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Travel MelancholyAuthor: Yokomitsu Riichi
| Original Title | 旅愁 |
|---|---|
| Author | 横光 利一 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In a Paris tinged with spring’s chill, Kuji and Yashiro wander along the Seine, their conversation drifting between fractured thoughts of commerce and an unspoken tension. The apricot blossoms shed petals like fragile promises, while the Eiffel Tower looms—a silent witness to their unease. Yashiro’s mind lingers on Chizuko, whose imminent arrival from London stirs a quiet storm in both men. Their footsteps echo past Notre-Dame’s shadow and through streets where history presses close, yet their bond feels tenuous, frayed by unspoken rivalries and the weight of cultural dislocation. \nMemories of their voyage to Europe resurface: cramped shipboard alliances, a fleeting dance under Mediterranean stars, and encounters that blurred camaraderie with competition. Now adrift in Paris’s grandeur, they navigate a labyrinth of foreign customs and introspective solitude, each artifact and alleyway reflecting their fractured identities. As Chizuko’s presence draws near, her letters—sent only to Kuji—ignite Yashiro’s quiet yearning, a melancholy as persistent as the Seine’s current. Beneath Europe’s luminous facade, both men grapple with what it means to belong, their journey less about discovery than confronting the selves they’ve left behind. |
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