Bookstore.
Akutagawa Ryunosuke
From 「塵労」芥川龍之介
或春の午後であつた。私は知人の田崎に面会する為に彼が勤めてゐる出版書肆の狭い応接室の椅子に倚つてゐた。
「やあ、珍しいな。」
間もなく田崎は忙しさうに、万年筆を耳に挟んだ儘、如何はしい背広姿を現した。
「ちと君に頼みたい事があつてね、――実は二三日保養旁、修善寺か湯河原へ小説を書きに行きたいんだが、……」
私は早速用談に取りかかつた。近々私の小説集が、この書肆から出版される。その印税の前借が出来るやうに、一つ骨を折つて見てはくれまいか。――これがその用談の要点であつた。
「そりや出来ない事もないが、――しかし温泉へ行くなぞは贅沢だな。僕はまだ臍の緒切つて以来、旅行らしい旅行はした事がない。」
書肆 しょし bookstore
倚る よる to lean (on/against)
万年筆 まんねんひつ fountain pen
儘 まま unchanged, as is
如何はしい いかがわしい questionable
旁 かたがた while at it, taking advantage of the opportunity
印税 いんぜい royalties
前借 ぜんしゃく advance (on one’s salary/payment)
臍の緒 ほぞのお umbilical cord (more commonly read へそのお)
Translation:
It was a spring afternoon. I was leaning into a chair in the cramped reception room of a book publisher’s office in order to meet with Tazaki, an acquaintance who worked there.
”To what do I owe this rare pleasure?”
Before long Tazaki appeared, wearing a questionable jacket, looking busy with a fountain pen still wedged behind his ear.
”I wanted to ask you for a favor ― actually, I was thinking I’d get away for a few days and go to Shuzenji or Yugawara to work on my writing….”
I got straight to the point. My collection of short stories was due to be published by his company in the near future. I asked him whether I could bother him for an advance on the royalties of the book ― this was the gist of the conversation.
”I might be able to arrange something ― but going to an onsen sounds extravagant. I’ve never been on any kind of proper trip since they cut my umbilical cord.”
