平沢進 - "舵をとれ" / Hirasawa Susumu - "Take the Wheel"

[phonon_belt]

So I was listening to "平沢進のテクノ実験工房" ("Hirasawa's Techno Experiment Workshop"?), an old radio show Mr. Hirasawa did on FM Gunma in 1994-1995. (If you understand Japanese, you can listen to the show on NicoNico.) In episode 7, he describes the Super Jam software that he uses on his Amiga computer(s), which can be used (among other things) to have the computer automatically compose a unique piece of music in a variety of styles. Although I don't understand exactly what the process entailed, Mr. Hirasawa apparently input a bunch of his song data into the computer and then tweaked the software so that it would generate music in the "Hirasawa-style." On the radio show, he then played a song he claims was arranged by the computer using this method. To my surprise, it was "Take the Wheel"! I would never have guessed that this cool song was arranged by a random computer program! But I guess a computer that's been fed only Hirasawa music and then brainwashed in the Hirasawa style will eventually create something that Hirasawa likes and wants to use. Pretty cool.


平沢進 - "舵をとれ"

モンゴルの鬼火は
まだ眠らぬキミの荼毘にゆれ
アモレミヨ　この舟に
巧みにかざせよキミの名を

めざめては鞭打ち　草の根を分けても
夢でまた会おうと　向かう地に　黄金　黄金

羽ばたけよ上海の
いみじくもカオスの蝶のように

血と肉の舟を漕ぎ
脈々と写せよ胸の瑠璃を
街を行け　街を行け
なまめく流転の波を着て

汚れても悔いずに　今かと固唾をのみ
生きて今会おうと　望む手に　宝来　宝来

舟を漕ぎ舟を漕ぎ
脈々と重ねよキミの名を

舵をとれ　舵をとれ　舵をとれ　舵をとれ
舵をとれ　舵をとれ　舵をとれ　舵をとれ

オーロラの無念の色
まだ眠らぬキミの修羅に燃え
オーソレミヨ　美しく
道正せよ夢に地図を見つけ

恐れには杭打ち　草の根を分けても
生きよなお生きよと　影の声　壮大　壮大

羽ばたけよ　いやしくも
太古の爆破の子孫として

舵をとれ　舵をとれ　舵をとれ　舵をとれ
舵をとれ　舵をとれ　舵をとれ　舵をとれ

舵をとれ　舵をとれ　舵をとれ　舵をとれ
舵をとれ　舵をとれ　舵をとれ　舵をとれ


Hirasawa Susumu - "Kaji o Tore


Mongoru no onibi wa
Mada nemuranu kimi no dabi ni yure
Amore miyo kono fune ni
Takumi ni kazase yo kimi no na o

Mezamete wa muchiuchi kusa no ne o wakete mo
Yume de mata aou to mukau chi ni ougon ougon

Habatake yo shanhai no
Imijikumo kaosu no chou no you ni

Chi to niku no fune o kogi
Myakumyaku to utsuse yo mune no ruri o
Machi o yuke machi o yuke
Namameku ruten no nami o kite

Yogorete mo kuizu ni ima ka to katazu o nomi
Ikite ima aou to nozomu te ni hourai hourai

Fune o kogi fune o kogi
Myakumyaku to kasane yo kimi no na o

Kaji o tore Kaji o tore Kaji o tore Kaji o tore
Kaji o tore Kaji o tore Kaji o tore Kaji o tore

Oorora no munen no iro
Mada nemuranu kimi no shura ni moe
Oo sore miyo utsukushiku
Michi tadase yo yume ni chizu o mitsuke

Osore ni wa kuiuchi kusa no ne o wakete mo
Ikiyo nao ikiyo to kage no koe soudai soudai

Habatake yo iyashikumo
Taiko no bakuha no shison to shite

Kaji o tore Kaji o tore Kaji o tore Kaji o tore
Kaji o tore Kaji o tore Kaji o tore Kaji o tore

Kaji o tore Kaji o tore Kaji o tore Kaji o tore
Kaji o tore Kaji o tore Kaji o tore Kaji o tore



Hirasawa Susumu - "Take the Wheel"

The Mongolian will-o'-the-wisp
flickers in your cremation; still you do not sleep
Amore mio*, on this boat
Deftly brandish your name!

Waking up is being whipped. "Even if you must leave no stone unturned,
Let's meet again in our dreams." In the land for which you depart, there is gold, gold.

Flap your wings,
Like Shanghai's aptly named butterfly of chaos!

Row your vessel of flesh and blood,
And always emulate the lapis lazuli at your breast!
Go through the streets, go through the streets,
Clad in the bewitchingly flowing waves

Feeling no remorse for my filth, with bated breath I wonder if now is the time
"Let us meet now while we're alive!" To those who desire, treasures come, treasures come.

Row your boat, row your boat,
And ceaselessly increase your reputation!

Take the wheel, take the wheel, take the wheel, take the wheel.
Take the wheel, take the wheel, take the wheel, take the wheel.

The sorrowful colors of the aurora
Blaze in the scene of your carnage; still you do not sleep
O sole mio,** it's beautiful
Correct your course! Find the map in your dreams.

Fight fear by driving a stake into the ground. "Even if you must leave no stone unturned,
Stay alive, stay alive!" says a shadowy voice so grandiose, grandiose.

Flap your wings, at the very least as
As a descendant of the ancient, destructive blast!

Take the wheel, take the wheel, take the wheel, take the wheel.
Take the wheel, take the wheel, take the wheel, take the wheel.


TRANSLATION NOTES:

* Amore mio = Italian for "my love"

** O sole mio = Italian for "my own sun." Perhaps a reference to the famous song.

- "Take the Wheel" is how Mr. Hirasawa's official website translates the song title, but from the Japanese it's clear that it's the ship's wheel that's being referenced, so a more natural English translation might be "Take the Helm." But I went with what the official translation is for now.

- I use "flickers in your cremation; still you do not sleep" and "in the scene of your carnage; still you do not sleep" even though this makes the emphasis on "you who do not sleep" stronger than it is in the original. The original is more like "flickers in the cremation of you (who still do not sleep)" and "in the scene of the carnage of/caused by you (who still do not sleep)," if that makes sense. To avoid that awkwardness, I split up the line with a semicolon.

- The part I translated as "leave no stone unturned" would literally be "split every blade of grass." I think this comes from the Japanese saying of "草の根を分けて捜す" or "To search through every blade of grass," which corresponds to the English saying of "leave no stone unturned" when searching for something. So in the song, there's a desire to meet again, no matter how hard they have to search for each other.

- The image of the aurora was also clearly used in the song "Aurora" from the same album as "Take the Wheel," which happens to be titled Aurora. :) The idea of a map that exists outside the physical realm reappears in a few other songs, too.

- Not sure what the "ancient destructive blast/explosion" refers to, though I wouldn't be surprised if it's going back to the Big Bang, from which everything in this universe came.