small torii, he had fallen to his knees and sobbingly confessed his love to her, a love he had kept a secret for three years. He remembered how the tears in his dream had apparently been real, for when he woke up, his pillow was slightly damp.