Page:Tayama Katai and His Novel Entitled Futon (Reece).pdf/183

  Blowing up dust from off the street, More violent than the windstorm More turblentturbulent [sic] than the dust Goes a broken-hearted corpse Wondering through at break of day.

He stopped in the middle of the tune, and suddenly stood up, still covered with the futon which his wife had placed over him, and went like a small moving hill into a drawing room. His wife followed him asking "Where are you going? Where are you going to go?" but he ignored her and tried to enter the privy without removing the futon. She said in consternation, "I don't like you drunk. Do you know that you are in the lavatory?"

Suddenly she pulled the futon from behind, and it was left in her hands at the entrance of the lavatory. Tokio staggered dangerously as he relieved himself, but as soon as he was done he suddenly lay down and fell asleep. His wife, scandalized, tried over and over again by shaking to wake him up, but Tokio made no effort to move or to stand up. In reality, he was not asleep but was gazing at the pouring rain outside, with his big sharp eyes wide open in a face like red clay.

At his regular hour Tokio returned to Yarai-Chō, in Ushigome.

For three days he had fought with his anguish. He possessed a certain strength which did not permit indulgence. Even though he regretted being controlled by this strength, he eventually gave in to it. On account of this strength he experienced the bitterness of