lyrics translation. 'Leeca' by Gackt

As far as I could understand, I was not the only one who thought that 'leeca' would probably stand for the Leica photo camera. Therefore, it might be useful to think that a photo is an important element of this song.

lyrics

木漏れ日の中で君は微笑ってた
膝の上で眠る子犬もやすらかな顔をして…
小さな本を手の平に広げて
綺麗な指でそっと言葉をなぞる

その笑顔で何もかも救われると思ってた

限られた空の下で消えた
あの頃の君を思い出には…
造られた夢の中で見てた
あの空は、もう…

透き通る風の中、儚くて抱きよせた
振り返る姿は今もまだ
離れなくて

限られた空の下でそっと
ささやいた言葉を繰り返して
閉ざされた胸の中で今も
あの頃と同じように微笑っている…

夕暮れに響くこどもたちの声は
笑顔を連れて消えていく…

translation

Under the sunlight coming down through tree branches you were sitting with a smile on your face
And a puppy was sleeping so calmly in your lap
You opened a small book and were holding it with your hand
Gently tracing the words with your beautiful fingers

I thought your smile would mend everything

And then, you disappeared under that fragment of sky
But I can’t think of you only as a memory
That dream was artificial
And the sky I saw in it no longer exists

I held you close in the transparent wind, since you were so fragile
The image of you looking back over your shoulder
Doesn’t leave my mind even now

The words I whispered to you softly under that fragment of sky
I repeat them again
And in my heart, which remains closed since then
Even now we are smiling, just like then

The voices of children resonating in the twilight
Gradually die down, taking smiles with them

_____

Oh, the things I read in different translations of this song... First, the 'limited' sky is a very nice literal translation of 'kagirareta sora', but then, if you can give me an example of a limited sky... Considering the title, it's possible that He remembers only a certain part of the sky they were sitting under, probably the one that was captured on a photo, supposing there were at least a few of them. Also, the 'memories' did not disappear, only She did, which is pretty obvious from 'omoide ni wa', as opposed to 'omoide wa'. It should be also pretty obvious that 'omoide ni wa' is a typical unfinished phrase so common in Japanese, which needs to be properly finished by the reader themselves, and it's most probable this phrase would end in 'dekinai'. The same goes for the 'sky' He saw in the artificial dream, which is not simply 'already', but already gone. Though leaving the unfinished as unfinished is also a way to translate, I went for a full sentence.

Translating literally 'I thought everything would be saved by your smile' is also okay, but then, it feels like He hoped not that the world would find its salvation, but rather that everything will be well and  in order again.

It's highly confusing who was actually smiling in His heart when He whispered the words, and it would really make sense if He remembered Her smile because it was so elaborately explained in the first verse, but still, I do believe that in the second He is smiling as well, because if it were only Her smile, it would need an explicit mentioning of Her - this time, yes, I think it would.

The last line, however, changes the smiling from 'warau' to 'egao'. It is again unclear as to whose smile it is, but it might be possible that when the image of Her smile dissolved, He stops smiling, too, which is why 'smiles' is the words.

lyrics translation. 'kono yoru ga owaru mae ni' by Gackt

Despite the fact that this song is not my favourite, when I heard in again after so many years, it wouldn't leave my head. I had to put aside my Japanese language practicing because I felt I had to translate this song. Despite the fact that it's simple and unsophisticated, it is very dear to me. The first song by Gackt I ever heard.

降りそそぐ雪を浴びながら静かに寄り添う二人
絡み合う指先が愛を確かめ合っていたよね

凍える寒さでこの想いが冷めないように
白い吐息にのせて君に届けたい　この夜が終わる前に

胸に残る温もりも奪った唇も忘れはしないから
遠く離れても、もうなくさない　この愛だけは

果てしない夢を追いながら二人で歩いてきたね
ふとふざけて口にした　「一人で逃げ出してしまおうかな...」

うつむいた君のその瞳にこぼれる涙
冗談だから涙拭いて笑ってよ、あきらめはしないから

君がくれた優しさも壊れそうな切なさも忘れはしないから
遠く離れても、もうなくさない　この愛だけは

想いが雪に変わるなら今すぐ君の場所まで届けることできるのに
会えなくなっても愛し続けたい　君だけを
胸に残る温もりも奪った唇も忘れはしないから
遠く離れても、もうなくさない　この愛だけは


Translation

The two of us were silently clinging to each other, covered in snow falling down heavily
Our fingers were interlocked, as if trying to ascertain our love

I don’t want these feelings to grow cool in this freezing coldness
So let them reach you, carried by the white steam of my breath, before this night ends

I won’t ever forget the warmth you left in my heart, nor the kiss that I stole from your lips
Even if you are far away from me, I won’t lose it, not this love

We’ve come this far, chasing our dreams together
I casually drop ‘shall I just run away from here, alone?’

You cast your head down and there are tears in your eyes
It’s a joke, so wipe your tears and smile, as I won’t ever give you up

I won’t ever forget the tenderness you gave me and the heart-breaking sadness I felt
Even if you are far away from me, I won’t lose it, not this love

If my feelings turned into snow, I could deliver them to where you are, right now
Even if we can’t meet anymore, I want to keep this love, this love for you only
I won’t ever forget the warmth you left in my heart, nor the kiss that I stole from your lips
Even if you are far away from me, I won’t lose it, not this love

Lyrics translation. 'Emu' by Gackt

Thanks to the new interface of Blogger, my first post was entirely erased and I have to rewrite it. So be it! But, since I have no more inspiration like last time, I have to be brief. Positive songs about how we should brace ourselves and move on to achieve our dreams are all nice, but where would we be if we had no dark, possessive, desperate songs like 'Emu' - 'dreamscape'.

This song is sheer perfection.

Japanese

突然の出会いへの心からの喜びと
「いつしか終わるかもしれない」　そんな感覚(きょうふ)に怯えて
そして瞳を見つめてた
何もわからずに

どれだけの思い出も夢のような幻で
いつまでも変わることのない閉じ込められた君がいる
現在(いま)も瞳を見つめてた
何も変わらずに

手を伸ばせば届いてた微笑みは儚くて
目を閉じれば腕の中で消えていく君を
もう一度抱きたくて　あの時、あの場所で出会ったことを
忘れないから

風の中で踊る
君の姿は光に包まれていた

君だけを見つめてた
僕は瞳を見つめてた
今も君だけを見つめてる
何も変わらずに

手を伸ばせば届いてた微笑みは刹那(せつな)くて
目を閉じれば夢の中へ消えていく君を
もう一度抱きたくて
あの時、あの場所で出会ったことを
忘れないから
忘れないから


Translation

The heartfelt joy of having met you by chance
And the thought that ‘it may come to an end before I know it’ – they made me tremble with fear
Just like that, I was looking into your eyes
Not able to understand anything

All those memories, uncountable, are just illusions, like dreams
You stay unchanged, as ever, locked up
Even then, you were looking into my eyes
And nothing has changed

Your smile that I can reach if I just stretch my hand, is so fragile
And if I close my eyes, you start disappearing from my arms
So I want to embrace you once more. Because the day we met at that place –
I could never forget it

You were dancing in the wind
And you silhouette was enveloped in light

I was looking at you only
I was looking into your eyes
Even now I am looking at you only
And nothing has changed

Your smile that I can reach if I just stretch my hand, is so painful
And if I close my eyes, you start disappearing into the world of dreams
So I wanted to embrace you once more. Because the day we met at that place –
I could never forget it
I could never forget it

_____

There were many things I wanted to say, but, again, the post was erased and I'll try to rewrite it. There is a trick when a Japanese author uses a certain kanji character or combination and attributes a completely different reading to it, as if combining two meanings. Simply writing two words instead of one in the translation is not my favourite way to convey such messages, so I use 'fear', because what we hear in the songs is 'kyoufu'. However, since the kanji says 'feeling', I suppose it can mean that the dreadful thought of parting is not the only thing that leads to fear, but it's so frightful because there is the joy of meeting.

The word 'hakanai' would be 'ephemeral', but even though Japanese-English dictionaries never give such a translation, it does exist in context, as well as in Japanese-Russian dictionaries, too - 'fragile' or 'frail'. I feel it's the only fitting word here.

Actually, the smile in the second refrain would also be 'ephemeral', because it's written with kanji for 'moment' - 'setsuna'. But what we hear in the song is the adjective 'setsunai', written with different kanji, which means 'painful'.

I may be less poetic than some other translators, but I hope I conveyed the feelings well.

synesthetic experience. part 2 ~ music

this is not an encyclopedia or analytical article. this is simply a list of my own experiences

1. Gymnopedies

this part of Gymnopedies is undoubtedly light violet

2. Gackt's songs

for some reason three songs of his are light green for me...

Dears

Miserable

and Saikai