中島みゆき おかえりなさい
Nakajima Miyuki - Okaeri Nasai
(Nakajima Miyuki - Welcome Home)
A translation of the lyrics of Nakajima Miyuki
http://sites.google.com/site/gregsharp
Version 1.5: May 9, 2010
Copyright (C) 2002-2007
English translations by Greg Sharp <gregsharp@geocities.com>
Some translations are a bit rough, so please give me your suggestions!
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あばよ
Abayo
(Good-bye)
======
なにもあの人だけが世界じゅうで一番
やさしい人だと限るわけじゃあるまいし
たとえばとなりの町ならば となりなりに
やさしい男はいくらでもいるもんさ
He is not at all the best in the world
I doubt that he is the kindest person
For example, in the next town over
There are many kind men
[Chorus]
明日も今日も留守なんて
みえすく手口 使われるほど
嫌われたならしょうがない
笑ってあばよと気取ってみるさ
泣かないで泣かないで あたしの恋心
あの人はあの人はおまえに似合わない
He won’t be home today or tomorrow
To use such an obvious ploy
He must hate me, there’s nothing I can do
I’ll try to pretend I can laugh and say good-bye
Don’t cry, don’t cry, my loving heart
He was not, he was not, made for you
あとであの人が聞きつけてここまで来て
あいつどんな顔していたとたずねたなら
わりと平気そうな顔しててあきれたねと
忘れないで冷たく答えてほしい
Later, if he hears about it
And asks what my expression looked like
You must tell him coolly
That my expression was calm (1a)
[Repeat Chorus x2]
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髪
Kami
(Hair)
======
長い髪が好きだと
あなた昔 だれかに話したでしょう
だから私 こんなに長く
もうすぐ腰までとどくわ
“I like long hair”
You once told someone long ago
That’s why I grew my hair this long
It almost reaches my waist
それでもあなたは離れてゆくばかり
ほかに私には何もない
切ってしまいますあなたに似せて
切ってしまいますこの髪を
今夜旅出つあなたに似せて 短かく
Even so, you only leave me
And I have nothing else
I cut it completely, to look like you
I cut it completely, this hair
To look just like you as you leave tonight, short
長い髪を短かくしても
とてもあなたに 似てきません
似ても似つかない 泣き顔が
鏡のむこうでふるえます
Even though I cut my hair short
I don’t look like you
I don’t look like you at all, my crying face (1b)
Trembles on the other side of the mirror
あなたの写真も残らなかったから
影をあなただと思いたい
切ってしまいますあなたに似せて
切ってしまいますこの髪を
今夜旅出つあなたに似せて 短かく
Since I no longer have a picture of you
I want to believe that the shadows are you
I cut it completely, to look like you
I cut it completely, this hair
To look just like you as you leave tonight, short
======
サヨナラを伝えて
Sayonara wo tsutaete
(Tell me good-bye)
======
まさかあなたが恋の身代わりを
あたしに紹介してくれるために
あとでおまえの部屋をたずねるの
耳うちしたとは思わなかったから
I can’t believe you would whisper in my ear (1c)
That you would meet me later in my room
And then introduce me to
A substitute for your love (2)
表通りの花屋に寄って
目に映る花を買いはたいてきた
今ならわかる 恋の花言葉
黄色いローズマリー 伝えて サヨナラ
I stopped by the flower shop on the main street
Spent all my money to buy the flowers that shone in my eyes
Now I understand the flower language of love (3)
Yellow rosemary says good-bye
ドアをあけたら 花束かかえて
あなたにたのまれた人が立っていた
ことづてがあるとわけも知らないで
あなたに少し似た人が立っていた
When I opened the door holding a bouquet in my arms
The person you invited was standing there
Without understanding why, there was a message
Someone who slightly resembled you was standing there
[Chorus]
おしまいの手紙はあずかってこない
たのまれたものはあふれる花束
今ならわかる 恋の花言葉
黄色いローズマリー 伝えて サヨナラ
Your good-bye letter doesn’t come
What I want is an overflowing bouquet
Now I understand the flower language of love
Yellow rosemary says good-bye
[Repeat Chorus]
======
しあわせ芝居
Shiawase shibai
(A happy play)
======
恋人がいます 恋人がいます けれど どうしてもつづれない
“I have a lover, I have a lover”
But for some reason I can’t write it
泣きながら電話をかければ
バカな奴だとなだめてくれる
眠りたくない気分の夜は
物語をきかせてくれる
とてもわがままな私に
とてもあの人はやさしい
たぶん周りのだれよりも
とてもあの人はやさしい
If I call while crying
He soothes me by calling the other guy a bastard
In the nights when I don’t feel like sleeping
He listens while I tell an epic tale
I am so selfish
He is so kind
Perhaps more so than anyone else
His is so kind
恋人がいます 恋人がいます 心の頁につづりたい
恋人がいます 恋人がいます けれどつづれないわけがある
“I have a lover, I have a lover”
I want to write in the pages of my heart
“I have a lover, I have a lover”
But I just can’t write it
私 みんな気づいてしまった
しあわせ芝居の舞台裏
電話しているのは私だけ
あの人から来ることはない
I finally understand
Backstage of the happy play
Only I am calling him
He never calls me
浜辺を見たいとさそえば
鼻歌まじりに連れてゆく
踊りたいとすねてみせれば
おどけながらあわせてくれる
部屋をたずねてもいいかしらと
一度きいてみるつもりです
きっとあの人はだめだとは
言わないだろうと思います
If I ask him to take me to the beach
He hums a tune and takes me with him
If I pout and tell him I want to go dancing
He clowns around and goes out with me
I wonder if I can stop by his room
I intend to try and ask him once
Surely he won’t
Say no, I think
恋人がいます 恋人がいます 心の頁につづりたい
恋人がいます 恋人がいます けれど どうしてもつづれない
“I have a lover, I have a lover”
I want to write in the pages of my heart
“I have a lover, I have a lover”
But for some reason I can’t write it
[Chorus]
私 みんな気づいてしまった
しあわせ芝居の舞台裏
逢いたがるのは私一人
あの人から来ることはない
I finally understand (4)
Backstage of the happy play
Only I want to meet him
He never says he wants to meet me
[Repeat Chorus]
======
雨、、、
Ame,,,
(Rain...)
======
そうよ だましたのは私 心こわれたのは貴方
どうせあなたも嘘つきな旅人と思ってたのよ
I am surprised
Your heart was broken
I thought you too
Were just some lying traveler
[Chorus]
裏切られた思い出にいつか覚えた氷芝居
さみしがり屋の貴方にはそれが一番の仕打ちだった
冷たい雨、雨、雨、雨、いまさら
貴方がこんなに いとしい
冷たい雨、雨、雨、雨、私を
あの頃に連れて戻って
The memory of being stabbed in the back, I remember the icy drama
What pitiful treatment to you, so sad
The cold rain, rain, rain, rain, even after all this time
You are so loving
The cold rain, rain, rain, rain
You bring me back to that time (5)
生まれてはじめて会う人が貴方ならよかったけれど
裏切られすぎて私は今さら素顔になれない
If you were the first person that I had ever met
It would have been nice
I have been stabbed in the back too many times
I can be honest no more (6)
[Repeat Chorus]
こわれた心をかかえて貴方は優しい女に出逢う
幸わせになってゆくならなんにも言えやしないけど
You hold a broken heart in your hands
If you meet a tender girl
If you become happy
I can’t say anything
[Repeat Chorus]
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この空を飛べたら
Kono sora wo tobetara
(If I could fly through this sky)
======
空を飛ぼうなんて 悲しい話を
いつまで考えているのさ
あの人が突然 戻ったらなんて
いつまで考えているのさ
Sad thoughts, like flying through the sky
Why am I always thinking of this? (7a)
Like he might suddenly return
Why am I always thinking of this?
暗い土の上に 叩きつけられても
こりもせずに空を見ている
凍るような声で 別れを言われても
こりもせずに信じている 信じている
Even while I’m being pelted from above the dark earth
Never learning from my mistakes, I look at the sky
Even as a voice like ice tells me we are breaking up
Never learning from my mistakes, I believe, I believe (7b)
[Chorus]
ああ 人は 昔々
鳥だったのかもしれないね
こんなにもこんなにも空が恋しい
Ah, people long ago
May have been birds
The sky is so, so lovely
飛べる筈のない空
みんなわかっていて
今日も走ってゆく 走ってく
戻る筈のない人 私わかっていて
今日も待っている 待っている
We can never fly through the sky
Everyone understands this
So today and every day I run, I run
Some people will never return to me
I understand this
So today and every day I wait, I wait
この空を飛べたら冷たいあの人も
やさしくなるような気がして
この空を飛べたら
消えた何もかもが
帰ってくるようで 走るよ
If I could fly through this sky
Even that cold person
Will turn tender, I think
If I could fly through this sky
Everything that disappears
Will come home to me
But I must run
[Repeat Chorus x2]
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世迷い言
Yomaigoto
(Speaking nonsense)
======
窓打つ木枯らしみぞれがまじる
カタリとデジタル時計が変わる
もしやあんたが帰って来たのかと
ベッドをおりたらでるくしゃみ
The sleet and wintry wind hitting my window mixes
The digital clock clatters and changes
I check to see if you have come home
When I leave my bed, I sneeze
[Chorus]
変なくせだよ男にふられたその後は
なぜだかきまって風邪をひく
真夜中 世の中 世迷い言
上から読んでも 下から読んでも
ヨノナカバカナノヨ
It’s a strange habit, but after I get dumped
It always happens that I catch a cold
In the night, in the world, I speak this nonsense
Read from the left, read from the right
I’m ass, am I? (8)
みかんをむく指黄色く染める
忘れたマニキュアはがれて落ちる
とてもあんたにゃついて行けないわと
無理して笑えばでるくしゃみ
I peel a tangerine and my fingers stain yellow
My forgotten manicure peels and falls off
There is no way that I can stay with you
If I laugh about it, I sneeze
嫌なくせだよ
せせしている筈なのに
背中を寒気が駆けぬける
真夜中 世の中 世迷い言
上から読んでも 下から読んでも
ヨノナカバカナノヨ
It’s a nasty habit
I should be lively
But a shiver runs down my spine
In the night, in the world, I speak this nonsense
Read from the left, read from the right
I’m ass, am I?
[Repeat Chorus]
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ルージュ
Ruuju
(Rouge)
======
口をきくのがうまくなりました
どんな酔いしれた人にでも
I’ve become very good at talking
No matter how drunk the listener
[Chorus A]
口をきくのがうまくなりました
ルージュひくたびにわかります
I’ve become very good at talking
When I remove my rouge, I know (9)
あの人追いかけてこの街へ着いた頃は
まだルージュはただひとつ うす桜
あの人追いかけてくり返す人違い
いつか泣き慣れて
When I came to this city, chasing after him
I still only used one layer of rouge, the color of light cherry
Chasing after him, never finding him
Eventually, I got used to crying
[Repeat Chorus A]
つくり笑いがうまくなりました
心馴染めない人にでも
つくり笑いがうまくなりました
ルージュひくたびにわかります
I’ve become very good at faking laughter
Even to people with whom I can never become intimate
I’ve become very good at faking laughter
When I remove my rouge, I know
[Chorus B]
生まれた時から渡り鳥も渡る気で
翼をつくろうことも知るまいに
気がつきゃ鏡も忘れかけた うす桜
おかしな色と笑う
つくり笑いがうまくなりました
ルージュひくたびにわかります
For all my life I wanted to travel like a migrant bird
Without knowing how to grow wings
I notice what the mirror has forgotten, the color of light cherry
I laugh at the strange color
I’ve become very good at faking laughter
When I remove my rouge, I know
[Repeat Chorus B]
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追いかけてヨコハマ
Oikakete Yokohama
(Chasing Yokohama)
======
追いかけてヨコハマ あの人が逃げる
残した捨てゼリフに誰か
見覚えはありませんか
追いかけてヨコハマ あの人がいつも
この街をほめたことだけが
裏切りの手がかりです
Chasing Yokohama for the one who ran away
The parting shot that remains
Doesn’t anyone recognize it?
Chasing Yokohama, always he
Only had praise for this town
That provides a clue for his betrayal
[Chorus]
旅の仕度をした人ばかり
どうしてこんなに通るのでしょう
ヨコハマ ヨコハマこの船は
街ごと運んで旅ですか
追いかけてヨコハマ あの人が逃げる
残した捨てゼリフに誰か
見覚えはありませんか
People who are prepared to leave
Why are so many passing through?
Yokohama, this ship in Yokohama
Is it taking the town away?
Chasing Yokohama for the one who ran away
The parting shot that remains
Doesn’t someone recognize it?
追いかけてヨコハマ 心当たりには
ひとつ残らず寄ったけれど
返事はなぐさめばかり
この街を最後にあの人のことで
私にわかっていることは
何ひとつなくなります
Chasing Yokohama around the heart
They all stop by but none remain (10)
Comfort is the only reply
Of this town
What I finally understand from him
Is that I will lose something
旅の終わりはヨコハマあたり
溜め息街だと言いました
ヨコハマ ヨコハマ似た街は
どこかにそんなにありますか
追いかけてヨコハマ あの人が逃げる
残した捨てゼリフに誰か
見覚えはありませんか
In Yokohama, at the end of the trip
They say it’s a town where you need to take a deep breath
Yokohama, towns like Yokohama
Are there any quite like it?
Chasing Yokohama for the one who ran away
The parting shot that remains
Doesn’t anyone recognize it?
[Repeat Chorus]
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強がりはよせョ
Tsuyogari ha yose yo (11)
(Don’t talk tough)
======
強がりはよせョと笑ってよ
移り気な性質よと答えたら
それならば唇かみしめて
なぜ目をそらすかと 問いつめて
Laugh and tell me “don’t talk tough”
If I answer that I have a frivolous personality
Then bite your lip
And ask me why I avert my eyes
[Chorus]
いつからこんふうになったのか
子供のようには戻れない
強がりはよせョと笑われて
淋しいと答えて 泣きたいの
When did I become like this
I cannot become a child again
When they laughed and told me “don’t talk tough”
I want to cry and answer that I am lonely
生意気を言うなと笑ってよ
ひとりが好きなのと答えたら
それなら この俺の行くあてを
どうしてたずねると問いつめて
Laugh and tell me not to be so cheeky
If I answer that I like to be alone
Then
Ask me why I come visit you
いつからこんふうになったのか
やさしい女に戻れない
強がりはよせョと笑われて
淋しいと答えて 泣きたいの
When did I become like this
I cannot become a kind woman again
When you laughed and told me “don’t talk tough”
I want to cry and answer that I am lonely
[Repeat Chorus]
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Notes
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(1a) With help from Katagiri Junya.
(1b) With help from Katagiri Junya.
(1c) Normally I try to match the English with the Japanese on a line-by-line
basis, in the same order as the Japanese lines. Somehow couldn’t do it for
this verse. Suggestions welcome!
(2) With help from Katagiri Junya.
(3) Hanakotoba (花言葉) means that you can express some feeling to someone
by giving them a certain kind of flower. Apparently the hanakotoba for
rosemary is “strong silent type” (静かな力強さ). See
http://www.interq.or.jp/green/yyyy/aakotoba.html.
(4) With help from Katagiri Junya.
(5) With help from Katagiri Junya. Back to that time when we were together.
(6) Literally 素顔 means “serious, sober.” But “honest” fits better somehow.
(7a) With help from Katagiri Junya.
(7b) With help from Arthur Mitski.
(8) The last line is a palindrome. Literally: I’m the biggest ass in the world.
(9) According to my dictionary, sometimes 引く can means 染める which would mean
she’s applying the rouge. But anyway, she’s looking at how much makeup she
has put on.
(10) “They all stop by my heart, but none stay for long.”
(11) With help from Arthur Mitski.