Yume Jūya (Ten Nights of Dreams): The Second Night
【Masterpieces of Modern Japanese Literature㊺】
By Sōseki Natsume
Narrated by Nana Nagao
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A short story by Sōseki Natsume
“I had a dream like this. Leaving the abbot’s chamber and walking back along the corridor to my own room, I saw that the paper lantern was faintly glowing. Kneeling on one knee upon the cushion, I stirred the wick with a pin. At that moment, a clove bud, like a small flower, dropped softly onto the vermilion lacquered stand. Instantly, the room grew bright. The picture on the sliding door was by Buson. It showed dark and pale shades of black willow, near and far, and a lonely fisherman walking along the embankment, tilting his straw hat against the cold. In the alcove hung a scroll of Monju, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, seated upon the sea. From the darker side of the room came the faint lingering scent of half-burned incense. The temple was vast, silent, and utterly without a trace of human presence.”
Author : Sōseki Natsume
Narrator : Nana Nagao
Produced by：Koé no Shoten
Special Thanks：Shigoto, Inc.
Listening Length：06:52
Release Date：2025/10/9
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
1867 – 1916
Born in Babashita, Ushigome, Edo (present-day Kikui-chō, Shinjuku, Tokyo). His real name was Kinnosuke. After graduating from the Department of English Literature at the Imperial University, he taught English at Matsuyama Middle School and the Fifth High School before studying in Britain. Upon his return to Japan, he became a lecturer at Tokyo Imperial University. In 1905, he made his literary debut with I Am a Cat. He went on to write many masterpieces, including Botchan, Kusamakura, Sanshirō, Sorekara (And Then), Mon (The Gate), Higan sugi made, Kōjin (The Wayfarer), Kokoro, Michikusa, and Meian (Light and Darkness). He is regarded as one of the foremost literary figures of modern Japan.