Imperial Radch Pop Song Translations

Popular music translated into Radchaai, then back again

[bluehairandpronouns42069]

I made another radchaai pop song translation

( @radchaaipopsongs )

The entirety of your experiences can be easily placed

In a glass container that you can display.

Deconstruct your mind piece by piece, to place inside,

Then reconstruct it with small, sharp implements.

The entirety of what is just for you to hold is a boat

With water like lapis hitting it with violence.

And no object will interfere with your pleasant thinking any longer

While you are surrounded by glass on all sides.

Sailing on a boat in a container,

Weighting the whole of your thoughts on the container’s floor,

Pulling ropes and looking up

To see what breaks the center of your sails–

You departed alone, with no clients,

And none aboard who may assist.

This is a fight to succeed in alone,

This is your ship and you are the captain.

Oh Captain, let’s come to an accord

Where we might plainly speak our sentiments.

I am afraid, and beginning to descend,

And my descent only increases with the increase of my thoughts.

Oh Captain, Oh Captain, accord. Oh Captain, accord. Oh Captain, accord.

There is irritated skin beneath your eyes

From weeping into the stars.

Water of an ocean is covering the bottom of your face,

You feel glass beginning to break.

Sailing on a boat in a container

With water leaving through cracks in the base,

Displaying the flags of ships that are aged

In their destruction, but to defend this choice

You departed alone, with no clients,

And none aboard who may assist.

This is a fight to succeed in alone,

This is your ship and you are the captain.

Oh Captain, let’s come to an accord

Where we might plainly speak our sentiments.

I am afraid, and beginning to descend,

And my descent only increases with the increase of my thoughts.

Oh Captain, you must make a choice

Before the ocean covers your face and you have no ability

For you’re unstoppering the container, you become confused by your mind

And depart from everything that kept you steady

Oh Captain, Oh Captain, accord. Oh Captain, accord. Oh Captain, accord.

[radchaaipopsongs]

I've heard tell of hidden music To please the ears of Amaat But your ears would not be pleased In order, four, five A little stumble, a larger rise A confused major writes to praise Amaat

Praise to Amaat

You believed, but needed evidence Her movement drew you in Her stillness at night compelled you She bound you in your quarters Stripped off your gloves Kneeling, you praised Amaat

Praise to Amaat

You lie about what I've said about others I do not know her It is none of your business A star is in each word Which you heard is irrelevant The civilized or uncivilized praise to Amaat

Praise to Amaat

I was excellent, and small I could not sense, I tried to sense I was just, I was not a liar And when it failed I'll stand before the Lord of the Radch Only with praise to Amaat

Praise to Amaat

Perhaps Amaat does not observe My clietage only taught me How to kill one who was armed and ready It is not a lamentation after the sun has left It is not one who has stargazed It is shattered praise to Amaat

Praise to Amaat

[sylvanauctor]

Begging the translator’s indulgence, @radchaaipopsongs, I hope that my submission to this meme would be appreciated.

By what effort does a daughter of no house

with parents hailing from an annexed world, placed on a wayward station by Amaat’s will and impoverished,

achieve great justice, benefit, and propriety?

The orphan founder who would be remembered on her currency

Accrued much more benefit by her superior work ethic

By her superior mental acuity, by her self motivation

At fourteen years, she directed trading ships

And daily, as annexations gathered bodies to manufacture new ancillaries

she struggled and defended herself

a citizen prepared to advance by means just or unjust

An incident at Omaugh endangered her

and it appeared that the omens had fallen inauspiciously

she began to write

her first song, a description of her sufferings

Word of this spread, and some suggested reeducation,

but they gathered money to send her to a prestigious planet

“Prepare for the aptitudes, but do not forget your origins!

And all the Radch will recognize your house!”

Idenfity yourself, citizen!

[bluehairandpronouns42069]

I have developed a taste for Radchaai pop song translations. Here's the latest:

I was left to act with impunity,

Many days were spent to no benefit.

And the walls of the station were breaking,

With gray fog blocking the ceiling’s lights.

But if your hands cover your face, don’t things seem the same?

And if your hands cover your face, doesn’t this place seem familiar?

How will I be the one to find the benefit here?

How will I be the one to find the benefit here?

We were distracted by our improper habits

Frozen in suspension as debris encircled us.

And the walls of the station were breaking,

With gray fog blocking the ceiling’s lights.

But if your hands cover your face, don’t things seem the same?

And if your hands cover your face, doesn’t this place seem familiar?

How will I be the one to find the benefit here?

How will I be the one to find the benefit here?

Oh, should we start with the wreckage or our impropriety?

Oh, should we start with the wreckage or our impropriety?

But if your hands cover your face, don’t things seem the same?

And if your hands cover your face, doesn’t this place seem familiar?

How will I be the one to find the benefit here?

How will I be the one to find the benefit here?

-- "Ponpay Station"

(@radchaaipopsongs )

[bluehairandpronouns42069]

Brought to you by the revival of my Imperial Radch obsession

I accidentally opened my Ancillary Justice playlist again, so here's a translated pop song in the style of @radchaaipopsongs.

I am a fish in a cage meant for birds.

My sister is constantly singing.

She tries to calm me with her beak

And make me feel at home.

She has a mind full of wilderness

And tells me what has to be true–

That in another world, I can fly

And move as I please.

So carry me away,

Sister who claims me.

Expose me to the outside world.

Tell me the truth,

For I rely on you.

Take the place of my wings and my eyes.

As we breathe in silence,

A voice appears to comfort me.

It is the voice of propriety

And feeling for the other.

For wings and fins

Each stone has a different feel.

I was given more than I requested–

The power to be the same.

So carry me away,

Sister who claims me.

Expose me to the outside world.

Tell me the truth,

For I rely on you.

Take the place of my wings and my eyes.

(Rule 4: Fish in a Birdcage)

[radchaaipopsongs]

Daughter of a Noble House

Daughter of a noble house She’s living in her noble house She’s never had a girl of no house kneel to her I will try to kneel to–

Daughter of a noble house She lives in her aristocratic world As long as anyone so passionate can And now she wants to find a girl of no house That’s what I am

And when she knows what benefits she wants And when she decides

She’ll know I’m not lacking propriety Because I’m in love with–

Daughter of a noble houseI ’ve seen her in her noble house world She is wearied of her aristocratic possessions And her suitors trying to confer benefits upon her

Daughter of a noble house I can’t afford to buy her a jeweled pin But one day when the omens fall my way She’ll understand what kind of citizen I am And victory will be mine

And she’ll look so graceful when she walks And when she talks she’ll say she is my client

She’ll say I’m not lacking propriety Just because I’m in love with the daughter of a noble house

Daughter of a noble house, my noble house girl You know I’m in love with the daughter of a noble house, my noble house girl You know I’m in love with the daughter of a noble house, my noble house girl

[radchaaipopsongs]

You came to the ball as if it were hosted in your own manor Your pins placed perfectly on your jacket, your gloves the color of apricots You admired yourself in the mirror as you danced And all the noble daughters wished for your patronage.

Your conceit is so great that you likely believe that I am lamenting you.

You and I were lovers once, when I was young and unwise in such matters You said our match was beneficial, and that you would remain by my side But you abandoned your most treasured things, my love among them And now my hopes have flown away on the steam rising from my tea.

Your conceit is so great that you likely believe that I am lamenting you.

I have heard that you achieved great success in battle And that when you returned, your received the favor of our Lord That all your associations are proper, and your illicit lovers Are nonetheless citizens of great renown

Your conceit is so great that you likely believe that I am lamenting you. My hopes have flown away on the steam rising from my tea.

[radchaaipopsongs]

Are we allowed to submit songs that we’ve translated on our own, or only make requests?

You can definitely submit songs you've translated! That's been....actually, I can't think of when someone requested a song be translated, most if not all that's been sent me has been a translation. So yes, and thank you!

--Translator Dalmonte

[radchaaipopsongs]

I hallucinated when I was young Joyful words and painful sounds You could not decide The people would be my end

I would sit in stillness Watching a fire It was strong I could not stop

The fire is all And the impossible destination Your ill gods cannot be domesticated But tie them up

I hallucinated at the cusp of adulthood Mistakenly doused in accelerant This thing was my lord The smell was mine

I thought it stopped when I was grown When I knelt for the first time But stillness relies On destruction

The fire is all And the impossible destination Your ill gods cannot be domesticated But tie them up

[radchaaipopsongs]

We are premier

Attend: I will teach you cleverness That will echo through the ages To be the premier of the uncivilized You must follow the premier of the Radch Do as I do, secretly Silently (Not like that)

We are premier

I have a weapon of capture Use it on my signal (Not like that) Tread this as your aptitudes This weapon will disable the citizen (Not like that)

We are premier

[radchaaipopsongs]

Bleached jacket, now stained You walk quietly around at night Secretly Like a thief I kneel for you so quickly my knees bruise You are ungracious I know this, and want it A jaded opinion

I doubt your strength Your ruthlessness Your commitment Your pride of house I claim non-citizenship Shame you in front of your family Sow jealousy in your house Or take your mother as my client I am your enemy, of course, I am your enemy

I enjoy you in a leadership role You haven't earned it But I will pretend with you On my knees My mother appreciates my skill But my skill brings her shame If she reads my songs entire She will wish ill on my clients

I doubt your strength Your ruthlessness Your commitment Your pride of house I claim non-citizenship Shame you in front of your family Sow jealousy in your house Or take your mother as my client I am your enemy, of course, I am your enemy It is all I am skilled at

Your rage is bracing I am happy your clients have left you You say they feared me But why would they? Unless they think you are the one kneeling I'm your enemy, uncivilized, unrepentant, ha

[radchaaipopsongs]

Late in the cycle as I continued to labor I beheld something unusual A cryo-frozen citizen had begun to awake Rather than stumble

She did a mutant's dance Appropriate only for destroying mausoleums It became strangely popular She did a mutant's dance

From the rooms where I worked To the finer ones where ancient citizens take their meals Depraved barbarians left their planets To be beneficially electrocuted

Then they did a mutant's dance Appropriate only for destroying mausoleums It became strangely popular They did a mutant's dance

Ancillaries enjoyed their time at my invitation Several Translators were invited, as were ancient citizens and their daughters

All found the event beneficial Beasts provided entertainment Followed by more desecration of the dead Five of the most uncivilized musicians

Did a mutant's dance Appropriate only for destroying mausoleums It became strangely popular They did a mutant's dance

The oldest guest, nearly dead Protested Speaking angrily, she asked, "Why are we not dancing like we did in my time?"

Your dance is now a mutant's dance Appropriate only for destroying mausoleums It became strangely popular It is a mutant's dance

The elder was calmed by this explanation And joined the house of musicians Virally the dance has spread Tell all who ask it was Bohrs House who invented

The mutant's dance Appropriate only for destroying mausoleums It became strangely popular Do the mutant's dance!

[radchaaipopsongs]

Another bowed head, As a daughter of the uncivilized begins to be processed This dispute has quieted for now Was it right?

It is not the Radch that conflict It is your own barbaric people Ships and bombs and bombs and guns Only you hear their cries now

What is in your mind now? Ancillary, ancillary, ancillary What is in your mind now? Ancillary, ancillary, ancillary

A mother's sentiment Leads her to rash action This action leads to unneeded death and pain It was not right

For a hundred years we have fought Your own barbaric people Ships and bombs and bombs and guns Was their imagined sacrifice worth anything?

What is in your mind now? Ancillary, ancillary, ancillary What is in your mind now? Ancillary, ancillary, ancillary

[sonatagreen]

English translations of foreign-language poetry be like

My rival dresses to display her legs, and her shoes are of an alluring fashion;

but my shoes are comfortable and my tunic is plain.

She holds the most prestigious position in the women’s dance performance, while I sit in the audience.

I dream that someday when you awaken you will know that what you sought was always here.

You and I walk together, you in the coarse and tattered trousers of a common working man;

we sit on a bench in the park, laughing together, and nothing seems difficult.

[zamboni-whisperer]

@radchaaipopsongs great minds think alike?

[radchaaipopsongs]

Ooooooooh yes!

[jimandknuckles]

welcome to jamrock

on the thoroughfare, citizens proclaim their trance-state

welcome to Jamrock the place where criminals loiter 0.9kg of hallucinatory plant flowers in the rear storage of vehicles also in citizens’ purses, and small athletic packs and in citizens’ travelling bags the scent alone will make your romantic partner intoxicated some are unaware of this they only visit as tourists on the beach, enjoying carbonated beverages children’s fables, and pretending to the stature of popular action heroes and do not know the genuine danger as the franchise resort is not the poverty-stricken neighbourhood the local criminals will do what they must and will not think twice to fire upon you do not reveal yourself to them, unless you are sufficiently armed only bad things will happen when a slum-dwelling citizen ceases laughing and halts ground-based vehicular traffic they will run to retrieve their weapon, return, and commence firing the mechanism altered to propel bullets more quickly Security arrives in a roofless car and is unable to quell the violence some of these citizens say they are a wealthy pleasure seeker, but are actually akin to the sex workers they would exploit and killed, like a botched re-education on a same-sex attracted citizen for an addiction do not pretend to be tough if you are not alone, Amaat does not engage in this negative socialization

welcome to Jamrock welcome to Jamrock on the thoroughfare, citizens proclaim their trance-state

welcome to the poor side of the island province where impoverished citizens die randomly the local authorities are not Just and are seen so rarely they are rumoured to be a myth the youth seek only fame and fortune now Amaat calls out to elderly citizens and children, gesture if you agree with this singer privation and suffering is disgusting these bureaucrats are ill-fitting the local authorities Benefit by exploiting citizens under their governance they do not accomplish anything for us ever we must confront the reality that the schools here are sub-standard most young citizens do not use what little they learn and when they continue their ignorance that is when a culture of violence takes over in place of Propriety and the citizenry is all too likely to fail this is why too many young citizens have an illegal firearm with spare magazines on their person carousing all night in dark coloured clothing and those who do not have pistols have heavier weapons their assault on you will not be impeded if Security barricades the street they will find another route until dawn shooting their weapons at each other and if they expend all their ammunition they will use lockback knives

welcome to Jamrock (the south side of the island, the north side of the island) welcome to Jamrock (the east side of the island, the west side of the island) welcome to Jamrock (Cornwall, Middlesex, and Surrey) why, welcome to Jamrock

on the thoroughfare, citizens proclaim their trance-state

[penwiper26]

Guess I had to try my hand at this…

Benefit continually increases

In the past I lost my temper with my tutors (I must acknowledge now there was no injustice) My tutors did not understand the change of fashion (I must acknowledge now there was no injustice) Oppressing and disorienting me Emphasizing propriety to the exclusion of all else

But I must acknowledge that benefit is increasing Increasing continually (It could hardly diminish at this point!) I must acknowledge that benefit is increasing Increasing since you knelt to me

In the past I let my youthful temper control me Shut away unfamiliar experiences and thoughts But you spoke to me with such wisdom I am trying to improve my manners

I must acknowledge that benefit is increasing Increasing continually (It could hardly diminish at this point!) I must acknowledge that benefit is increasing Increasing since you knelt to me Benefit continually increases

In the past I treated my lover improperly My behavior was not just and I shut her away from all benefit I disgraced myself! But I have come to a better sense of what is proper I am trying to improve my manners

I must acknowledge that benefit is increasing Increasing continually (It could hardly diminish at this point!) I must acknowledge that benefit is increasing Increasing since you knelt to me Benefit continually increases

@radchaaipopsongs

[radchaaipopsongs]

The aptitudes placed me in a merchant job My supervisor was stern She had a bias against my low house Though my work did not improve her opinion

I remember being lazy Every day slightly different But a customer entered Through the exit

She had a fruit-stained hat Extruded previously Fruit-stained hat Inappropriate for this weather Fruit-stained hat I will offer her clientage

She was gloriously large And she asked, almost rude If I wanted to fight Instead, we traveled Out of the city Into farmland

The cloudy day was not pleasant But she looked beautiful in the light She scored worse than I on the aptitudes But she wanted clientage And she would receive it

She had a fruit-stained hat Extruded previously Fruit-stained hat Inappropriate for this weather Fruit-stained hat I will offer her clientage