結婚難並びに恋愛難The Difficulties of Marriage and Love

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What you'll learn

The author introduces Princess Zelyaid, an incredibly beautiful Arabian princess, and her quest to find a husband. She creates a list of ten candidates, each with significant flaws, and ultimately chooses a surprising partner: a 76-year-old ugly black slave, as revealed through a poem at the end.

Key vocabulary

Grammar points you'll meet

• ～てゐます N4Archaic form of ～ています, used to indicate ongoing state or action.
  あなたがたはゼライイドの話を知つてゐますか？
• ～たとすれば N3Means 'if we assume that...' or 'if it were the case that...', used for hypothetical conditions.
  これは若し日本だつたとすれば、親戚とか知人とか乃至女学校の校長とか、甚だ当てにならぬ人物に媒介を頼む所だつたでせう。
• ～かも知れません N4Meaning 'might' or 'perhaps', expressing uncertainty.
  この王子と結婚するのならば、沙漠の長旅も楽しいかも知れない。
• ～さうである N4Hearsay or appearance, meaning 'it seems that...' or 'I hear that...'.
  女のやうに美しい代りに荒淫も亦甚しいさうである。
• ～と言ふことである N4Meaning 'it is said that...' or 'I hear that...', used to report information.
  大の無精ものと見え、鼻涕をかむのさへ宦官たちにかんで貰ふと言ふことである。

Cultural notes

• The Arabian Nights TraditionThe story of Zelyaid is presented as a document from the 'Oriental Library' (東洋文庫), alluding to the tradition of Arabian Nights tales. The whimsical list of candidates and poetic ending mirror the style of stories like 'One Thousand and One Nights'.
• Archaic Japanese Writing StyleThe text uses historical kana usage (e.g., ゐる, 言ふ) and literary forms (如く, さうである), reflecting early 20th-century Japanese prose. This style is intentionally old-fashioned to evoke a sense of antiquity and exoticism.

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Topics & grammar

Short Storymarriagelovesocietysatirephilosophicalhumorousaozora bunko〜かもしれないkamo shirenai · might / maybe