Translation: "DEAD SET" by angela (Soukyuu no Fafner: RoL)
I was going through my old entries adding tags when I stumbled upon this private entry I made way back in October '05--a half-finished translation of angela's powerful, heartbreaking song "DEAD SET." It was the theme song of Soukyuu no Fafner's prequel OVA, "Soukyuu no Fafner: Right of Left," and has one of the most artfully, intricately crafted set of lyrics (really, it's poetry!) that I've ever encountered. I tried my best to do that poetic flow justice in this translation, but a lot of it came out clunky because it will take a better poet than me to capture all of the packed-in meaning and emotion of these simple-looking lyrics in a concise number of words~
=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~
“DEAD SET”
By angela
Romanized and translated by S. Han (DarkCyradis)
Me no mae ni hirogatteru, kono sekai ga shinjite
Onaji you de, onaji de nai nichi-jou wa JIORAMA
Utagau koto shitta toki ni, jibun no ashi de tatta ki ga shita
Susumu koto ni riyuu nante nai, ima wa tada ikanakucha
Spreading before my eyes is a diorama of days
That seem the way the world believes them to be, but are not
In the moment that I began to doubt, I felt myself stand up on my own two legs
I have no reason to keep pushing forward, but right now, I just have to
Aa, mayotte, yureugoitete, dakishimeta yume wa tochuu
Oh, lost and wavering, the dream I embraced is only half-finished yet
Kasoku shita, zankoku na genjitsu wa
Donna fuu ni boku wo kowashite ku n darou
Hakari shirenai fuan wo, nugisuteta karada hitotsu
Nouri ni wa zanzou ga chiratsuku daylight
Donna fuu ni boku wa waratteiru n darou
Semete ikite mamoru beki mono ni ai wo todokeru tame ni
In what way is this cruel, accelerating reality
Planning to break me-
This single, little body that’s cast off the anxiety of not knowing its own measure?
Only the flickering afterimages of daylight remain in my mind
What sort of smile am I smiling now?
At the least, I will live so that love will reach the people I must protect
Taikutsu de heitan na shiawase ni mi wo oite
Kakusei shiteku ikiba no nai kodoku ni obieteru
I place myself in this listlessly peaceful happiness
And fear the loneliness of finding there is no place to wake to reality within it
Aa, tadotte, umaremotta, kioku wa kaerarenai
Oh, I trace my way through a lifetime’s worth of memories that can never be changed
Kanjou ni honrou sareru ga mama datta
Sonna boku ga otona ni naru shunkan
Ushinaitakunai to omoeru, nukumori ni kizuita toki
Dare yori mo tsuyoku aritakatta
Massau ni sumikitta sora ni chikou
Semete ikite, mamoru beki mono ni ai wo todokeru tame ni
In the moment when I, who’d always lived enslaved to my emotions,
Became an adult
And discovered a warmth I knew I never wanted to lose,
I wanted to be stronger than anyone else
Now, I make this oath to that serene, truest of blue skies
At the least, I will live so that love will reach the people I must protect
Nakunatte mo, kudakechittemo
Kioku to shite nokoru no nara
Boku wa omou, boku wa hashiru
Ai wo azuke uke tsugu mono, tsunagatteiru mienai ito de
Mugen ni
Even if I vanish utterly, even if I’m smashed to pieces,
If I will remain hereafter as a memory,
I will think, I will run,
Connected by an unseen thread to those who will take over the safeguarding of love
Unto eternity
Kasoku shita, zankoku na genjitsu wa
Donna fuu ni boku wo kowashite ku n darou
Hakari shirenai fuan wo, nugisuteta karada hitotsu
Nouri ni wa zanzou ga chiratsuku daylight
Donna fuu ni boku wa waratteiru n darou
Semete ikite mamoru beki mono ni ai wo todokeru tame ni
In what way is this cruel, accelerating reality
Planning to break me-
This single, little body that’s cast off the anxiety of not knowing its own measure?
Only the flickering afterimages of daylight remain in my mind
What sort of smile am I smiling now?
At the least, I will live so that love will reach the people I must protect
=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~
Man, this makes me nostalgic for Fafner... what a beautiful series it was...!! ;__;
Cross-posted at soukyuu .
=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~
“DEAD SET”
By angela
Romanized and translated by S. Han (DarkCyradis)
Me no mae ni hirogatteru, kono sekai ga shinjite
Onaji you de, onaji de nai nichi-jou wa JIORAMA
Utagau koto shitta toki ni, jibun no ashi de tatta ki ga shita
Susumu koto ni riyuu nante nai, ima wa tada ikanakucha
Spreading before my eyes is a diorama of days
That seem the way the world believes them to be, but are not
In the moment that I began to doubt, I felt myself stand up on my own two legs
I have no reason to keep pushing forward, but right now, I just have to
Aa, mayotte, yureugoitete, dakishimeta yume wa tochuu
Oh, lost and wavering, the dream I embraced is only half-finished yet
Kasoku shita, zankoku na genjitsu wa
Donna fuu ni boku wo kowashite ku n darou
Hakari shirenai fuan wo, nugisuteta karada hitotsu
Nouri ni wa zanzou ga chiratsuku daylight
Donna fuu ni boku wa waratteiru n darou
Semete ikite mamoru beki mono ni ai wo todokeru tame ni
In what way is this cruel, accelerating reality
Planning to break me-
This single, little body that’s cast off the anxiety of not knowing its own measure?
Only the flickering afterimages of daylight remain in my mind
What sort of smile am I smiling now?
At the least, I will live so that love will reach the people I must protect
Taikutsu de heitan na shiawase ni mi wo oite
Kakusei shiteku ikiba no nai kodoku ni obieteru
I place myself in this listlessly peaceful happiness
And fear the loneliness of finding there is no place to wake to reality within it
Aa, tadotte, umaremotta, kioku wa kaerarenai
Oh, I trace my way through a lifetime’s worth of memories that can never be changed
Kanjou ni honrou sareru ga mama datta
Sonna boku ga otona ni naru shunkan
Ushinaitakunai to omoeru, nukumori ni kizuita toki
Dare yori mo tsuyoku aritakatta
Massau ni sumikitta sora ni chikou
Semete ikite, mamoru beki mono ni ai wo todokeru tame ni
In the moment when I, who’d always lived enslaved to my emotions,
Became an adult
And discovered a warmth I knew I never wanted to lose,
I wanted to be stronger than anyone else
Now, I make this oath to that serene, truest of blue skies
At the least, I will live so that love will reach the people I must protect
Nakunatte mo, kudakechittemo
Kioku to shite nokoru no nara
Boku wa omou, boku wa hashiru
Ai wo azuke uke tsugu mono, tsunagatteiru mienai ito de
Mugen ni
Even if I vanish utterly, even if I’m smashed to pieces,
If I will remain hereafter as a memory,
I will think, I will run,
Connected by an unseen thread to those who will take over the safeguarding of love
Unto eternity
Kasoku shita, zankoku na genjitsu wa
Donna fuu ni boku wo kowashite ku n darou
Hakari shirenai fuan wo, nugisuteta karada hitotsu
Nouri ni wa zanzou ga chiratsuku daylight
Donna fuu ni boku wa waratteiru n darou
Semete ikite mamoru beki mono ni ai wo todokeru tame ni
In what way is this cruel, accelerating reality
Planning to break me-
This single, little body that’s cast off the anxiety of not knowing its own measure?
Only the flickering afterimages of daylight remain in my mind
What sort of smile am I smiling now?
At the least, I will live so that love will reach the people I must protect
=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~
Man, this makes me nostalgic for Fafner... what a beautiful series it was...!! ;__;
Cross-posted at soukyuu .