Utsukushii Hito - translation?

Lyrics, tablature and sheetmusic of Maaya's songs... and all that is related.
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nijibug
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Utsukushii Hito - translation?

Post by nijibug »

(Theme for the Kentoushi Fune Saigen Project)

I finally got my hands on the lyrics, anyone able to translate? I can't be trusted with anything other than the kanji...

美しい人

この声が聞こえるなら 渡り鳥よ導いて
命が覚えている 遥かなるあの場所へ
海鳴り 心が怖れに捕らわれぬように
歌って あなたの生まれた国の言葉で
美丽的人 見つめ合えば
美丽的人 瞳の中
同じ希望の火を灯してる
まだ見ぬかの地の花は まるで鈴の音の響き
西へと向かう風に 憧れを はばたいて
手のひら重ねて 波打つ二つの鼓動
教えて 二人を隔てているものは何?
亲爱的人 時がくれば
亲爱的人 光のなか
孤独はぬくもりに 解けてゆく
この声が聞こえるなら 渡り鳥よ導いて
霧の夜も嵐も 愛だけは奪えない
鳥が海を渡るように 人は人を知るために
命が覚えている 遥かなるあの場所へ
あなたに触れてほしい 憧れよ 抱き寄せて
届いて 私の 生まれた国の言葉で
美丽的人 愛している 美丽的人
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Post by nijibug »

For what it's worth, my own attempt can be seen here:
http://nijibug.dreamwidth.org/95285.html
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Post by dillpops »

Lovely translation, just a couple of things:

- I think 亲爱的人 is 'beautiful person' rather than 'beautiful people' as from your other lyrics it sounds as if she's singing to a lover rather than a whole bunch of people.

- secondly, I'm not sure how to translate it but gramatically speaking she's asking specifically to be guided by the birds 'to' the far off shore (of life or something was it?)

But I really like your translation. It's very poetic! Really lovely so good job!! Woo! I don't know why you are asking for people to translate it when yours pretty much nailed it :wink:
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Post by nijibug »

[quote="dillpops"]
- secondly, I'm not sure how to translate it but gramatically speaking she's asking specifically to be guided by the birds 'to' the far off shore (of life or something was it?)[/quote]

Thanks for the pointers - grammar is usually what trips me up (because it tends to go all amorphous once it's been through another language conduit). :'D

I hemmed and hawed a bit over how to phrase that line... do you think:

"If you can hear my voice, O birds of passage, please guide me
To the life I remember on that far-off shore"

...would work?

(Similarly, in a later verse:

"If you can hear my voice, O birds of passage, please guide me
In nights of fog and even storms, only our love can't be wrested away")
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Post by Imurann »

hehehe thanks :D
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Post by dillpops »

nijibug wrote:
I hemmed and hawed a bit over how to phrase that line... do you think:

"If you can hear my voice, O birds of passage, please guide me
To the life I remember on that far-off shore"

...would work?
I might put it 'to that far away shore that my life remembers' or something but it sounds weird...

I asked my Japanese colleague and her suggestion was:
If you translate 2 sentences into 1 sentence…
(S)渡り鳥(V)導いてください(Adj)命が覚えている 遥かな (O)あの場所

If you translate 1 sentense…
命が覚えているあの遥かな場所へ → (S)命(V)覚えている(O)遥かなあの場所

Can you (migrating bird) take me to the place if you can hear me?
The place where my life have a special memory, the place far away
We need Frecklegirl's take too though :lol:
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Post by gradualpetrify »

i know she means me i know she means me i know she means meeeee! sail west maayaaaaa xD
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Post by nijibug »

dillpops wrote: I might put it 'to that far away shore that my life remembers' or something but it sounds weird...

I asked my Japanese colleague and her suggestion was:
If you translate 2 sentences into 1 sentence…
(S)渡り鳥(V)導いてください(Adj)命が覚えている 遥かな (O)あの場所

If you translate 1 sentense…
命が覚えているあの遥かな場所へ → (S)命(V)覚えている(O)遥かなあの場所

Can you (migrating bird) take me to the place if you can hear me?
The place where my life have a special memory, the place far away
We need Frecklegirl's take too though :lol:
Yes, definitely do want Frecklegirl's input. xD

But I'm really liking your colleague's suggestion. I'm leaning towards "To my memory of a life on that far-off shore" right now......
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Post by Imurann »

Park Amsterdam -The story Part 2
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Post by deltafour »

I think it'd be super-cool if there was a singable English version. And maybe a Chinese version, too. And then she could release all three as a single...? How much accuracy do you suppose you'd have to sacrifice to get the syllables to line up nicely?
http://sakamotomaaya.com/ (Collected translations of Maaya Sakamoto news, essays, interviews, and articles)
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Post by nijibug »

[quote="deltafour"]How much accuracy do you suppose you'd have to sacrifice to get the syllables to line up nicely?[/quote]

From my experience translating Maaya's lyrics into rhyme and/or matching meter, I would say that most of the accuracy can be kept intact. It's wonderful that Japanese has so many syllables! You can fit more words in in other languages :maayagrin:
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Post by Imurann »

Happy Ending, Yuunagi Loop. The last part, "Beautiful Person" :D
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Post by nijibug »

English lyrics with rhyme and meter to be sung to the original tune!

[quote="nijibug"]I raise my voice to the sky, can you hear me
O birds of passage who fly over the sea?
Please help steer my ship to the memory
A life from before
On that distant shore

The rumbling sea calls out to me
My heart is caught by the sound of waves forlorn
O sing to me across the sea
Using the words of the land where you were born

Meilideren, if I could but meet you, meilideren
All of the hopes we share
Like the seeds of flames will flare
In our eyes, burning in our eyes

There where summer unfurls the blossoms and leaves
Echoes of ringing bells toll out on the breeze
By a wind filled with longing from the East
My ship's sails are blessed
I sail for the West

Let's clasp our hands here on the sands
Let's match the waves with the pounding of our hearts
O tell me why, I'll understand
O tell me what was it that kept us apart?

Qinaideren, when at last I meet you, qinaideren
In the light that pours down
And the warmth that floods the ground
Loneliness, it will melt away

I raise my voice to the sky, can you hear me
O birds of passage who fly over the sea?
Guide me through foggy nights and windlashed rain
Love is all that thus
Can't be torn from us

Those who long to know one another from birth
Fly over the vast seas as migrating birds
Steering a course to the memory
A life from before
On that distant shore

I yearn to reach you with all I felt
I long to hold you and by you be held

All of these things I wish to tell
Using the words of the country where I dwell

Meilideren, I have always loved you, meilideren
Meilideren, I will always love you, meilideren[/quote]

(I haven't done this for one of Maaya's songs since "Hikari no Naka e" and "Yubiwa". I think this one will be harder for me to sing than "Yubiwa" though... I'll still try and get a recording out before the weekend's over. I've already made an instrumental track.)


Please please please do not repost anywhere! Thank you~
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Post by Imurann »

Mei li de ren = Beautiful Person

Hen mei - very beautiful
Ren - human / person

Mandarin ka na.. good thing I was in Chinese school for quite some time when I was younger..


PS. I was wondering.. do you have an mp3 version which is clear enough to listen to? without the background noises.

I only can translate by ear, lol XD

*I'll admit it wahaha a fcking expert*
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Post by gradualpetrify »

not only translated but also converted into something singable
with rhymes wohoo
you could send this to maaya instantly to sing
beautiful words for the beautiful person

maybe this song was just made for promotion in china. she was/is there right? the sound is a bit chinese imo... and then those words.
damn i thought she ment me xD

taming
what kept us apart. i cannot tell you.
send me a private message and i will :P
cant grade this yet
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