作品Free Graded Reading
ぼろぼろな駝鳥The Tattered Ostrich
Boroboro na Dachō
by 高村 光太郎 · Takamura Kōtarō
JLPT N1Short StoryClassical / archaic
A passionate denunciation of an ostrich's captivity in a zoo.
What you'll learn
What you'll learnThe speaker criticizes keeping an ostrich in a small zoo enclosure, pointing out its oversized features, tattered feathers, and distant gaze, ultimately calling for an end to such confinement.
Language difficultyAdvanced · 75/100
Key vocabulary
Key vocabulary| 駝鳥 (だちょう) | ostrich |
|---|---|
| 四坪半 (よつぼはん) | four and a half tsubo (about 15 sq meters) |
| ぬかるみ | mud, muddy place |
| 大股 (おおまた) | long stride, wide step |
| 頚 (くび) | neck |
Grammar points you'll meet
Grammar points you'll meet- ～過ぎる N5Means 'too much' attached to verb/adjective stem.脚が大股過ぎるぢゃないか。
- ～ぢゃないか (archaic じゃないか) N4Rhetorical question or emphatic statement: 'Isn't it?' or 'It is, isn't it?'脚が大股過ぎるぢゃないか。
- ～てゐる (archaic ている) N4Progressive or state: 'is doing' or 'is in state'.駝鳥の眼は遠くばかり見てゐるぢゃないか。
Cultural notes
Cultural notes- Ostrich in Japanese PoetryThe ostrich, an exotic animal in Japan, appears in modern poetry as a symbol of captivity and alienation. This poem uses the ostrich to critique human confinement of nature.
Try a comprehension question
Try a comprehension questionWhat is the speaker's overall attitude towards keeping the ostrich in the zoo?
- Critical and disapproving
- Admiring and fascinated
- Indifferent and detached
Sensei's reading tip
Sensei's reading tipPay attention to the repeated rhetorical question pattern 'ぢゃないか' to understand the speaker's tone of criticism.
Read a sample in Japanese
Read a sample in Japanese何が面白くて駝鳥を飼うのだ。動物園の四坪半のぬかるみの中では、脚が大股過ぎるじゃないか。頚があんまり長過ぎるじゃないか。雪の降る国にこれでは羽がぼろぼろ過ぎるじゃないか。腹がへるから堅パンも喰うだろうが、駝鳥の眼は遠くばかり見ているじゃないか。身も世もない様に燃えているじゃないか。瑠璃色の風が今にも吹いて来るのを待ちかまえているじゃないか。あの小さな素朴な頭が無辺大の夢で逆まいているじゃないか。これはもう駝鳥じゃないじゃないか。人間よ、もう止せ、こんな事は。
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