作品Free Graded Reading
ゐろりの中の街The City in the Hearth
Irori no Naka no Machi
by スティーブンソン ロバート・ルイス · Robert Louis Stevenson
A magical poem: a city hidden in the fireplace flames.
About this story
About this storyA poem describing a fantastical city that appears in the embers of a hearth, with soldiers and landscapes emerging and fading.
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, and replaced some archaic words with modern ones.
The furigana are Yomimaru's.
What you'll learn
What you'll learnThe poem describes a miniature city that appears inside a sunken hearth, where a soldier is seen walking among towers and valleys, only to vanish and reappear as the fire flickers. The speaker asks the soldier and the fire about their destination and the nature of this vision.
Key vocabulary
Key vocabulary| ゐろり (いろり) | sunken hearth |
|---|---|
| 靄 (もや) | mist |
| 榾 (ほた) | firewood |
Grammar points you'll meet
Grammar points you'll meet- ～がいる N5Indicates existence of animate objects.兵士が又見える
- ～てしまう N4Expresses completion or regret; here contracted to ～てつた.兵士も光も消えてつた
- ～てゐる N4Archaic spelling of ～ている, indicating ongoing action or state.みんな真赤にてらされる
Cultural notes
Cultural notes- Irori (Sunken Hearth)An irori is a traditional Japanese sunken hearth used for heating and cooking. It is often a central feature in old houses, and its flickering fire creates a cozy, meditative atmosphere often referenced in literature.
Try a comprehension question
Try a comprehension questionWhere does the city in the poem appear?
- Inside a sunken hearth (irori)
- In a garden
- Under a tower
- In a valley
Sensei's reading tip
Sensei's reading tipNotice archaic kana usage (ゐ, ゑ) and poetic contractions like ～てつた for ～てしまった.
Topics & grammar
Topics & grammar
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