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I’ll think about it next year, he told himself. He didn’t feel like it this year. Next year, when the trees bloomed again, he’d really think about it. He had been telling himself the same thing every year now for over ten years: I’ll think about it next year. And another year would pass.

Sakaguchi Ango, In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom

#sakaguchi ango #japanese literature #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd

I was frightened even by God. I could not believe in His love, only in His punishment. Faith. That, I felt, was the act of facing the tribunal of justice with one’s head bowed to receive the scourge of God. I could believe in hell, but it was impossible for me to believe in the existence of heaven.

Dazai Osamu, No Longer Human

#dazai osamu #japanese literature #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd

In its broad sense, civilization means not only comfort in daily necessities but also the refining of knowledge and the cultivation of virtue so as to elevate human life to a higher plane… It refers to the attainment of both material well-being and the elevation of the human spirit, [but] since what produces man’s well-being and refinement is knowledge and virtue, civilization ultimately means the progress of man’s knowledge and virtue.

Fukuzawa Yukichi, An Outline of a Theory of Civilization

#fukuzawa yukichi #japanese literature #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd

Using fine words, ingratiating looks, and excessive courtesy to hide one’s resentment and to pretend friendship - all this I regard as shameful.

Nakajima Atsushi, “The Disciple” from The Moon over the Mountain and Other Stories

#nakajima atsushi #japanese literature #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd

I know far too well my own corruption and imperfections, so I have no place to position myself.

Dazai Osamu, A New Hamlet

#dazai osamu #japanese literature #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd

He put a cigarette in his mouth and was striking a match when he collapsed face-down on his desk and died. It was a truly disappointing way to die. Fortunately, however, society rarely offers critical comment regarding the way a person dies. The way a person lives is what evokes criticism.

Akutagawa Ryūnosuke, “Horse Leg” from Rasōmon and Seventeen Other Stories

#akutagawa ryūnosuke #japanese literature #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd

Whatever challenge or hardship we face, it is never as dreadful as that which we are able to imagine.

Edogawa Ranpo, The Demon of the Lonely Isle

#edogawa ranpo #japanese literature #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd

In the old days, a man was taught to forget himself. Today it is quite different: he is taught not to forget himself and he accordingly spends his days and nights in endless self-regard. Who can possibly know peace in such an eternally burning hell?

Natsume Sōseki, I Am a Cat

#natsume sōseki #japanese literature #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd

Sorrowful songs are the salvation of sorrow-filled hearts.

Dazai Osamu, “Lanterns of Romance” from Blue Bamboo and Other Stories

#dazai osamu #japanese literature #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd

The moment night falls and daylight vanishes, I’ll leave it behind and calmly dedicate to it all the grief I’ve been able to endure, and in its place radiance and harmony.

I’m already entirely on my own. I soak alone in the wind.

- Tachihara Michizō, “Standing on my Own” from Of Dawn, of Dusk

#tachihara michizō #japanese literature #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd

We all want romance, even if it means the agony of separation.

Izumi Kyōka, “One Day in Spring”, Japanese Gothic Tales

#izumi kyōka #japanese literature #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd

When I’m at home, I’m forever making jokes. Let’s say it’s a case of needing to wear Dante’s ‘mask of merriment’ precisely because there are so many things that trigger the 'anguish in the heart.’ Actually though, it’s not only when I’m home. Whenever I’m with people, no matter how great my mental or physical suffering, I try desperately to create a happy atmosphere. It’s only when I’m with people. It’s the same when I’m writing. When I’m feeling down, I make an effort to write light, enjoyable stories. My only intention in doing so is to render the greatest possible service to my readers, but there are those who don’t understand this. 'That Dazai fellow’s awfully frivolous these days,’ they sneer. 'He tries to garner readers simply by being amusing; he doesn’t put any effort into his writing at all.’ Is there something evil about serving people? Is putting on airs, never cracking a smile, such a virtuous thing?

Dazai Osamu, “Cherries” from Self Portraits

#dazai osamu #japanese literature #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd

I’m beginning a diary of my own. Someone like me, someone who doesn’t open [their] heart to others, needs to talk to [myself] at least.

Tanizaki Jun'ichirō, The Key

#tanizaki jun'ichirō #japanese literature #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd

I am already fed up with Bach and Mozart, and completely fed up with that happy, easy-going jazz. I am living like an iron bridge under a cloudy sky after rain. I am pressed by things forever desolate.

I am not completely quiet in the midst of that desolation. I am seeking something, always seeking something in the midst of this terrible immobility, but also terribly impatient. For the sake of this, my appetites and lusts are as nothing.

- Nakahara Chūya, “The Voice of Life” from The Poems of Nakahara Chūya

#nakahara chūya #japanese literature #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd

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#bsd-bibliophile #japanese literature #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd

I’d completely changed. Now I looked forward to evening - twilight’s majestic rule abiding ever so briefly on the earth’s surface - as it plunged the valley into cold. When the sun had already departed the earth, its reflected rays fell from the sky, leaving puddles on the road that brimmed with milky light. Others might not find happiness here, but the sight brought clarity to my eyes and utter transparency to my mind.

Kajii Motojirō, “Winter Flies” from The Youth of Things: Death and Life in the Age of Kajii Motojirō

#kajii motojirō #japanese literature #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd

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