a mini-essay on soma saito and literary references
sooo tonight i will begin reading william golding's 'lord of the flies'. i have decided it is finally time to translate soma saito's 'hae no ou' (lord of the flies) and i think by maybe actually reading the related material, i could grasp a better picture of what the songs are really about.
i like that saito is a very intelligent man (he is degree educated in literature at waseda and did a 4 year course [1] which i think is either a bachelor's or a master's i do not live in japan please tell me) and i especially like that he is not afraid to make references to other literary works in his own.
saito's song 'uzumibi' draws from cormac mccarthy's 'the road' [2] — it's about a father and son and their graphic journey through a post-apocalyptic world. the lyrics of 'uzumibi' seem reminiscent of these ideas, but i think i need to read it before i can make sufficient judgement or publish my translation and interpretation.
one day i plan on translating one of saito's entire literary works. and i don't think i'll ever fully release that translation, i think it'll be entirely self-indulgent. ^_^
speaking of musicians and literary references, a name that's apparently newsworthy these days is one miss taylor swift. the two references that come to mind are 'love story' and 'the fate of ophelia'. but i dislike her portrayal of the plays, as it's clear the main messages haven't been understood. i will talk about this in future probably. but not today.
comparing this to saito's interpretations of literature in his own work, i think he draws from themes and context rather than storylines. saito's poetry tends not to have concrete narratives to it.
i've noticed that i am rambling and nobody actually cares? is this true. Please ask me about soma saito's work i will write essays
hi i literally cried listening to & translating this. read my notes & interpretation at the end.
斉藤壮馬／カナリア
saitou souma - kanaria
soma saito - canaria
この毒は すこしぬるいから
kono doku wa sukoshi nurui kara
this poison, it’s slightly lukewarm
ぼやけていく わからなくなっていく
boyaketeiku wakaranakunatteiku
it’s getting bleary, it’s getting confusing
ごらん カナリア
goran kanaria
look, a canary [1]
だんまりかい[2]？
danmari kai
is it silent?
笑ったような からかっているような
waratta you na karakatteiru you na
like smiling, like teasing
水はいいな いずれさよなら
mizu wa ii na izure sayonara
the water’s fine, but someday, it’ll be goodbye
ごらん カナリア
goran kanaria
look, a canary,
囀った
saezutta
chirping,
つまりは
tsumari wa
in other words,
あんまりだ
anmari da
it’s too much.
砂を噛んだ ちかちか 眩しいな
suna wo kanda chikachika mabushii na
biting the sand [3], shimmering, dazzling
ロボトミーが 昨日を失くした
robotomii ga kino wo nakushita
the lobotomy has stolen yesterday
ごらん カナリア
goran kanaria
look, a canary?
かなしいかい？
kanashii kai
is it sad?
うつろな
utsuro na
or empty,
人形の眼だね
ningyou no me da ne
the eyes of a doll,
きれいなもんさ
kirei na mon sa
a beautiful thing,
燐光の中
rinkou no naka
in the phosphorescence [4],
くすぐったいよ ああ
kusuguttai yo aa
it tickles,
もう息も
mou iki mo
i can’t breathe anymore.
この毒は すこしぬるいから
kono doku wa sukoshi nurui kara
this poison, it’s slightly lukewarm
ぼやけていく わからなくなっていく
boyaketeiku wakaranakunatteiku
it’s getting bleary, it’s getting confusing.
--
bye i love this song SO MUCH. actually, it was the song that sort of made me fall in love for the first time… how embarrassing. it’s a long story, but this song stirs up lots of emotion in me, so i wanted to share my translation of it with you all T_T i will love in bloom forever. this song is so peak, acoustic guitar and cello (or maybe viola?) work so well together which i didnt expect!
as for my interpretation, i think this song is about death — the lyrics are so simple, as if the speaker is a child, or in a similar mindset to one, and it’s reminiscent of the idea that a person is completely calm in their last moments before drowning. here are some footnotes so you can see my thought process a little clearer:
[1] so i hadn’t seen a canary before googling this today. you guys need to see how cute this bird is.
[2] かい (kai) particle is sort of like an informal way to ask questions. common in younger boys.
[3] in Japanese, “(feeling like) biting the sand” basically refers to feeling that something is dull and unpleasant. it’s not euphemistic for dying as I originally thought.
[4] phosphorescence — basically when something is glowing from light it has absorbed. once again I am not a physicist. soma saito has talked about light and particle and quantum physics too many times for me to count
hi i literally cried listening to & translating this. read my notes & interpretation at the end.
斉藤壮馬／カナリア
saitou souma - kanaria
soma saito - canaria
この毒は すこしぬるいから
kono doku wa sukoshi nurui kara
this poison, it’s slightly lukewarm
ぼやけていく わからなくなっていく
boyaketeiku wakaranakunatteiku
it’s getting bleary, it’s getting confusing
ごらん カナリア
goran kanaria
look, a canary [1]
だんまりかい[2]？
danmari kai
is it silent?
笑ったような からかっているような
waratta you na karakatteiru you na
like smiling, like teasing
水はいいな いずれさよなら
mizu wa ii na izure sayonara
the water’s fine, but someday, it’ll be goodbye
ごらん カナリア
goran kanaria
look, a canary,
囀った
saezutta
chirping,
つまりは
tsumari wa
in other words,
あんまりだ
anmari da
it’s too much.
砂を噛んだ ちかちか 眩しいな
suna wo kanda chikachika mabushii na
biting the sand [3], shimmering, dazzling
ロボトミーが 昨日を失くした
robotomii ga kino wo nakushita
the lobotomy has stolen yesterday
ごらん カナリア
goran kanaria
look, a canary?
かなしいかい？
kanashii kai
is it sad?
うつろな
utsuro na
or empty,
人形の眼だね
ningyou no me da ne
the eyes of a doll,
きれいなもんさ
kirei na mon sa
a beautiful thing,
燐光の中
rinkou no naka
in the phosphorescence [4],
くすぐったいよ ああ
kusuguttai yo aa
it tickles,
もう息も
mou iki mo
i can’t breathe anymore.
この毒は すこしぬるいから
kono doku wa sukoshi nurui kara
this poison, it’s slightly lukewarm
ぼやけていく わからなくなっていく
boyaketeiku wakaranakunatteiku
it’s getting bleary, it’s getting confusing.
--
bye i love this song SO MUCH. actually, it was the song that sort of made me fall in love for the first time… how embarrassing. it’s a long story, but this song stirs up lots of emotion in me, so i wanted to share my translation of it with you all T_T i will love in bloom forever. this song is so peak, acoustic guitar and cello (or maybe viola?) work so well together which i didnt expect!
as for my interpretation, i think this song is about death — the lyrics are so simple, as if the speaker is a child, or in a similar mindset to one, and it’s reminiscent of the idea that a person is completely calm in their last moments before drowning. here are some footnotes so you can see my thought process a little clearer:
[1] so i hadn’t seen a canary before googling this today. you guys need to see how cute this bird is.
[2] かい (kai) particle is sort of like an informal way to ask questions. common in younger boys.
[3] in Japanese, “(feeling like) biting the sand” basically refers to feeling that something is dull and unpleasant. it’s not euphemistic for dying as I originally thought.
[4] phosphorescence — basically when something is glowing from light it has absorbed. once again I am not a physicist. soma saito has talked about light and particle and quantum physics too many times for me to count
tl is under the cut ^_^ please note i am NOT good at transcribing so take this with a grain of salt, will be editing this heavily once the actual lyrics come out... ok see notes at the end
afterschool - 斉藤壮馬
afterschool - Soma Saito
随分長い愛だ
zuibun nagai ai da
it’s been a long time
強烈で歩いている
kyouretsu de aruiteiru
walking with such intensity
放課後の世界では
houkago no sekai de wa
in the world of ‘afterschool’
ダモクレの曖昧で任せる気がしたの
damokure no aimai de makaseru kigashita no
worrying about losing to damocles’[1] ambiguity
光に騙されて
hikari ni damasarete
fooled in the light
みだりに薬掻いていた
midari ni kaiteita
and carelessly swallowed[2]
悲哀に染まるだけ
hiai ni somaru dake
stained in only sorrow
なんて意味ない 分かるよ
nante imi nai wakaru yo
it means nothing, that's understood
光に眼を焼かれ
hikari ni me wo yakare
the light, burning back into the retina
飽きずに求めていた
akizu ni motometeita
and lethargically making a wish
浸りきてなんてぬるま湯
hitari kite nurumayu
soaked in lukewarm water,
なんて意味ない場所だろう
nante imi nai basho darou
this place has no meaning
随分遠い所に
zuibun tooi toko ni
such a faraway place
気づけば来ていたんな
kizukeba kiteitandana, aa
having arrived before noticing
放課後の世界では
houkago no sekai de wa
in the world of ‘afterschool’
眩しさに慣れきて
mabushisa ni nare kite
becoming accustomed to the light
やれている気がしたの
yareteiru kigashita no
it felt like i was doing it
光に受かられて
hikari ni ukasarete
received by the light,
日帰り止まったふれ
higaeri* tomatta fure
the day trip came to a halt,
それなり凝らすのなんて意味ない
sorenari* korasu* no nante imi nai
it’s meaningless to try too hard
分かるよ
wakaru yo
i know
光に触られ
hikari ni saraware
touched by the light
うざまに取りつくろう
uzama ni toritsukurou
let’s take out whatever annoys us
漁り火のない海でもう生きもできないよ
isaribi no nai umi de mou iki mo dekinai yo
can’t breathe in this sea without a lurelight[2]
光に憧れて
hikari ni akogarete
aspiring to be like the light,
光に近づけたら
hikari ni chikazuketara
if i come closer to the light,
もしかして自分もなんて意味ない
moshikashite jibun mo nante imi nai
maybe there’s no meaning in this ‘me’,
分かれよ
wakare yo
so let’s divide*
光にうわしたって
hikari ni uwashitatte
even if the light is a burden
光に焦がれたって
hikari ni kogaretatte
or even if it’s something yearned for
日が来るとような
hi ga kuru to you na
as if the day will come,
この喜劇は上れないから
kono kigeki wa uwarenai kara
not getting this comedy
光に枯れたって海はないから
hikari ni karetatte umi* wa nai kara
and if the light wanes away, there’ll be no sea
* im pretty sure this is entirely wrong
[1] the sword of damocles is a symbolic ancient greek metaphor that basicallt says "with great power comes great suffering/risk/responsibility"
[2] translated as 'swallowed' but in reality it's '(kusuri) kaite' so the whole line should read 'carelessly, i took (the medicine/drugs)'. for some reason he doesnt actually say 'kusuri'.... just 'kaite'. in my translation i wanted to reflect his lack of pronouns aswell which is why i used 'swallowed' rather than just 'took'
[3] jp: isaribi — fishing equipment that is basically a lure with a little light on the end of it that people use to catch fish. lurelight sounded the prettiest so thats how i phrased it
Ok thank you soma you have outdone yourself once again. i should have actually stayed the night up and done something about it yesterday rather than doing it this morning because i am risking my spot as soma saito's fastest translator
I’m back at it with some translation work for you all! This morning, Soma tweeted some kind of mathematical soundwave graph doodle thingy and inadvertently (or, knowing him, completely purposefully) blessed us with a whole unreleased lyric sheet on his twitter….. We are so so lucky T_T It’s typical Soma weirdness, obviously >w< !! Anyway, I work fast, so I’ve translated it. (｡•̀ᴗ-) More about this later… As always, read the footnotes ;; They’re essential for this one! ꉂ(˵˃ ᗜ ˂˵) It's all beneath the bar
落日 / 斉藤壮馬 [1]
rakujitsu / saitou souma
Sunset / Soma Saito
陽が沈んだのはさっき？
you ga shizunda no wa sakki?
Did the sun sink down just now?
ピンク色した空が見ていた
pinku iro shita sora ga miteita
I was watching a pink-coloured sky
わだかまったようだ、最近
wadakamattayouda, saikin
Something’s seemed off, recently —
いや、それよりずっと前から
iya, sore yori zutto mae kara
No, it was worse before,
間違っていたのかもな
machigatte ita no kamo na
Maybe I was mistaken.
日々はどうしようもなくね
hibi wa doushiyoumonaku ne
This weather, it’s hopeless,
残酷に流れていくけど
zankoku ni nagarete iku kedo
It’s flowing with such cruelty,
ひびは繕わなくていい
hibi wa tsukurowanakute ii
Fixing the weather isn’t important —
にせものでいい
nisemono de ii
It’s okay to be fake. [2]
なんてさ、単なるクリシェかな
nante sa, tannaru kurishe kana
Well, it’s just cliche
だけどさ、月並みな言葉
dakedo sa, tsukinamina kotoba
But, these ordinary words,
それが時にして刺さるのさ
sore ga toki ni shite sasaru no sa
Sometimes they sting —
どこかで半身を失くした
dokoka de hanshin wo shitsukushita
Where did I lose the other half of my body?
そんな感覚がずっとのって
sonna kankaku ga zutto notte [3]
This feeling’s been here for so long.
影をまた見間違う
kage wo mata mimachigau
Again I mistake the shadow.
きみがどうしようもなくて
kimi ga doushiyoumonakute
You can’t be helped,
ほんものに潰されても
honmono ni tsubusaretemo
Even if I’m crushed by the truth
意味がわからなくてもいい
imi ga wakaranakute mo ii
It’s okay not to understand what it means
にせものでいい
nisemono de ii
It’s okay to be fake
なんてさ 言えたらいいのにな
nantesa ietara ii no ni na
Well, I wish I could say it,
だけどさ うまくはいかないな
dakedo sa umaku wa ikanai na
But it’s not going too well,
夜にならないで、今だけは
yoru ni naranaide, ima dake wa
Don’t be there at night, just for now.
日々はどうしようもなくね
hibi wa doushiyoumonaku ne
This weather, it’s hopeless,
残酷に流れていくけど
zankoku ni nagarete iku kedo
It’s flowing with such cruelty,
ひびは繕わなくていい
hibi wa tsukurowanakute ii
Fixing the weather isn’t important —
にせものでいい
nisemono de ii
It’s okay to be fake.
なんてさ、単なるクリシェかな
nante sa, tannaru kurishe kana
Well, it’s just cliche
だけどさ、月並みな言葉
dakedo sa, tsukinamina kotoba
But, these ordinary words,
それが時にして刺さるのさ
sore ga toki ni shite sasaru no sa
Sometimes they sting.
Notes
[1] - This is my translation of what was written on the lyric sheet that Soma posted today (sep21). I bet it’ll be released later this year as part of his upcoming EP ‘Nuance’ (I’M SO EXCITED….. GAHHH) ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡ Or if it’s not part of the main tracks, maybe this will be a secret track?
Here’s a picture of his tweet. I had to rotate, flip, and enhance it to read the lyrics right. ( ˶°ㅁ°) so! some of this is probably wrong …
Also, since I didn’t hear the song, i couldn’t have transcribed this without the help of r/translator, and here is a link to my thread!! (..◜ᴗ◝..)
[2] - I just wanted to footnote this because I didn’t exactly translate it PROPERLY. (¬_¬") It’s literally“fake/counterfeit is okay”, but I wanted it to have a verb for it to fit more naturally into English (ˊᗜˋ) www
[3] - Soma scribbled right over this part ww.. i don’t know what it says, it’s likely wrong and in fact not “notte”, but I guessed based on what was visible. (´ ˘ `)
Thank you ◝(ᵔᗜᵔ)◜ Soon I should have more translations coming, I’ve been halfway through banked fire since April and then did Fukuro’s Seppun while I was at summer camp (and then lost the paper for it T_T). but my inbox is open, please req any Japanese songs you’d like me to translate!
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