Kanji:
夜半の月影 握りしめる鋏
片方の刃しかない 壊したのは私?
悲しみが間も無く到着する
着物を左前に 逝くその時を待つ
棚引くは白絹 カスミソウ
揺らめく 切なる願い ただ 焦れ続けて
黒髪切る切る 血塗れ乙女 前髪で閉ざした世界
私ここにいる ここにいるよ
十六夜の痕 遍く切瘡
誰も知らない生きる意味
零れたわだかまり 這う這うの体
二つの痛みを交差させ現を裂く
当たり前のことが出来ない私は
片方の刃で傷口を抉る
着物を右前に 救いの時を待つ
掌隠すは オキザリス
偏に重ねる刃 求めるは温もり
黒髪散る散る 血塗れ乙女 手首に咲いた銀冠
流れる詞が静寂に変わる
十六夜の痕 遍く切瘡
教えて崩壊の意味
零れた喜びに 這う這うの体
黒髪切る切る 血塗れ乙女 前髪で閉ざした世界
私ここにいる ここにいるよ
十六夜の痕 遍く切瘡
誰も知らない生きる意味
握りしめる鋏 今もまだ壊れたまま 私は詞う
Romaji:
Yowa no tsukikage nigirishimeru hasami
Katahou no ha shikanai kowashita no wa watashi?
Kanashimi ga mamonaku touchaku suru
Kimono wo hidarimae ni yuku sono toki wo matsu
Tanabiku wa shiraginu kasumisou
Yurameku setsunaru negai tada kogare tsuzukete
Kurogami kirugiru chimabure otome maegami de tozashita sekai
Watashi koko ni iru koko ni iru yo
Izayoi no ato amaneku kirukasa
Daremo shiranai ikiru imi
Koboreta wadakamari houhou no tei
Futatsu no itami wo kousa sase utsutsu wo saku
Atarimae no koto ga dekinai watashi wa
Katahou no ha de kizuguchi wo eguru
Kimono wo migimae ni sukui no toki wo matsu
Tanagokoro kakusu wa okizarisu
Hitoe ni kasaneru yaiba motomeru wa nukumori
Kurogami chirujiru chimabure otome tekubi ni saita gin kamuro
Nagareru kotoba ga seijaku ni kawaru
Izayoi no ato amaneku kirukasa
Oshiete houkai no imi
Koboreta yorokobi ni houhou no tei
Kurogami kirugiru chimabure otome maegami de tozashita sekai
Watashi koko ni iru koko ni iru yo
Izayoi no ato amaneku kirukasa
Daremo shiranai ikiru imi
Nigirishimeru hasami ima mo mada kowareta mama watashi wa utau
English:
The moonlight in the dead of night, and the scissors I grasp tightly
With only one blade; am I the one who broke them?
Sorrow will soon arrive
With the left side of my kimono in front, I await the time of departure
White silk and gypsophila are trailing above
My wavering heartfelt desire, I simply keep on yearning
Cutting and cutting my black hair; a bloodstained maiden; the world shut away behind my fringe
I'm here, I'm right here
The scars from the sixteenth night, incisions everywhere
The meaning of life that no-one knows
The knot of emotion that has spilled out, a writhing body
I cleave reality in twain, making our pain intersect
Unable to do ordinary things, I
Gouge the opening of my wound with a single blade
With the right side of my kimono in front, I await the time of salvation
Oxalis is concealed in the palm of my hand
Blades layered upon blades, what I seek is warmth
My black hair is falling and falling; a bloodstained maiden; the silver crown blooming from my wrists
The words that flow out fade into silence
The scars from the sixteenth night, incisions everywhere
Tell me the meaning for my collapse
Amid the joy spilling out, a writhing body
Cutting and cutting my black hair; a bloodstained maiden; the world shut away behind my fringe
I'm here, I'm right here
The scars from the sixteenth night, incisions everywhere
The meaning of life that no-one knows
The scissors I grasp tightly, still broken even now; I sing
This one was quite tricky, and the UK being hit by the second major heatwave in the space of a month made it quite difficult to concentrate haha. Still, it makes me really happy that people are still finding my blog and reading my translations. I've noticed the Jikkendai ones are quite popular so I should do more of them! They can be quite a challenge, though, and as mentioned before, this one was no exception. Tani Takuma just loves using archaic/rare kanji readings, so you'll often find that what you're hearing him sing is quite different to what you'd expect just from reading the lyrics, even if you're quite familiar with kanji (great learning experience, though). Additionally, this is one of Jikkendai's less story-like songs, so the lyrics don't flow quite as naturally as they do in some of their other songs. There's a lot to explain about this song so this will be my longest translator's note yet, but here we go:
*So first, the title. "切瘡"/"Kirukasa" isn't really a word used in modern Japanese. It's comprised of "切"/"kiru", meaning "to cut", and "瘡"/"kasa", meaning something along the lines of "wound", "boil", "pustule", "scab", "pox" and even "syphilis" ("wound" being the most accurate reading in this context). It's difficult to find information on the full compound word "kirukasa", but from what I could find, it seems to be an archaic medical term that has long been replaced with "切り傷"/"kirikizu", meaning "cut", "gash" or "incision".
*"With the left side of my kimono in front" refers to the incorrect way of wearing a kimono; that is, with the left side (the viewer's left, not the wearer's) at the front. This is how the deceased are dressed for funerals, so it has some morbid symbolism.
*"逝く"/"Yuku"/"iku" primarily means "to go", but it can also mean "to die". It's not as informal/euphemistic in this context as it would be in English; rather, it's quite poetic.
*Gypsophila, also known as baby's breath, is a symbol of innocence, purity and eternal love. Likewise, oxalis is a symbol of luck and prosperity. I don't actually know if Tani included these flowers for any particular reason, as I know it's not the only time he's referenced flowers in his songs with no clear relation to the rest of the lyrics. I think he just likes flowers tbh 😅
*The "sixteenth night" refers to the night immediately after a full moon; that is, when the moon is just beginning to wane. There's a lot of different symbolism related to a waning gibbous moon depending on who you ask, and I'm not really a spiritual person or into astrology myself so I couldn't tell you my personal opinion on it, but one thing I've seen a lot of people agree on is that it symbolises introspection. Directly speaking, however, it represents a retreat into darkness.