#19 嘉村礒多「孤独」
妻の房子がY町の実家で男の児を分娩した電報を受取った翌日の午後、私は父の言付け通り母を連れ四時いくらの汽車で村を発った。
In the afternoon of the day after I received a telegram that said that my wife Fusako had given birth to a boy at her parents’ home in the town of Y, following my father’s instructions I departed from our village with my mother at around 4 p.m. by train.
Vocabulary:
嘉村礒多 かむらいそた Kamura Isota (author, 1897-1933)
妻 つま wife
房子 ふさこ Fusako (proper name)
実家 じっか one’s parents’ house, parental home
男の児 おとこのこ boy (usually 男の子)
分娩する ぶんべんする to give birth (slightly archaic)
電報 でんぽう telegram
受取る うけとる to receive (usually 受け取る)
翌日 よくじつ the next day
午後 ごご the afternoon
父 ちち father
言付け いいつけ directions, orders (usually 言い付け)
~通り どおり as per…, following…, in accordance with…
母 はは mother
連れる つれる to bring along (someone)
汽車 きしゃ (steam) train
村 むら village
発つ たつ to depart, to leave
Grammar:
四時いくら
In this context, いくら means ‘somewhere past…’ or ‘…and some minutes’.