hana saku ya akara hiku hoho ni
花咲くや 赤ら引く頬に
Flowers bloom, upon blushing cheeks
や /ya/:
Classical cutting word used in poetry, expressing exclamation and pause
赤ら
引く /akara hiku/:
To blush, to turn red (archaic expression)
sazanami yoru wa umi
さざなみ寄るは海
Ripples come ashore from the sea
さざなみ /sazanami/:
Ripple, small wave
寄る /yoru/:
To approach, to come near
anata wa mizugiwa hitori hohoemu dake
貴方は水際一人微笑むだけ
You just stand alone at the water's edge, smiling
貴方 /anata/:
You (formal)
水際 /mizugiwa/:
Water's edge, waterfront
一人 /hitori/:
Alone, one person
微笑む /hohoemu/:
To smile
ima omoide ni boku wa miyako ochi
今 思い出に僕は都落ち
Now, in my memories, I leave the capital
都落ち /miyako ochi/:
Leaving the capital. Historically refers to nobles fleeing the capital.
hanauta kirei da ne
鼻歌 綺麗だね
Your humming is beautiful
asu ni wa yuku n da ze
明日には往くんだぜ
I will be leaving tomorrow
往く /yuku/:
To go (archaic form of 行く)
んだ /n da/:
Explanatory tone (colloquial form of のだ)
umineko ga naita ne
海猫が鳴いたね
The seagulls cried
海猫 /umineko/:
Seagull (literally "sea cat")
鳴いた /naita/:
Original form: 鳴く, to cry (animal sound)
tori demo naku n da ne
鳥でも泣くんだね
Even birds can cry
泣く /naku/:
To cry (with tears; note the different kanji from 鳴く above)
kokoro nashi kawaita ra
心なし乾いたら
When the heart feels a little dry
心なし /kokoro nashi/:
Somehow, slightly (adverbial usage)
乾いたら /kawaitara/:
Original form: 乾く, to dry up. たら indicates conditional "if"
wakare no jikan da ze
別れの時間だぜ
It is time to say goodbye
別れ /wakare/:
Parting, farewell
natsukaze momarete
夏風揉まれて
Tossed about by the summer wind
夏風 /natsukaze/:
Summer wind
揉まれて /momarete/:
Original form: 揉む, to knead. Here in passive form, meaning to be buffeted
anata ni asai kage
貴方に浅い影
A faint shadow falls upon you
浅い /asai/:
Shallow, faint
sarari hana saku ya akara hiku hoho ni
さらり花咲くや あから引く頬に
Softly flowers bloom, upon blushing cheeks
さらり /sarari/:
Softly, lightly
や /ya/:
Classical cutting word, expressing exclamation and pause
あから
引く /akara hiku/:
To blush (hiragana form of 赤ら引く)
sazanami yoru wa umi
さざなみ 夜は海
Ripples, the night is the sea
さざなみ /sazanami/:
Ripple, small wave
anata wa mizugiwa hitori te wo furu dake
貴方は水際一人手を振るだけ
You just stand alone at the water's edge, waving
水際 /mizugiwa/:
Water's edge
手を
振る /te wo furu/:
To wave
ima omoide ni boku wa miyako ochi
今 思い出に僕は都落ち
Now, in my memories, I leave the capital
都落ち /miyako ochi/:
Leaving the capital
asayake kirei da ne
朝焼け綺麗だね
The morning glow is beautiful
朝焼け /asayake/:
Morning glow, sunrise colors
fune wa mou tatsu n da ze
舟はもう発つんだぜ
The boat is about to depart
もう /mou/:
Already, about to
umineko ga naita ne
海猫が鳴いたね
The seagulls cried
鳴いた /naita/:
Original form: 鳴く, to cry (animal sound)
anata mo naku n da ne
貴方も泣くんだね
You cry too
hitozato hanarete naru oto wa mukai nami
人里離れて 鳴る音は向かい波
Far from human dwellings, the sound that rings is the oncoming waves
人里 /hitozato/:
Human settlement, inhabited area
離れて /hanarete/:
Original form: 離れる, to leave, to be away from
鳴る /naru/:
To ring, to sound
向かい
波 /mukai nami/:
Oncoming waves
tobu tori wa tooku e asu kara mukou made
飛ぶ鳥は遠くへ 明日から向こうまで
The flying birds go far away, from tomorrow to the beyond
向こう /mukou/:
Over there, the beyond
mizu ni ochi nagare yagate uki
水に落ち流れやがて憂き
Falling into the water, drifting, eventually becoming sorrow
落ち /ochi/:
Original form: 落ちる, to fall
流れ /nagare/:
Original form: 流れる, to flow
やがて /yagate/:
Eventually, before long
憂き /uki/:
Sorrowful (classical adjective, original form: 憂し)
anata ni kogareru fune wa umi
貴方に焦がれる舟は海
The boat that yearns for you sails to the sea
焦がれる /kogareru/:
To yearn for, to pine for
oshimi kaku yubi wa omou take bakari
惜しみ書く指は思う丈ばかり
The fingers that write with reluctance are full of heartfelt thoughts
惜しみ /oshimi/:
Original form: 惜しむ, to regret, to be reluctant
思う
丈 /omou take/:
As much as one's heart desires, to one's heart's content
ばかり /bakari/:
Nothing but, full of
chiru omoide wa nami ka miyako ochi
散る思い出は波か都落ち
Are the scattering memories waves or a departure from the capital?
散る /chiru/:
To scatter, to fall
都落ち /miyako ochi/:
Leaving the capital
miyako hanarete fune susumu
都離れて舟進む
Leaving the capital, the boat moves on
都 /miyako/:
Capital city
離れて /hanarete/:
Original form: 離れる, to leave
進む /susumu/:
To advance, to move forward
mizu wa nagarete toki mo mata
水は流れて時もまた
The water flows, and so does time
流れて /nagarete/:
Original form: 流れる, to flow
boku wa anata no omoide ni
僕は貴方の思い出に
In your memories, I become
tada no kioku ni
ただの記憶に
Just an ordinary memory
ただ /tada/:
Just, merely, ordinary
kofuraku wa akara hiku hoho no
恋ふらくはあから引く頬の
Love is like the blushing cheek's
恋ふらく /kofuraku/:
The act of loving (classical: 恋ふ means to love; らく is a classical nominalizer)
あから
引く /akara hiku/:
To blush (archaic expression)
yose kiyu nami no hana
寄せ消ゆ波の花
Waves that approach and vanish, sea foam flowers
寄せ /yose/:
Original form: 寄せる, to draw near, to surge toward
消ゆ /kiyu/:
To disappear (classical form of 消える)
波の
花 /nami no hana/:
Sea foam, wave flowers (poetic expression)
anata wa mizugiwa hitori hohoemu dake
貴方は水際一人微笑むだけ
You just stand alone at the water's edge, smiling
水際 /mizugiwa/:
Water's edge
微笑む /hohoemu/:
To smile
ima omoide ni boku wa
今 思い出に僕は
Now, in my memories, I...
sarari hana saku ya akara hiku hoho ni
さらり花咲くや あから引く頬に
Softly flowers bloom, upon blushing cheeks
さらり /sarari/:
Softly, lightly
や /ya/:
Classical cutting word, expressing exclamation and pause
あから
引く /akara hiku/:
To blush (archaic expression)
sazanami yoru wa umi
さざなみ 夜は海
Ripples, the night is the sea
さざなみ /sazanami/:
Ripple, small wave
anata wa mizugiwa hitori te wo furu dake
貴方は水際一人手を振るだけ
You just stand alone at the water's edge, waving
水際 /mizugiwa/:
Water's edge
手を
振る /te wo furu/:
To wave
ima sayounara boku wa miyako ochi
今 左様なら 僕は都落ち
Now, farewell, I leave the capital
左様なら /sayounara/:
Farewell (classical kanji form of さようなら, originally meaning "if that is so")
都落ち /miyako ochi/:
Leaving the capital