Pathway to Japanese Literature
Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.
← Back
Night on the Milky Way RailroadAuthor: Miyazawa Kenji
| Original Title | 〔「銀河鉄道の夜」初期形一〕 |
|---|---|
| Author | 宮沢 賢治 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | Two boys journey through a celestial dreamscape aboard a phantom train gliding along the Milky Way. Giovanni, burdened by unspoken sorrow, watches as his companion Campanella engages strangers—a girl musing over harp-playing princesses, a young man deciphering migratory bird signals—while he grapples with loneliness. The river of stars outside teems with wonders: dolphins arcing through invisible waters, cornfields ablaze with gem-like dew, and a crimson fire blazing from a scorpion’s selfless sacrifice. Mysterious figures guide their passage—a flag-waving signalman, an Indian hunter dancing under constellations—as the train hurtles toward the Southern Cross, where passengers disembark into shimmering mist, leaving Giovanni adrift. Visions of cosmic voids and phosphorescent ice deepen his resolve to seek "true happiness," even as Campanella vanishes, leaving only echoes of camaraderie. Blending aching solitude with ethereal beauty, this surreal voyage weaves myth and melancholy, inviting readers into a world where grief and wonder orbit like twin stars beneath an infinite sky. |
← Return to List← Return to TOP