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夏目 金之助 - 夢十夜 Natsume Soseki - Ten Nights of Dreams (1908) |
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| Audio read by Ken Yoshizawa |
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The First Night: Love Conquers Death |
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The Third Night: A Story of A Vengeful Ghost A man is carrying a child on his back. There is, however, something sinister about the boy that makes the man eager to get rid of him. The man determines to abandon the child in a forest. Despite appearing to guess his intention, the boy leads the man across the paddies to the foot of a large cedar at the edge of the wood. It is revealed that the boy is none other than the spirit of a blind monk, whom the man had murdered in that very place many years before. |
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The Fifth Night: A Love Story from the Age of the Samurai It is ancient times. A defeated samurai is hauled before the enemy leader. Refusing to capitulate he is sentenced to death, but makes a last request: that he be allowed to bid his lover farewell. The leader agrees to the request, provided that she can reach him by dawn. As the lover gallops towards them, a devil imitates the sound of a cock crowing. In shock, she tugs on the reins. The horse rears up and plunges into a ravine together with its rider. |
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The Seventh Night: A Tale of Alienation, Despair and Suicide The narrator is on board a huge cruise ship which is pressing on to some unknown destination. The company of his fellow passengers is repugnant to him: whether they sing arias in the saloon, or speculate on the existence of God, he finds them tedious and life meaningless. He resolves to die and finally musters the courage to fling himself overboard. The ship slides past him as he falls towards the dark sea. Just when it is too late, he is filled with infinite regret at what he has done. |