Galaxy Railway Night

Self-translation of Japanese writer Kenji Miyazawa's fairy tale "Night on the Galaxy Railway Road" · "So, this thing called a river and compared to flowing milk - do you know what this hazy white is?" The teacher asked. It's the Milky Way! Giovanni quickly raised his hands and stood up, but his answer was choked in his throat and he couldn't say it anyway. The teacher looked at him doubtfully, and then called his friend Cobenera's name. Giovanni blushed and sat down. Probably because he has been working hard day and night recently, Giovanni's mental state is not very good. To be precise, there are still many problems plaguing him: his father who leaves home to make money by fishing, his mother who is bedridden all year round, his classmates who always laugh at him, and his good friend Cobenella, whose relationship has suddenly become cold... Giovanni often wonders, what is happiness? The Galaxy Festival after school was brightly lit, but Giovanni plunged into the cold grass tiredly. He seemed to have fallen asleep and had a dream. The sound of the train came from the distant sky, and the small red windows on the train were clearly visible. Many passengers were talking and laughing while peeling apples. "Galaxy Station! Galaxy Station!" In a trance, Giovanni suddenly came to the fourth-dimensional space - a galactic railway train bound for heaven. · "Night on the Galaxy Railroad" was revised four times by Miyazawa Kenji. With each change, the story unfolds and the chapters are slightly different. What we most often see nowadays is the fourth draft, which is called the final draft. Since the third draft and the fourth draft have several decisive differences in the development of the story, the third draft not only allows readers to discover the new charm of the hitherto unknown Galaxy Railway Night, but also unlocks the mystery hidden in this story. Therefore, the translator here finally decided to use the third draft as a benchmark and add the content of the fourth draft appropriately. Be sure to compare both sides. Kenji Miyazawa (みやざわ けんじ), a Japanese poet, fairy tale writer, agricultural instructor, educator, and lyricist, experienced the turbulent eras of Meiji, Taisho, and Showa. He is also a devout Buddhist and social activist. Kenji Miyazawa left many works and died young at the age of 38, but he had almost no reputation during his lifetime. His representative works include "Night on the Galaxy Railway", "A Restaurant with Many Demands", "Braving the Wind and Rain", "Spring and Shura", etc. Intent: Self-entertainment, for reference only