恐山ル・ヴォワール
I don't know what came over me today but I ended up doing lots of random research about this song (lyrics are from the Shaman King manga in its entirety, I discovered.) >_> ...Heck, I don't even read Shaman King!
In any case, afaik, with the exception of the official English translation of this poem in the licensed manga (which I have yet to so much as set my eyes upon), the translations seem rather bad in general imo. And that really annoys me. This song really deserves justice if it's got people making such an awesome, touching song out of it. Although I do admit it is really hard to translate :s
Disclaimer: I won't say that I know exactly what it's trying to say. It's pretty ancient Japanese, which I haven't managed to fully grasp yet, and has several puns/words with double meanings as well as numerous similar phrasings, most likely for aesthetic/literary effect. It's very intriguing, and that's what prompted me to go on a Googling hunt in English and Mandarin and Japanese :'D
In other words, feel free to critique/comment on this.
Here goes, anyway. Personal comments/points of note are in italics, mostly at the end of each section.
恐山ル・ヴォワール (Mount Osore Revoir)
葉さんへ
To Yoh (these are in the context of the manga only)
お前さんを待つ その人はきっと 寂しい思いなぞ
させはしない 少なくとも 少なくとも
Surely that person who waits for you
Will not let you experience loneliness,
At the very least,
At the very least.
お前さんの会う その人はきっと 寂しい思いなぞ
させはしない 少なくとも 少なくとも
Surely that person whom you will meet
Will not let you experience loneliness,
At the very least,
At the very least.
路上に 捨てくされ やるせなさ
途上に ふてくされ やる気なし
Cast aside, helpless, on the road.
Sulky, without will, on one's journey.
愛は 出会い‧別れ‧透けた布キレ
恐山ル‧ヴォワール
Love is the meeting, the parting, a translucent cloth.
Mt Osore revoir.
Revoir means 'to meet'/'meeting' in French. It's a loan word here, of course.
In this section, since Anna has the family name Kyouyama (恐山) which has the same Kanji for Mt Osore, or Osore-zan, the last line may be interpreted as 'Meeting Kyouyama' or alternatively, 'Meeting at Mt Osore' (Anna and Yoh first met there.) - I wouldn't quite rely on any sort of grammar when the Japanese use loan words :'D
**********
アンナさんへ
To Anna
黒い千羽鶴 その人はじっと 寂しい重い謎
かかえ夜 折れなくとも 折れなくとも
A thousand black cranes.
Earnestly that person, lonely and mysterious,
Spends nights
Folding and
Folding.
黒い千羽鶴 その人はじっと 寂しい重い謎
かかえ昼 折れなくとも 折れなくとも
A thousand black cranes.
Earnestly that person, lonely and mysterious,
Spends days
Folding and
Folding.
気丈に ふるまえど ほころんで
無性に プロマイド 欲しくなり
Acting tough but in fact smiling within,
In fact longing for wedding pictures.
愛は 出会い‧別れ‧透けた布キレ
恐山ル‧ヴォワール
Love is the meeting, the parting, a translucent cloth.
Mt Osore le voile.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thousand_origami_cranes for cultural significance of cranes. For some reason they're black here, which is really quite odd since they're usually rainbow-coloured to represent hope. The significance of the colour black is not very explicit, or maybe I just have to get around to reading Shaman King :/
折れなくとも literally means unable to fold, which I took the liberty of translating to 'Folding and folding' as it seems to be implying that the folder (Anna)'s spirit will not fold/bend, or alternatively, that she is unable to finish folding all of the thousand paper cranes. This is what I gleaned from the Mandarin translations around, but I think this is still open to some debate.
ブロマイド literally means bromide, but it's only used to refer to bromide paper (black-and-white photographic paper), or black-and-white photographs. In this case, the Mandarin translations referred to it as wedding pictures, so I just picked this up. It makes sense, but I do think that last bit is still very much open to debate.
The translucent cloth refers to 'le voile', or the (wedding) veil, here. This is a pun on 'revoir' as the l and r sounds are represented by the same katakana in the Japanese writing system and the vowels are the same (gleaned this from a Japanese website). This not only makes much more sense for this section where it describes Anna's feelings towards Yoh, it was also explicitly referred to as a wedding veil in the official Mandarin (Taiwanese) translations, based on scans online. So that final line most likely refers to Anna herself (aka Kyouyama) with veil. I'm pretty certain about this.
**********
小生へ
To myself (In this case, this refers to the cat spirit, Matamune, who sacrificed himself and wrote this)
齢千余年 小生はやっと 寂しい思いから
はなれます はかなくとも はかなくとも
After over a thousand years, I have
Finally left loneliness behind,
Though temporarily,
Though temporarily.
弱いこの心 小生はやっと 寂しい重い殻
はがれます 墓なくとも 墓なくとも
With this weak will, I have
Finally peeled off this lonely, heavy shell,
Though without a grave,
Though without a grave.
衆生に 長らえど せつなくて
賀正に 出会えたら うれしくて
All living things may live for long, but sorrowfully.
But it is a joy to meet others during the New Year.
愛は 出会い‧別れ‧透けた布キレ
恐山ル‧ヴォワール
Love is the meeting, the parting, a translucent cloth.
Mt Osore revoir.
不肖の身なれども この度は
至上の喜びと ちりぬるを
非情に思われど 気にはせぬ
微笑にひとつでも くりゃりゃんせ
I may be unworthy,
But I have experienced unparalleled joy, though fleeting.
This world may be cruel, but I do not take it to heart.
Won't you show me a smile or two?
慕情にもならぬ この詩も
以上もちまして 終わります
This song/poem, not even of feelings of longing,
Shall end with the above.
頭上に輝くは どの国ぞ
地蔵さまおわす あそこかな
What is this place that shines above me?
I wonder if it is where Lord Ksitigarbha resides.
愛は 出会い‧別れ‧透けた布キレ
恐山ル‧ヴォワール
恐山オール‧ヴォワール
Love is the meeting, the parting, a translucent cloth.
Mt Osore revoir.
Mt Osore au revoir.
This section refers to Matamune's impending death/disappearance. I'm sure I don't have to explain what the lines mean with reference to death.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ksitigarbha for more information about the Buddhist monk/deity and his cultural significance in Japan.
Mt Osore revoir probably means 'Meeting (at) Mt Osore' here.
Au revoir means 'farewell'/'until next time' in French so that last line would be 'Mt Osore, farewell.'
...I really should be studying. :'D orz
That said, this really has piqued my interest in Shaman King by a lot more than when I first came across it on free-to-air TV :s
P.S. When I heard this song, this totally applied (comment snatched from some Japanese website with the lyrics |D): シャーマンキングのこと１ｍｍもしらないけどこれはやばい泣けた and there was another one: シャーマンキング知らぬども 小生は この歌聞いて泣きぬれん
P.P.S. Mandarin and Japanese translations line-for-line here, although you can't use ctrl-c =A=;
...Another good version of the song here: NND or YT.
In any case, afaik, with the exception of the official English translation of this poem in the licensed manga (which I have yet to so much as set my eyes upon), the translations seem rather bad in general imo. And that really annoys me. This song really deserves justice if it's got people making such an awesome, touching song out of it. Although I do admit it is really hard to translate :s
Disclaimer: I won't say that I know exactly what it's trying to say. It's pretty ancient Japanese, which I haven't managed to fully grasp yet, and has several puns/words with double meanings as well as numerous similar phrasings, most likely for aesthetic/literary effect. It's very intriguing, and that's what prompted me to go on a Googling hunt in English and Mandarin and Japanese :'D
In other words, feel free to critique/comment on this.
Here goes, anyway. Personal comments/points of note are in italics, mostly at the end of each section.
恐山ル・ヴォワール (Mount Osore Revoir)
葉さんへ
To Yoh (these are in the context of the manga only)
お前さんを待つ その人はきっと 寂しい思いなぞ
させはしない 少なくとも 少なくとも
Surely that person who waits for you
Will not let you experience loneliness,
At the very least,
At the very least.
お前さんの会う その人はきっと 寂しい思いなぞ
させはしない 少なくとも 少なくとも
Surely that person whom you will meet
Will not let you experience loneliness,
At the very least,
At the very least.
路上に 捨てくされ やるせなさ
途上に ふてくされ やる気なし
Cast aside, helpless, on the road.
Sulky, without will, on one's journey.
愛は 出会い‧別れ‧透けた布キレ
恐山ル‧ヴォワール
Love is the meeting, the parting, a translucent cloth.
Mt Osore revoir.
Revoir means 'to meet'/'meeting' in French. It's a loan word here, of course.
In this section, since Anna has the family name Kyouyama (恐山) which has the same Kanji for Mt Osore, or Osore-zan, the last line may be interpreted as 'Meeting Kyouyama' or alternatively, 'Meeting at Mt Osore' (Anna and Yoh first met there.) - I wouldn't quite rely on any sort of grammar when the Japanese use loan words :'D
**********
アンナさんへ
To Anna
黒い千羽鶴 その人はじっと 寂しい重い謎
かかえ夜 折れなくとも 折れなくとも
A thousand black cranes.
Earnestly that person, lonely and mysterious,
Spends nights
Folding and
Folding.
黒い千羽鶴 その人はじっと 寂しい重い謎
かかえ昼 折れなくとも 折れなくとも
A thousand black cranes.
Earnestly that person, lonely and mysterious,
Spends days
Folding and
Folding.
気丈に ふるまえど ほころんで
無性に プロマイド 欲しくなり
Acting tough but in fact smiling within,
In fact longing for wedding pictures.
愛は 出会い‧別れ‧透けた布キレ
恐山ル‧ヴォワール
Love is the meeting, the parting, a translucent cloth.
Mt Osore le voile.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thousand_origami_cranes for cultural significance of cranes. For some reason they're black here, which is really quite odd since they're usually rainbow-coloured to represent hope. The significance of the colour black is not very explicit, or maybe I just have to get around to reading Shaman King :/
折れなくとも literally means unable to fold, which I took the liberty of translating to 'Folding and folding' as it seems to be implying that the folder (Anna)'s spirit will not fold/bend, or alternatively, that she is unable to finish folding all of the thousand paper cranes. This is what I gleaned from the Mandarin translations around, but I think this is still open to some debate.
ブロマイド literally means bromide, but it's only used to refer to bromide paper (black-and-white photographic paper), or black-and-white photographs. In this case, the Mandarin translations referred to it as wedding pictures, so I just picked this up. It makes sense, but I do think that last bit is still very much open to debate.
The translucent cloth refers to 'le voile', or the (wedding) veil, here. This is a pun on 'revoir' as the l and r sounds are represented by the same katakana in the Japanese writing system and the vowels are the same (gleaned this from a Japanese website). This not only makes much more sense for this section where it describes Anna's feelings towards Yoh, it was also explicitly referred to as a wedding veil in the official Mandarin (Taiwanese) translations, based on scans online. So that final line most likely refers to Anna herself (aka Kyouyama) with veil. I'm pretty certain about this.
**********
小生へ
To myself (In this case, this refers to the cat spirit, Matamune, who sacrificed himself and wrote this)
齢千余年 小生はやっと 寂しい思いから
はなれます はかなくとも はかなくとも
After over a thousand years, I have
Finally left loneliness behind,
Though temporarily,
Though temporarily.
弱いこの心 小生はやっと 寂しい重い殻
はがれます 墓なくとも 墓なくとも
With this weak will, I have
Finally peeled off this lonely, heavy shell,
Though without a grave,
Though without a grave.
衆生に 長らえど せつなくて
賀正に 出会えたら うれしくて
All living things may live for long, but sorrowfully.
But it is a joy to meet others during the New Year.
愛は 出会い‧別れ‧透けた布キレ
恐山ル‧ヴォワール
Love is the meeting, the parting, a translucent cloth.
Mt Osore revoir.
不肖の身なれども この度は
至上の喜びと ちりぬるを
非情に思われど 気にはせぬ
微笑にひとつでも くりゃりゃんせ
I may be unworthy,
But I have experienced unparalleled joy, though fleeting.
This world may be cruel, but I do not take it to heart.
Won't you show me a smile or two?
慕情にもならぬ この詩も
以上もちまして 終わります
This song/poem, not even of feelings of longing,
Shall end with the above.
頭上に輝くは どの国ぞ
地蔵さまおわす あそこかな
What is this place that shines above me?
I wonder if it is where Lord Ksitigarbha resides.
愛は 出会い‧別れ‧透けた布キレ
恐山ル‧ヴォワール
恐山オール‧ヴォワール
Love is the meeting, the parting, a translucent cloth.
Mt Osore revoir.
Mt Osore au revoir.
This section refers to Matamune's impending death/disappearance. I'm sure I don't have to explain what the lines mean with reference to death.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ksitigarbha for more information about the Buddhist monk/deity and his cultural significance in Japan.
Mt Osore revoir probably means 'Meeting (at) Mt Osore' here.
Au revoir means 'farewell'/'until next time' in French so that last line would be 'Mt Osore, farewell.'
...I really should be studying. :'D orz
That said, this really has piqued my interest in Shaman King by a lot more than when I first came across it on free-to-air TV :s
P.S. When I heard this song, this totally applied (comment snatched from some Japanese website with the lyrics |D): シャーマンキングのこと１ｍｍもしらないけどこれはやばい泣けた and there was another one: シャーマンキング知らぬども 小生は この歌聞いて泣きぬれん
P.P.S. Mandarin and Japanese translations line-for-line here, although you can't use ctrl-c =A=;
...Another good version of the song here: NND or YT.