作品Free Graded Reading
誰かSomeone
Dareka
by スティーブンソン ロバート・ルイス · Robert Louis Stevenson
A mysterious 'someone' appears when children play in the meadow
About this story
About this storyA poem about a mysterious presence that joins children at play and watches over them at night.
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): 「日本児童文学大系 第二八巻」ほるぷ出版
1978（昭和53）年11月30日初刷発行
Typed in by 菅野朋子. Proofread by noriko saito.
Yomimaru changed the spelling to modern kana and modern kanji.
The furigana are Yomimaru's.
What you'll learn
What you'll learnThe poem describes an unseen presence that comes when children are happy, sings with them in the field and under the trees, joins them in digging and playing with toys, and guards their toy box at night.
Key vocabulary
Key vocabulary| 原 (はら) | field, plain |
|---|---|
| こつそり (こっそり) | stealthily, secretly |
| 桂 (かつら) | Japanese Judas tree, or a type of tree |
| 錫 (すず) | tin, pewter |
| 番してる (ばんしている) | guarding, watching over |
Grammar points you'll meet
Grammar points you'll meet- 時 (とき) N5Indicates 'when' or 'at the time of' an action or state.僕等が原にゐる時は、
- ～てくる N5Indicates movement towards the speaker or change over time.誰かこつそりやつて来る。
- ～けれど N4Conjunction meaning 'but' or 'however'.けれどきつとよ、やつて来る、
Cultural notes
Cultural notes- Nature Spirits in Japanese FolkloreThis poem may invoke the concept of 'yōkai' or 'kami' that inhabit natural places. The unseen presence that joins children could be a friendly spirit like 'zashiki-warashi' or a nature deity, reflecting the Shinto belief in spirits dwelling in trees, fields, and objects.
Try a comprehension question
Try a comprehension questionThe mysterious presence is visible to the children.
- True
- False
Sensei's reading tip
Sensei's reading tipNote the repetitive structure: each stanza begins with a time clause using '時', which helps predict the pattern.
Topics & grammar
Topics & grammar
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