2016/04/02

Amore

Released on 2016 Apr. 1st, included in "METAL RESISTANCE"
Lyric: NORiMETAL, MK-METAL, KxBxMETAL / Music: NORiMETAL / Arr.: Kyôtô

This song is SU-METAL's solo.

Amore  -Aoboshi-  ( Love -Blue Star-)

Let the words of love resound into the night sky.
Let them bring Amore to outer space.
Breaking through gloomy rain clouds,
one keeps running for twenty-four hours.
One is destined to keep running.

Ripping through the blue darkness,
the moonbeam sticks in a distant place.
Reflecting beautifully off the night flowers,
it dances in a momentary dream.

The eyes of one who made a vow
harbor the dazzling future.
Turning into a blue figure enveloped with light,
now one opens one's wings.

Let the words of love resound into the night sky.
Let them bring Amore to outer space.
Breaking through gloomy rain clouds,
one keeps running for twenty-four hours.
One is destined to keep running.

Even if I lose sight of you,
the voice of my heart keeps singing.
Even if you are far away,
I keep singing with the voice of my heart.

Let the words of love resound into the night sky.
Let them bring Amore to outer space.
The blue star that shines
brings the life into my hands.

Let the words of love resound into the night sky.
Let them bring Amore to outer space.
Breaking through gloomy rain clouds,
one keeps running for twenty-four hours.
One is destined to keep running.
Let love save the Earth.

Lit up by the crimson moon,
a momentary dream starts again.



  ROMAJI LYRIC AND NOTES ARE BELOW.


[i] About Japanese Imperative Sentences towards Things

In this lyric, there are two imperative sentences towards things: "hibike!" (words, resound!) and "sukue!" (love, save the Earth!). The famous sentence in Christians' Genesis is a third person imperative "γενηθήτω φῶς" in Ancient Greek and it is translated to "let there be light", so I translate these imperatives to this "let [noun] [verb]" form.

Linguists say an imperative sentence towards a thing is not a proper one but expresses the speaker's desire. They say a proper imperative must be such that the speaker can press the listener (= the grammatical subject) to do the action (= the verb). I think, however, such a distinction is a kind of afterthought. For example, when I say "Ore o nikume!" (= Hate me!), I just want to escape from the present difficulty and don't think about whether the listener can intentionally hate me or not.

The ancient Japanese believed that spoken words have a magical power that can make the content of the sentence come true. That is, all spoken words are something like the magical command "Open, sesame!". This belief is called "言霊" (kotodama; word soul). Now we don't learn this belief, but speaking a pessimistic expectation is still blamed with "Engi demo nai!" (= It becomes an ill omen to say that!).

When I say such imperative sentences as "Hate me!" or those towards things, my feeling is rather like saying a magical command than the way linguists analyze them. Replace this "let [noun] [verb]" form if you know a better translation.

[ii] About the Interpretation of This Lyric

I use the pronoun "one" because there are no grammatical subjects on the original lines and I can't decide who is referred to. It might be the singer "I", or the listener, or someone/something represented in this lyric, or not represented, and different persons/things may be hidden on different lines.

Though using some archaic forms like "aoki" (= aoi) and somewhat old-fashioned words, the lyric writers, as noted below, don't seem to follow the orthodox Japanese usage, so I can't expect they follow other linguistic rules. It may be the best choice to think this lyric be an aggregate of scenes like a movie trailer (or a dream) such that we couldn't reconstruct the hidden story from these disconnected scenes even if there might be any story.

I, however, dare to imagine some connections: The 2nd & the last sections seem to be real scenes that the singer sees, and the 3rd section might be a vision she sees or the content of "a momentary dream". The viewpoint might be moved at the end of the 3rd section, and the singer might see the Earth from outer space in the 4th section (so in the 1st, the 6th & the 7th sections as well). The blue star in the 6th section seems to be the Earth, so "one" that keeps running might be also the Earth because it appears in the corresponding lines of the 1st, the 4th, & the 7th sections. The blue figure in the 3rd section also might represent the Earth, so "one" in the 3rd section might be the personification of the Earth or something. Except for "one", I can't find anyone whom the singer may lose sight of, so "you" in the 5th section might refer to "one" who is the personification of the vital principle (or something) of the Earth, and losing sight of him/her might mean the crisis of the ecological system of the Earth or something. Some details may be unfavorable to this imagery, and it may be totally wrong.


Amore  -Aoboshi-  ( Love -Blue Star- *0)

Romaji LyricEnglish TranslationNotes
 
Ai no kotoba hibike yozora e! Let the words of love resound into the night sky.1,[i]
Uchuu made todokete AMORE! Let them bring Amore to outer space.2
Yuuutsu na amagumo yabutte Breaking through gloomy rain clouds,
nijuu-yo jikan hashiri tsuzukeru. one keeps running for twenty-four hours.3,[ii]
Hashiri tsuzukeru sadame. One is destined to keep running.
 
Aoki yami o kirisaite Ripping through the blue darkness,4
kanata o sasu tsuki no kage. the moonbeam sticks in a distant place.5
Yoi no hana ni teri-haete Reflecting beautifully off the night flowers,6
setsuna no yume ni mai odoru. it dances in a momentary dream.
 
Chikai o tateshi hitomi wa The eyes of one who made a vow7,[ii]
mabayuki mirai o yadoshi, harbor the dazzling future.8
hikari matoishi aoki sugata ni Turning into a blue figure enveloped with light,9
saa tsubasa hirogete. now one opens one's wings.10
 
Ai no kotoba hibike yozora e! Let the words of love resound into the night sky.
Uchuu made todokete AMORE! Let them bring Amore to outer space.
Yuuutsu na amagumo yabutte Breaking through gloomy rain clouds,
nijuu-yo jikan hashiri tsuzukeru. one keeps running for twenty-four hours.
Hashiri tsuzukeru sadame. One is destined to keep running.
 
Moshimo kimi o miushinatte mo Even if I lose sight of you,
kokoro no koe wa utai tsuzukeru yo. the voice of my heart keeps singing.
Moshimo kimi ga hanarete itemo Even if you are far away,
kokoro no koe de utai tsuzukeru yo. I keep singing with the voice of my heart.
 
Ai no kotoba hibike yozora e! Let the words of love resound into the night sky.
Uchuu made todokete AMORE! Let them bring Amore to outer space.
Kagayaki hanatsu aoki hoshi ga The blue star that shines11
kono te ni inochi o yadosu. brings the life into my hands.12
 
Ai no kotoba hibike yozora e! Let the words of love resound into the night sky.
Uchuu made todokete AMORE! Let them bring Amore to outer space.
Yuuutsu na amagumo yabutte Breaking through gloomy rain clouds,
nijuu-yo jikan hashiri tsuzukeru. one keeps running for twenty-four hours.
Hashiri tsuzukeru sadame. One is destined to keep running.
Ai yo chikyuu o sukue! Let love save the Earth.13,[i]
 
Akaki tsuki ni terasarete Lit up by the crimson moon,
setsuna no yume ga mata hajimaru. a momentary dream starts again.
 

Notes

  1. As brunofoc san on 2016 Apr. 7 told me, "amore" is an Italian word that means "love", but it is unclear whether "Amore" of this song refers to the love itself or to the person whom "I" love or it is a proper name of someone/something (added on 2017 Apr. 1., sorry for late update).
  2. "Hibike" (= resound) is the imperative form of an intransitive verb, and this line is an imperative towards "ai no kotoba" (= the words of love).
  3. This "todokete" is probably an imperative or requesting sentence. I take this line too as an imperative towards "ai no kotoba" and "Amore" (= love) as the grammatical object. This line might be something like a participial construction "let ..., bringing Amore to outer space", but the meaning is similar.
        If "Amore" is a name of a person or something and this line is an imperative towards him/her, the hidden grammatical object should be "ai no kotoba" (= the words of love), but I think then the previous line too should be an imperative towards him/her using the transitive verb "hibikasero" and its grammatical object should be "ai no kotoba".
  4. "Running for twenty-four hours" may refer to the rotation of the Earth. Some fan jokingly said this.
  5. "Kirisaite" (= kirisaku) means to tear or open something by a blade, etc. I changed the translation from "cutting" to "ripping" on 2016 Jun. 6th.
  6. "Sasu" has several meanings: to stab (刺す), to point to (指す), to shine in (差す/射す), etc. The form of "[direction] o sasu" usually means to point to, but the kanji "刺す" (to stab/stick) is used in the official lyric. I changed the translation from "reaches" to "sticks in" on 2016 Jun. 6th.
  7. "Teri-haete" (= teri-haeru; 照り映える) usually means some object to look beautiful illuminated by some light, but this line can only be interpreted as the moonbeam to look beautiful reflected by the night flowers. I added "beautifully" on 2016 Jun. 6th.
  8. It is literally "the eyes which made a vow", but probably it is not eyes but someone that made a vow. I changed the translation from "the one" to "one" on 2016 Jun. 6th.
  9. "Yadoshi" (= yadosu) comes from "yado" (= inn). It means to contain or keep something inside. I changed the translation from "have" to "harbor" on 2016 Jun. 6th.
  10. There is only a noun phrase with the particle "ni" (= to) on this line. It sounds to me as if the main verb "turn into" or something is omitted, but "ni" sometimes links nouns as "X ni Y ni ..." (= X & Y & ...). I changed the translation of this line on 2016 Jun. 6th.
  11. "Hirogete" is a conjunction form. When a sentence ends with this form, it is often an imperative / requesting expression, but this expression is of spoken Japanese and not fit for this section which has several archaic forms. It sounds to me as if the main verb is omitted: e.g. "Now one opens one's wings and (flies up)." or possibly an imperative "Now open your wings and (fly up!)". Or the main verb may be the omitted verb of the previous line: "One turns into a blue figure enveloped with light, now with one's wings open".
  12. "Kagayaki hanatsu" is literally "emits (the) shine". In principle, "hanatsu" can't be used for the things that shine by reflection, but it seems that the lyric writers don't follow the orthodox Japanese usage and it refers to the Earth (thanks to brunofoc san on 2016 Apr. 7th). I changed the translation from "glitters" to "shines" on 2016 Jun. 6th.
  13. "Inochi o yadosu" (= to keep a life inside) usually means to become pregnant, but a human hand can't be pregnant. It seems a difficult metaphor I can't imagine. I changed the translation from "my hand" to "my hands" on 2016 Jun. 6th.
  14. "yo" of "ai yo" is a vocative particle, and this line is an imperative towards "ai" (= love).

24 comments :

  1. Yeah... i love you du-metal :*

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  2. I have a feeling this is meant to have conection with Akatsuki. In fact it is obvious. The structure and meaning of this song gives me the same air as Akatsuki. I wish I could hear it in the live performance! I really love Akatsuki (both versions) and I think this song will also have its Unfinished Ver.

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  3. Aaaiiii no koooootobaaaaaaa hibike yozora e!
    Uchuu made todokete AMORE!

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  4. You had a typo

    彼方を刺す月の影
    Kanata wo sasu tsuki no kage

    "Sasu", not "sasu"

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    1. Thank you for correcting.
      I've fixed "saku" to "sasu". I leave "o" unchanged because the modern pronunciation of "を" is "o" not "wo".

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  5. thank you for the translation,
    maybe you can add that "Amore" means "love" in italian,(it's my language), so that the meaning of the song is more clear :)

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    1. Thank you for suggestion.
      Probably most (adult) Japanese know the word "amore" is Italian or some Latin Europe language and means "love" (though not sure it's a noun or a verb). I guessed it is similar in other countries, so I left "Amore" as it is. When I write notes as usual, I will mention it.

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    2. Amore is the Noun, Amare is the verb in Italian :)

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  6. also aoi hoshi could mean "blue planet"= the earth, in contrast with Akatsuki= Red Moon?

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    1. Thank you for suggestion.
      It is likely to be true. I didn't think so because "hanatsu" means "emit" and is not applicable to the moon, the Earth, etc. However, if without this restriction, if the lyric writer is free from the orthodox Japanese language, in these lyrics, it is likely that blue star = blue planet = the Earth.

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  7. thank you,
    maybe people that read your translation are from various countries and don't know the word :-)
    Amore is italian (spanish word is "Amor",french is "Amour");
    it is a noun (like "the love"), or also means the person ("my love"); the verb "to love" is "Amare"
    I suppose that japanese people know the word from the Opera songs?
    As a side note I would say that "te" in Italian means "you", but I suppose that it is written in hiragana, so it's not related :-)

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    1. It is unclear whether this "Amore" is equivalent to "love" or something/someone named "Amore".

      Some canzoni such as "'O Sole Mio" are popular in Japan, and probably Hide & Rosanna (Japanese man Italian woman duo singers) made "amore" popular in Japan about 1970. Since then, "amore" has been used in lyrics or titles of some Japanese popular songs.

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  8. I have learnt so much from all your translations and want to say thank you for all the hard work you put into.

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  9. These days I'm re-listening and watching most of BM stuff, so after my last week questions about the 1st album, here I go ("voy", hehe) for the second one. (This time there will be less questions I think.) About this (amazing!) song I have two comments.

    Firstly, I was surprised that the line "Akaki tsuki ni terasarete" ("Lit up by the crimson moon...") has no comment, i.e. no note of yours, I wonder why. Maybe because it's so obvious? I mean, the connection with the song "Akatsuki". These two songs are connected even musically (gorgeous powermetal tracks, Su-Metal's big solo song, each one being the 5th track in their respective albums, and so on).

    The other comment is about the "Ai yo chikyuu o sukue!/Let love save the Earth" and note [ii]. Reading this, specially the note, I remembered this Sakura Gakuin single from autumn, 2014, "Earth no hoshi", I remembered watching a "making-of" video about the song, with small interviews and the girls (Yui & Moa among them) explained something about EARTH being an anagram of HEART and viceversa, so here we have again a connection (of Earth & love/heart) that is parallel to the one in "Amore". Furthermore, "hoshi" is "star/planet", isn't it? So "Heart no hoshi" = "Heart's star/planet" = "Earth". Am I wrong? So it's very much the same chain of thoughts that appears in Amore. I wonder... Any thoughts about this?

    Saludos,

    Fernando :)

    P.S. I forgot, "the words of love" in the first line (and repeated in other lines in Amore), appear again in "Syncopation". I'm starting to think Metal Resistance could be a mysterious, encrypted, concept album... :D

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    1. Thank you for comments.
      It is certain that the music of this song was composed or arranged as another "Akatsuki". As to the lyric, however, only two keywords "blue" & "Earth" were chosen as contrasts to "crimson/red" & "moon" of "Akatsuki", and two lyrics seem to have no further connection, so I was afraid that emphasizing the connection with "Akatsuki" might mislead readers about the interpretation of this song.

      "Ai no kotoba" might be the favorite phrase of NORiMETAL or KxBxMetal who wrote the lyrics of both songs, so I am afraid that emphasizing the connection with "Syncopation" might...

      "Heart no Hoshi" is written as "ハートの地球(ほし)" in Japanese. That is to write "Earth" and to read it as "star/planet". The title means "planet full of hearts" or something.

      In Japan, the phrase "青い地球" (aoi chikyû; blue Earth) is popular and it implies the only-one habitable planet. The word "惑星" (wakusei; planet) is often used for the titles of songs, movies, etc. such as "恋する惑星" (koi suru wakusei; "planet in love" or "romancing planet"). In my impression, it implies "this planet is full of love romance", "love romance is essential to humankind", etc. Therefore, I don't think there is some special connection even if two songs have such somewhat similar titles.

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    2. Thanks for the explanations! About the "making of" video I mentioned, I can't find it and it's even possible that it never existed (yes there's a 'making of' Heart no hoshi available but without any explanations of the song that I can see...) so maybe it was me who thought that reading the lyrics. I don't think the SG song talks exclusively about "love romance", in fact it seems to emphasize love and bonds between friends (as among SG's members).I still think there's a couple of ideas common to both lyrics, relating love (for a lover, or among friends, etc.) with some ecological conscience and saving the Earth and such. Not that they are saying exactly the same... My humble opinion, anyway ;)

      Thanks & saludos,

      F. :)

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    3. Sakura Gakuin's "Heart no Hoshi" is not about love romance but about bonds between friends, etc. as you said.
      What I want to say is that such titles as "--- Wakusei" or "--- Hoshi" are popular in Japan and they usually focus not on the planet itself but on the human society on it. Probably the writers feel more interested in the society than in the planet when they see some photo of the blue globe. In "Amore", on the other hand, it seems that the blue globe itself is focused and is personified if my interpretation is right.

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  10. Hi Du-sensei,
    I love your work. If you're interested, I've written a blog post on my interpretation that this song is about motherhood: https://medium.com/@petewarrior/amore-interpretation-483d8bb724ae

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    1. Thank you for an interesting interpretation.
      I've never imagined, but there are in deed some images of a pregnant woman & an unborn baby, and your interpretation of "Even if you are far away, I keep singing..." is very persuasive.

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  11. Why in the GIMME CHOcolate video(live) we saw The holy mary giant size on stage? it is a christian music disguise metal group ?

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    1. The producer (probably) said it was not a statue of the Holy Mother but a statue of some goddess.
      I wrote the note about this problem in another article. Please refer to Note [II] "About the Destruction of the Statue of the Holy Mother" of Prolog to BABYMETAL DEATH.

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  12. Yo no sé Japonés pero tus comentarios y algo q leí por ahí me dan la impresión de que la canción habla de una mujer que perdió a su esposo muy cerca del momento de dar a luz o cuando el niño ya nació. Esposo al amó y que aún en su ida iluminó su vida. (probablemente se refiere a ese hijo, ya que habla de la flor iluminada) y el tiempo sigue y esa persona amada seguirá andando ( en la vida de su hijo) Al final es un poco triste con esa luna roja marcando el fin de una vida, y notando lo efímero de la vida. Pero esto sigue... y por eso seguirá cantando

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    1. Thank you for comment. I read your comment with Google translator.
      The interpretation that this song is about a woman (with a new-born child) who lost her husband is new to me. I think it explains the section "Moshimo kimi o miushinatte mo..." (Even if I lose sight of you...).

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  13. Amore means Love. It can be referred to the sentimental way or sexual (Love - I love - to make love "fare l'amore" in italian). As Dean Martins used to sing.... "That's amore". In spanish love is called Amore, as well. Cupid was the Gd of Love, Dio dell'Amore in italian. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFSv-tq5GAY

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