once; before; formerly; never yet; never before; first time
to be caught; to be captured; to be taken prisoner; to be seized with (fear, etc.); to be a slave to; to stick to
at that time; in those days
to decide; to determine; to resolve; to break and overflow (e.g. levee); to collapse; to give way
about; roughly; generally; on the whole; completely; quite
before very long; soon; someday; of the previously mentioned; of that number; among them
victim (esp. someone killed); casualty
dozens; scores of; decades
to reach; to amount to; to be up to the task; to come up to; to compare with; to be a match (for)
to bend; to curve; to bend (the truth); to falsify; to corrupt; to sully
to amuse oneself; to make merry
to stagnate; to settle (at the bottom); to deposit; to become sluggish; to become dull; to be delayed
thought; consideration; thinking
floor; stage (for the narrator and the shamisen player); dining platform built across a river
attentive; cautious; careful; watchful
from out of nowhere; from who knows where
dizziness; giddiness; vertigo
unnatural; artificial; affected; strained
what!; oh; what the heck; what the; damn
state; condition; situation; appearance; circumstances
poison; toxicant; harm; evil influence; ill will; spite
paralysis; palsy; numbness; loss of sensation; standstill; state of paralysis
not worth mentioning; nothing special; nothing in particular; no notable ...
to steal; to rob; to deceive; to trick; to graze (in passing); to skim; to appear and quickly disappear (a thought, a smile, etc.)
to concentrate; to focus on; to devote; to stiffen; to become tense
apt to (do); liable to; predominantly; mostly; ... reaps the rewards; ... takes the prize
(a person's) appearance from behind; person as seen from behind; back view; retreating figure
all; altogether; entirely; exactly alike (e.g. in appearance); spitting image of; identical
thick; bulky; massive; heavy
to learn; to acquire knowledge; to carry; to wear (clothes, etc.); to put on
destination; whereabouts; future; prospects
stiffening; rigidity; rigor; stiffness; ossification; petrification
to look away; to turn away
to become dim; to become blurred