Akatsuki 暁 (Ohno Solo) - Lyrics and Translation
Akatsuki 暁 - Ohno Solo
ふと見上げ おぼろ月浮かんだ
夜に可憐に咲いた 花よ
時代が 流れ 流れても
遠く 時を超えて 運んでゆく あなたの元へ
fu to miage oboro tsuki ukanda
yoru ni karen ni saita hana yo
jidai ga nagare nagaretemo
tooku toki wo koete hakonde yuku anata no moto e
I glance up at the moon, hazy in the sky
Sweet flower that blooms in the night
Through the passage of time
Spanning the ages to be by your side
離れてく 千切れ雲
追いかけて さざ波
触れずとも 魅せられて
儚き 影の中で
hanareteku chigiregumo
oikakete sazanami
furezutomo miserarete
hakanaki kage no naka de
Scattered clouds that drift away
Ripples on the water that give chase
I cannot touch, but I am undone
As I stand in the fleeting shadows
風 いたずらに 吹き抜けて 水面に
浮かぶ空 掻き乱してく
移ろう 時を 願う
手を伸ばしても ただ 溢れるだけ
kaze itazura ni fukinukete minamo ni
ukabu sora kakimidashiteku
utsurou toki wo negau
te wo nobashitemo tada afureru dake
A playful breeze disturbs
The image of the sky mirrored in the water
I pray for time to fade away
Even though I reach out, it slips away
もう 来ぬ人を 待つような 想いで
過ぎてゆく あてもなき夜
心 消えぬ 景色 汚れなき 微笑みに
mou konu hito wo matsu you na omoide
sugite yuku ate mo naki yoru
kokoro kienu keshiki kegarenaki hohoemi ni
Memories of waiting for one who will never show up
This meaningless night passes
My heart cannot forget the sight of your innocent smile
「こころにも あらで浮世に 長らへば」
知らぬはずの 燃えるように 鮮やかに 輝いて
“kokoro ni mo arade ukiyo ni nagaraeba”
shiranu hazu no moeru you ni azayaka ni kagayaite
“Although I go on living against my will in this sad world”
Regardless, it shines bright as if set ablaze
暁に 胸の中
叩く音 とまどい
夢の中 近くとも
どんなに 遠きことか
akatsuki ni mune no naka
tataku oto tomadoi
yume no naka chikaku tomo
donna ni tooki koto ka
The sound of my heart at dawn
Pounding in confusion
What was once so close in my dreams
Is so far upon waking
今 映し出す 離れない 記憶は
叶わない 約束としても
深く 響き 渡り
身を尽くして ただ 羽ばたいてく
ima utsushi dasu hanarenai kioku wa
kanawanai yakusoku to shite mo
fukaku kizuki watari
mi wo tsukushite tada habataiteku
The memories I recall, I cannot forget
The promises that can never be
Span deep and wide
All I can do is spread my wings and fly till I can no more
そう 舞い落ちる 花びらは 夢想の
彼方へと 呼び覚ましゆく
出会い 詠い 調べ ざわついた 隙間にも
sou maiochiru hanabira wa musou no
kanata e to yobisamashi yuku
deai utai shirabe zawatsuita sukima ni mo
Flower petals scatter and fall
Stirring awake a distant dream
Rendezvous, a singing melody seeping into every crevice, awakening
「こころにも あらでうき夜に 長らへば」
追えど見えぬ 掻き分けて 雲の間に 輝いて
“kokoro ni mo arade ukiyo ni nagaraeba”
oedo mienu kakiwakete kumo no ma ni kagayaite
“Although I go on living against my will in this sad world”
Even though I give chase, it remains out of sight, shining through a break in the clouds
「心にも あらでうき夜に 長らへば 恋しかるべき 夜半の月かな」
"kokoro ni mo arade ukiyo ni nagaraeba koishikaru beki yowa no tsuki kana”
“Although I go on living against my will in this sad world, what I long for most is the moon in the dead of night”
*****
Translator notes:
I wasn't planning on posting this, but this song was just too pretty. Ohno's voice, singing lines from classical Japanese poetry? There was no resisting this.
The lyrics in quotations marks are a direct citation from Hyakunin Isshu #63, which is part of anthology of poetry published roughtly during the 1100s, a time roughly contemporary in with Thomas Beckett, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Thus, the language is lyrical, yet extremely archaic, and I've tried to reflect that in the language used in the translation. Mrrr... trying to balance making the language flow versus retaining the feel that the story is set in a different era. Don't think I've quite struck the balance quite yet. This is definitely still a work in progress.
And as usual, I'm still waiting on official lyrics to fix the inevitable errors that will crop up.