Friday, February 19, 2016

Souzou no Shijin

Title:                想像の詩人 | Souzou no Shijin | The Poet that is My Imagination
Info:                 NMB48 2nd Album - Sekai no chuushin wa Osaka ya ~Namba Jichiku~
                        NMB48 Research Students 5th Stage "Souzou no shijin"
Member(s):        Akashi Natsuko, Ishida Yuumi, Uno Mizuki, Odan Mai, Terui Honoka, Jo Eriko, Nakano Reina, Nishizawa Rurina,                         Matsuoka Chiho, Matsumura Megumi, Morita Ayaka, Yamao Rina

WOW WOW WOW AH WOH
WOW WOW AH WOW
WOW WOW AH WOW
WOW WOW WOW WOW…

木の葉のその背中にころがる
朝のしずくのように
ちっぽけでも
とにかくぼくは透明なまま
ずっと飽きることもなく
空を見上げたい

誰かが言う
大人になることは
ここではないどこかを知ること

遠く鐘がきこえたら
ぼくは思い浮かべよう
まだ行ったことない世界とか
いつか出逢う大切な人

喜びとか悲しみは
どんな風(かぜ)になるのだろう
想像の詩人がいつしか
ぼくのこと迎えに來る
その日まで

WOW WOW WOW AH WOH
WOW WOW AH WOW
WOW WOW AH WOW
WOW WOW WOW WOW…

ゆっくりふわふわ流れて行く
晴れた日の云のように
すぎる時間
確かにぼくは不器用だから
もっと今のこの場所で
考えたいんだ

あきれられた
大人にならないとは
向上心がないのかなんて

遠く鐘がきこえたら
ぼくはそっと目を閉じる
見たくもないげんじつのあれこれ
耳もきっと塞ぐのだろう

まだ少ない思い出に
まんぞくしてるわけじゃなくて
想像の詩人の言葉に
あまりにも感動して
踏み出せない

遠く鐘がきこえたら
ぼくは思い浮かべよう
まだ行ったことない世界とか
いつか出逢う大切な人

喜びとか悲しみは
どんな風(かぜ)になるのだろう
想像の詩人がいつしか
ぼくのこと迎えに來る
その日まで

WOW WOW WOW AH WOH
WOW WOW AH WOW 
WOW WOW AH WOW
WOW WOW WOW WOW…

WOW WOW WOW AH WOH
WOW WOW AH WOW
WOW WOW AH WOW
WOW WOW WOW WOW...

konoha no sono senaka ni korogaru
asa no shizuku no you ni
chippoke demo
tonikaku boku wa toumei na mama
zutto akiru koto mo naku
sora wo miagetai

dareka ga iu
otona ni naru koto wa
koko de wa nai doko ka wo shiru koto

tooku kane ga kikoetara
boku wa omoiukabeyou
mada itta koto nai sekai to ka
itsuka deau taisetsu na hito

yorokobi to ka kanashimi wa
donna kaze ni naru no darou
souzou no shijin ga itsu shika
boku no koto mukae ni kuru
sono hi made

WOW WOW WOW AH WOH
WOW WOW AH WOW
WOW WOW AH WOW
WOW WOW WOW WOW...

yukkuri fuwafuwa nagarete iku
hareta hi no kumo no you ni
sugiru jikan
tashika ni boku wa bukiyou dakara
motto ima no kono basho de
kangaetainda

akirerareta
otona ni naranai to wa
koujoushin ga nai no ka nante

tooku kane ga kikoetara
boku wa sotto me wo tojiru
mitakunai genjitsu no are kore
mimi mo kitto fusagu no darou

mada sukunai omoide ni
manzoku shiteru wake ja nakute
souzou no shijin no kotoba ni
amari ni mo kandou shite
fumidasenai

tooku kane ga kikoetara
boku wa omoiukabeyou
mada itta koto nai sekai to ka
itsuka deau taisetsu na hito

yorokobi to ka kanashimi wa
donna kaze ni naru no darou
souzou no shijin ga itsu shika
boku no koto mukae ni kuru
sono hi made

WOW WOW WOW AH WOH
WOW WOW AH WOW
WOW WOW AH WOW
WOW WOW WOW WOW...

WOW WOW WOW AH WOH
WOW WOW AH WOW
WOW WOW AH WOW
WOW WOW WOW WOW...

Like a drop of morning dew
Rolling down the back of a leaf
I may be small, but for now
As long as I’m still transparent
I will never get tired
Of looking up at the sky like this

That thing people call
‘Growing up’
Exists somewhere else, not here

Whenever I hear the distant bells
I begin to contemplate
About a world I’ve yet to enter
Or the precious people I might someday meet

Things like joy and sorrow
What kind of storm will they stir up?
Such will be my thoughts, until the day
The poet that is my imagination
Returns for me

WOW WOW WOW AH WOH
WOW WOW AH WOW
WOW WOW AH WOW
WOW WOW WOW WOW...

Like the fluffy clouds on a sunny day
Drifting lazily along
Time passes by
It’s true that I’m useless
But right now, in this place
I want to remain with my own thoughts

I’m amazed that they can say
The reason I can’t be an adult
Is because I’m not ambitious enough

Whenever I hear the distant bells
I gently close my eyes
‘Cuz I don’t want to see the details of reality
And so I stop up my ears as well

It’s not that I’m satisfied
With what little memories I have
It’s just that I’m too deeply moved
By the words of the poet that is my imagination
That I can’t step forward

Whenever I hear the distant bells
I begin to contemplate
About a world I’ve yet to enter
Or the precious people I might someday meet

Things like joy and sorrow
What kind of storm will they stir up?
Such will be my thoughts, until the day
The poet that is my imagination
Returns for me

WOW WOW WOW AH WOH
WOW WOW AH WOW
WOW WOW AH WOW
WOW WOW WOW WOW...

This song just captures the trauma of growing up so vividly that it takes my breath away. From the time we are born, we grow up within the protective bubble of our parents and school - our inner community. So when the time eventually comes for us to step out of that bubble and into the 'real world', there is a wealth of potential - but also a wealth of fear and uncertainty. Densha wo Oriru is about the former, whereas this song focuses more on the latter. And the fact that this song is sung by NMB Kenkyuusei makes it all the more impactful.

The phrase "souzou no shijin" is rather complicated to translate. The most straightforward translation of "poet of imagination" implies the concept of imagination in general as opposed to someone's personal imagination, whereas "poet of my imagination" sounds more like having an imaginary poet, but then "my imagination's poet" sounds so awkward. So the best I can come up with is the still-slightly-awkward "the poet that is my imagination". However, even this translation is slightly off, because it describes the person's entire imagination as a poet, whereas the Japanese phrase seems to refer only to a poetic 'persona' or aspect of someone's imagination. I feel this nuance makes a difference, because it highlights the intensity of the imagination in this particular instance, i.e. when thinking about growing up in the future.

This is a song of a young person waiting to grow up, but finds him/herself incapacitated by the immense possibilities of growing up, as well as the fear of failure. To dream big is also to experience the pressure to fulfill that dream. To those who are currently going through this phase of their life, this song will definitely hit home, and deeply.


(All kanji/kana and romaji lyrics on this site are taken from Studio48 unless otherwise stated. Please do not reproduce anything from this site without giving due credit.)

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