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

About this story

A satirical short story that explores the challenges of marriage and love through the tale of Princess Zeraiid, a beauty of unparalleled perfection. As she seeks a suitable husband, the narrative contrasts Japanese and Western matchmaking customs, offering a witty critique of societal expectations.

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Source

This 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): 「芥川龍之介全集　第十二巻」岩波書店
1996（平成8）年10月8日発行

Typed in by もりみつじゅんじ. Proofread by 松永正敏.

Yomimaru changed the spelling to modern kana and modern kanji, and replaced classical grammar with its modern form.

The furigana are Yomimaru's. In the app it is split into 3 parts.

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

蝋石ろうせき	wax stone
荒淫こういん	debauchery
背せむし	hunchback
宦官かんがん	eunuch
鰐わに	crocodile

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はなしを知ちつてゐますか？

• ～たとすれば N3Means 'if we assume that...' or 'if it were the case that...', used for hypothetical conditions.

  これは若もし日本にっぽんだつたとすれば、親戚しんせきとか知人ちじんとか乃至ないし女じょ学校がっこうの校長こうちょうとか、甚はなはだ当あてにならぬ人物じんぶつに媒介ばいかいを頼たのむ所ところだつたでせう。

• ～かも知れません N4Meaning 'might' or 'perhaps', expressing uncertainty.

  この王子おうじと結婚けっこんするのならば、沙漠さばくの長旅ながたびも楽たのしいかも知しれない。

• ～さうである N4Hearsay or appearance, meaning 'it seems that...' or 'I hear that...'.

  女おんなのやうに美うつくしい代かわりに荒淫こういんも亦また甚しいさうである。

• ～と言ふことである N4Meaning 'it is said that...' or 'I hear that...', used to report information.

  大だいの無精ぶしょうものと見みえ、鼻はな涕をかむのさへ宦官かんがんたちにかんで貰もらいふと言げんふことである。

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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