May, From the Paris Green Windowsill | 五月は花緑青の窓辺から1
| English | Romaji |
|---|---|
In my heart, I thought I was just imagining |
Natsu ga owaru koto mo kono mune ha |
| That the summer could ever end | Ki no sei da tte omotteita |
The empty classroom, the curtain swaying in the wind |
Aita kyoushitsu, kaze yureru KA-TEN |
| That summer spent staring into the sky with you | Kimi to sora wo miageta ano natsu ga |
| Has lived above me ever since | Itsu made datte zujou ni ita2 |
Goodbye |
Sayounara |
| The sigh caught in my throat was deep blue; my tears, by comparison, are Paris green | Aoao3 to iki wo nonda, tatou4 namida ha hanarokushou da |
| If I stop talking, I'll disappear | Damattara mou kien da yo |
| It's absurd, isn't it | Baka mitai da yo na |
Remember! |
Omoidase! |
I can't!, is what my mind screamed |
Omoidasenai, to atama ga sakenda |
| So then this pain must be my soul | Naraba kono itami ga tamashii da |
| But still, still you say you can't hear me | Soredemo, soredemo kikoenai to iu nara |
Forcing smiles is the only thing I can do |
Aisowarai no hoka ni nanimo dekinai |
| The precious memories of the summer we spent together | Kimi to natsu wo futari sugoshita omoide5 mo |
| People laugh, and I say nothing | Warawaretatte damatteiru |
Shut up! We were worthwhile, anyone could see |
Warau na yo, bokura no kachi ha jimei da |
| If I had to compare - this is my soul | Tatou naraba kore ha tamashii da |
| Just staying quiet is so hard; it's probably absurd | Damatta dake tsurai no ni baka mitai daro |
| Hey, say something | Naa, iikaese |
I couldn't; I walked alone |
Iikaesenai mama hitori aruita |
| Fingers pointed at me, only I remained | Yubi wo sasareta boku ga nokotta |
| But still, still you can't remember? | Soredemo, soredemo omoidasenai no ka |
Goodbye |
Sayounara |
The sigh caught in my throat was deep blue; my tears, by comparison, are Paris green |
Aoao to iki wo nonda, tatou namida ha hanarokushou da |
| Stop talking, I know now | Damatte-kure, wakatta yo |
| It's your voice I hear | Kimi no koe ga suru |
"Remember!" |
"Omoidase!" |
I remember!, is what my throat screamed |
Omoidashita n da, to nodo ga sakenda |
| This pain is the proof you were here | Kono itami ga kimi no shoumei da |
| But still, still you say you can't hear me | Soredemo, soredemo kikoenai to iu nara |
| 1 花緑青 is the Japanese name given to the color Paris green, an arsenic-based pigment that's infamous for its toxicity. 緑青 by itself refers to verdigris, the blue-green patina that forms on copper. The 花 prefix means "light blue" (cf. 花色), and helps distinguish the pigment name from the phenomenon of verdigris. |
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| 2 The animate existence verb いる is used here for the inanimate subject 夏, giving it a sense of life or personhood, hence the translation "has lived" rather than "has been" or similar. The verb tense here is also unusual; いつまでだって refers to an extension of time into the unknown future, a "forever", but the verb いた is in the perfect tense, placing the whole structure grammatically in the past. This could just be part of the "narrative" past-tense, but since no "end point" is given and "lived above me forever" is contradictory, I've chosen to interpret it in a present and ongoing sense. |
| 3 青 refers to both green and blue, which were historically considered shades of the same color. There's no way to capture this readily in English; in modern times, 青々 seems reserved more for the sky and the sea (though it can refer to flourishing plant life as well). Since a "blue sky" is a common motif in the songs on this album, and given the comparison with Paris green, I chose to use "blue" here. As a secondary note, this is probably an indirect reference to the phrase 青息吐息, which indicates being deeply troubled or distressed; in this context 青 potentially refers to the "bluish" pallor of someone who's unwell or in pain, as it does in 青ざめる. |
| 4 例う is a grammatically incorrect back-construction from 例えば, and you won't find it in any dictionary. It's not COMPLETELY unheard of, but it is pretty rare, and unlikely to be readily understood even by native speakers. As far as I've been able to gather, the archaic form of the verb that this is referencing, 譬ふ, should mean the same thing as 例える. When it's used together with ならば later, it's essentialy 例えば. |
| 5 想い出 here, a less standard spelling that emphasizes the strong emotions tied to the memory. |