作品Free Graded Reading
沈黙Silence
Chinmoku
by ポー エドガー・アラン · Edgar Allan Poe
A demon narrates a nightmarish landscape where even silence is absent.
About this story
About this storyA demon tells a tale of a silent, desolate land with yellow water and giant lotuses.
Read a sample in Japanese
Read a sample in JapaneseSource
SourceThis text comes from Aozora Bunko (青空文庫), the volunteer-run library of Japanese writing that is out of copyright. See this work on Aozora Bunko
Base edition (底本): 「アッシャア家の崩壊」角川文庫、角川書店
1951（昭和26）年10月15日初版発行
1974（昭和49）年4月30日改版13版発行
Typed in by 江村秀之. Proofread by まつもこ.
Yomimaru changed the spelling to modern kana and modern kanji, replaced classical grammar and some archaic words with modern ones, and rephrased some sentences, keeping their meaning.
The furigana are Yomimaru's.
What you'll learn
What you'll learnA demon recounts a tale of a desolate river region with water lilies, a forest, and a man sitting on a rock. Despite summoning storms and curses, the man remains unmoved until the demon curses everything into silence, causing the man to flee. The narrator then reflects on ancient texts.
Key vocabulary
Key vocabulary| 鬼神 (きしん) | demon; fierce god |
|---|---|
| 睡蓮 (すいれん) | water lily |
| 荒涼 (こうりょう) | desolate; bleak |
| 沈黙 (ちんもく) | silence |
Grammar points you'll meet
Grammar points you'll meet- ～す（古典的終止形） N1Classical verb ending equivalent to modern ～する. Here '沈黙す' is literary.山嶺は眠り、谿谷、巉岩、洞窟は沈黙す
- ～てしまう N4Indicates completion or regret. Here 降ってしまう: 'when it had fallen' (with a sense of completion).降っている時には雨であったが、降ってしまうと血であった。
Cultural notes
Cultural notes- アルクマン (Alcman)An ancient Greek poet from Sparta (7th century BC). The opening line is a fragment from his poetry, setting a classical, melancholic tone.
- ザイーレ河 (Zäire River)The Zaire River is an old name for the Congo River. In Poe's original, it is a symbolic river of desolation.
- リビア (Libya)Ancient name for Africa, conveying a sense of vast, untamed wilderness.
- ヘブリディーズ (Hebrides)Islands off Scotland, known for their wild seascapes. Mendelssohn's overture 'The Hebrides' evokes similar imagery.
Try a comprehension question
Try a comprehension questionWhat word is inscribed on the rock the first time the demon reads it?
- 荒涼 (Desolation)
- 沈黙 (Silence)
- 静寂 (Stillness)
- 孤独 (Loneliness)
Sensei's reading tip
Sensei's reading tipFocus on the atmosphere and symbolism rather than following a strict plot. The story is allegorical.
Topics & grammar
Topics & grammar
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