I can’t tell you how psyched I am that the lyrics appear to follow a portion of the original story of 蓬莱人形〜Dolls in Pseudo Paradise. (Links to all of the ZUN Music Collection Stories are found [here].)
２．二色蓮花蝶 ～ Red and White
Niiru Renkachou*
Bichromatic Lotus Butterfly ~ Red and White
朝は、池の上に紅と白の二色の巫女が踊っているのが見えた。
最も早起きな僕は、その無慈悲で過激な舞に長い間魅了さ
れていたんだ。やがて雨が降り始め、僕は我にかえった時、
もう巫女の姿は無かった。
In the morning, I saw a red and white shrine maiden dancing on the surface of a pond. The earliest riser of our group, I was fascinated by her ruthless and radical dance for quite some time. Eventually it began to rain, and when I came to my senses, the shrine maiden had vanished.
３．桜花之恋塚 ～ Japanese Flower
Ouka no Koidzuka ~ Japanese Flower
Lovely Mound of Cherry Blossoms ~ Japanese Flower
雨は止むことを知らなかった。巫女はしっとりと全身を濡
らしたまま、雨に溶け込む様に消えていく。巫女に見とれ
ているうちに雨は恐ろしい嵐になり、最も美しいボクはピ
エロに捕らわれたのだ。そのままピエロは嵐の中に消え、
もう僕らの所へ帰る事は出来なかった。
残りの正直者は六人になった。
The rain knew no end. A shrine maiden, her body drenched, was disappearing as if she were melting into the rain. While I was captivated by the shrine maiden, the rain became a frightful storm, and I, the most beautiful of our group, was captured by a clown. Then the clown vanished into the storm, and I was unable to return to our group.
And then there were six honest ones left.
This was another difficult song to translate properly. I did a lot of word magic and tense shifting and passive to active and active to passive and verb phrase to noun phrase and all that mess. I hope you are all happy with the result, and hope that I kept even a little bit of the feel of the song.
*Niiruchou is the correct pronunciation, taken from the Okinawan pronunciation of “color” – イル. ZUN says he wanted it to be more like Hanafuda… where there is a term: 猪鹿蝶 “inoshikachou”.
—
二色蝶
Niirochou / Niiruchou*
Bichromatic Butterfly
二色蓮華蝶〜Ancients｜秋霜玉
歌：中恵光城
編曲・作詞：RD-Sounds
サークル：凋叶棕
アルバム：徒
イベント：例大祭10
生きているならば、一度はきっと。
その命、危機に曝されもするだろう。
そう、生きるということは、気紛れなもので、
時に、全ては、意外なほど呆気無い。
ikiteiru naraba, ichido wa kitto.
sono inochi, kiki ni sarasare mo suru darou.
sou, ikiru to iu koto wa, kimagure na mono de,
toki ni subete wa, igai na hodo akkenai.
For those of us living, at least once surely,
Our lives will be threatened with death.
For of course, life itself is a fickle thing,
Entirely at times, but the blink of an eye.
生きているならば、その身をきっと。
餌食として狙うものも居るだろう。
そして、哀れながら、狙われたものは、
その力では、抗う術を持たない。
ikiteiru naraba, sono mi wo kitto.
ejiki to shite nerau mono mo iru darou.
soshite, aware nagara, nerawareta mono wa,
sono chikara de wa, aragau sube wo motanai.
For those of us living, there are surely,
Others that would target our lives for prey.
And while they may be pitiable, those targeted,
With their own strength, have no means to resist.
思えば、意味のない生涯。
永らえても、望みなどなくば。
これが、この身の定めと、唯々受け容れよう。
omoeba, imi no nai inochi.
nagaraetemo, nozomi nado nakuba.
kore ga, kono mi no sadame to, tada tada ukeireyou.
When I think about, this life had no meaning.
No matter how long I might have lived, with no aspirations…
I might as well accept this to be my one and only fate.
ーこれまで、と、覚悟の刹那。
視界に広がった光景は、
-kore made, to, kakugo no setsuna.
shikai ni hirogatta keshiki wa,
-The moment my determination was set, “This is it.”
There, before my very eyes,
紅く、白く、妖しく、烈しく、そして、強靭く。
akaku, shiroku, ayashiku, hageshiku, soshite, tsuyoku.
Red, white, alluringly, tempestuously, and with incredible strength
舞う二色の蝶。
mau nishoku no chou.
Danced a butterfly of two colors.
宛ら、
ー忘我。
それが、幻の果てなる、徒花。
sanagara,
-bouga.
sore ga, maboroshi no hate naru, adabana.
I witnessed:
-The loss of self,
A vain and glorious flower at the extremes of fantasia.
ー萌芽。
匂い立つように、ひらりひらりと。
-houga.
nioitatsu you ni, hirari hirari to.
-Birth in a budding of flowers,
As if she were dispersing fragrance, fluttering this way and that.
ー散華。
留まる全ての花を散らすように。
-san’ka.
tomaru subete no hana wo chirasu you ni.
-Death in a shower of petals,
As if she were wrecking every flower in her wake.
ー蓮花。
重なる姿に何を見たか。
-ren’ka.
kasanaru sugata ni nani wo mita ka.
-Lotus flower
O what did I see, in so many simultaneous images?
空の昏さを閉じ込めた瞳で、
永遠を揮う姿は何より美しく。
咎色の花を、はたと、祓らす、
sora no kurasa wo tojikometa me de,
eien’ wo furuu sugata wa nani yori utsukushiku.
togairo no hana wo, hata to, chirasu,
With eyes that locked in the sky’s twilight,
Holding sway over eternity, her figure was, more than anything, beautiful.
A flower the color of sin, in an instant, exterminated, and behind it all –
その名さえ知らぬ、二色蝶。
sono na sae shiranu, niiruchou.
A bichromatic butterfly, which knew not its name.
生きているならば、一度はきっと。
その命、捧げたくもなるだろう。
だが、生きるということは、冷たいもので、
時に、全ては、意外なほど素っ気無い。
ikiteiru naraba, ichido wa kitto.
sono inochi, sasagetaku mo naru darou.
da ga, ikiru to iu koto wa, tsumetai mono de,
toki ni, subete wa, igai na hodo sokkenai.
For those of us living, at least once surely,
Will come the desire to offer up that life.
But of course, life itself is a cold thing,
Entirely at times, harsh and unforgiving.
あゝせめて一目、一目と。
求めた姿の在る所以は、
我々にはけして揮わぬ力の所作。
aa semete hitome, hitome to.
motometa sugata no aru yuen’ wa,
hito taru mono ni wa keshite furuwanu chikara no shosa.
Ah! At least one glimpse, one more glimpse!
At the core of what I sought in her
Were those motions filled with power us as humans could never wield.
人の身で叶わぬのなら、
この身を堕とせばいいのだ、と。
hito no mi de kanawanu no nara,
kono mi wo otoseba ii no da, to.
If as a human my wish will not be granted,
Then all I must do is fall.
再び、「あれ」と出逢うことが出来るのなら、
futatabi, “are” to deau koto ga dekiru no nara,
If I might once again encounter “that”,
何をも厭わぬ。
nani wo mo itowanu.
I have nothing to regret.
ただただ、
ー高雅。
其方は、幻に咲く、婀娜花。
tada tada,
-kouga.
omae ga, maboroshi ni saku, adabana.
More than anything your:
-Elegance,
You vain and seductive flower, blossoming in fantasia.
ー端雅。
この心のうちに、はらりはらりと。
-tan’ga.
kono kokoro no uchi ni, harari harari to.
-Sanctity,
Inside my heart, fluttering through the air.
ー因果。
棄てた命に意味を与えたように。
-in’ga.
suteta inochi ni imi wo ataeta you ni.
-Karma,
As if you gave meaning to the life I threw away.
ー蓮花。
重なる姿に幻想を見たか。
-ren’ka.
kasanaru sugata ni yume wo mita ka.
-Lotus flower
In so many simultaneous images, did I see a dream, a fantasy?
美しければそれでいいのだと、
あの姿のままで、永久に在れよと焦がれつつ。
咎色の花を、はらと、舞わす、
utsukushikereba sore de ii no da to,
ano sugata no mama de, towa ni are yo to kogaretsutsu.
togairo no hana wo, hara to, mawasu,
As long as you are beautiful, I want for nothing else,
I yearn and I pray that you will stay as you are for all eternity.
A flower the color of sin, in an instant, caught in the dance, and behind it all –
その名さえ知らぬ、二色蝶。
sono na sae shiranu, niiruchou.
A bichromatic butterfly, which knew not its name.
花を散らすのは、
其方が、望むことなのか？
hana wo chirasu no wa,
omae ga, nozomu koto na no ka?
Are the deaths in this shower of petals
Something you truly desire?
其方も、そして咲かせるのか。
散らすだけでは、飽き足らず。
omae mo, soshite sakaseru no ka.
chirasu dake de wa, akitarazu.
Must you then make them blossom?
Are you not content with falling them?
ならば、もとより捨てた命、せめて、花を咲かせよう。
naraba, moto yori suteta inochi, semete, hana wo sakaseyou.
Then, with this life abandoned from the start, may at least a flower blossom.
そうして、
ー開花。
この身は、幻の果ての、徒花。
soushite,
-kaika.
kono mi wa, maboroshi no hate no, adabana.
Then:
-The blossoming of flowers,
This life, a vain and glorious flower at the end of fantasia.
ー散我。
オマエが、忌むべきこの姿なら。
-san’ga.
omae ga, imubeki kono sugata nara.
-The death of self,
With me in this accursed form, I wish you
ー奉我。
想いを吼える物怪を祓うように。
houga.
omoi wo hoeru mononoke wo harau you ni.
-Devoted sacrifice,
As if you were exterminating any other howling demon,
ー蓮花。
この身を焼くことを今、願う。
-ren’ka.
kono mi wo yaku koto wo ima, negau.
-Lotus flower.
I wish you would take and burn this life.
さぁ、今再び、永遠を手に！
その全てを以って、この身をただの幻想を帰せ。
咎色の花を、ざあと、祓らせ、
saa, ima futatabi, eien’ wo te ni!
sono subete wo motte, kono mi wo tada no yume wo kise.
togairo no hana wo zaa to, chirase.
Now, once again, with eternity in your hands!
With all that you are, return this delusion of me to its source!
Another flower the color of sin, in a rush, exterminated, and behind it all –
その名さえ知らぬ、二色蝶。
sono na sae shiranu, niiruchou.
A bichromatic butterfly, which knew not my name.
終ぞ、その名さえ知らぬ、二色蝶。
tsui zo, sono na sae shiranu, niiruchou.
Unto the very end, a bichromatic butterfly which knew not my name.
—
kafka-fuura 