Arai Akino – Hoshi no mokuba [Japanese lyrics with English translation]
artist: Arai Akino
title: Hoshi no mokuba | A planet’s wooden horse
disc: RGB (album)
lyrics: Ichikura Hiroshi
music, arrangement: Yoko Kanno
Romanization
hikari to kaze wo tsurete
asobi tsukareta umi ga
hoshi wo nokoshite kaette yuku
ashita wa kanarazu kita
tori to mezameru asa ni
yakusoku doori mata asobi ni kita
kono hoshi hitori de mawaru [2]
kimochi wakatteta watashi
kono hoshi hitori de ikiru
dakara tomodachi de iyou
ashita mo mata issho ni
zutto ikite ikou
English translation
The light takes the wind along
The sea, tired from playing
Returns with them, leaving the planet
Tomorrow came, as it had to
On a morning that awakened with the birds
As they had promised, the light and wind and sea came back to play
This planet revolves alone
Having understood feelings
This planet lives on alone
So let’s be friends
And tomorrow, lets keep
Living on, together
Japanese
ひかりと かぜをつれて
あそびつかれた うみが
ほしをのこして かえってゆく
あしたは かならずきた
とりとめざめる あさに
やくそくどおり また あそびにきた
このほし ひとりでまわる
きもちわかってた わたし
このほし ひとりでいきる
だから ともだちで いよう
あしたも またいっしょに
ずっといきていこう
===========
[1] hoshi.
“hoshi” usually refers to stars, rather than planets. In the general sense, it can mean any celestial body. Here I chose to go with “planet” because birds, wind, and sea suggest a planet that can sustain life.
[2] kono hoshi. “this planet.”
Subject and point of view are easily changeable in Japanese. Here, I’m reading the “kono hoshi” and “watashi” as being the same subject; that is, the planet is now speaking in first person.
The imagery I get from this song is of a personified planet, revolving in space. Its surface is teeming with playful life. When it rotates to the point where darkness falls on its denizens, they go to sleep, but the planet goes on turning, alone. Although astronomy isn’t normally associated with children’s nurseries, the image of a wooden horse juxtaposed on a childlike-Earth somehow works. The lullabye-esque music is soft and sweet, and is bolstered by the children’s choir that enters the song halfway through.
Leave a Reply
Recent Posts
- Aaand…back, partially! Jan 9, 2022
- The music is still playing ♪ Jul 25, 2021
- JUNNA new album “20 x 20” out on December 9th! Nov 28, 2020
- OAU best-of album “Re:New Acoustic Life” out on December 9th! Nov 28, 2020
- KEIKO debuts solo album “Lantana” on December 2nd! Nov 27, 2020
- BoA 10th album “Better” out in December! Nov 27, 2020
- OAU – Midnight Sun [English Lyrics] Nov 20, 2020