Vocaloid (KAITO) – Tamashii Nagashi

Tamashii Nagashi – 魂流し – Soulscour / The Flow of Souls

薄い心臓の襞をめくり
吹き寄す哀しい遠音（とおと）の残響

usui shinzou no hida o mekuri
fukiyosu kanashii tooto no zankyou

Lifting the folds of my thin heart
The echo of a sad, distant sound drifts on the wind to me^[1]

街は幸（さきわ）う魂流し
幾千の灯りが舞う

machi wa sakiwau tamashii nagashi
ikusen no akari ga mau

The town prospers with the flow of souls
Thousands of lights are dancing

淡く洩る光の尾に縋り付いて
宵に浚われどれほど澪標
掬い救えどもあえかなこの指の
隙間からまた命が零れてく

awaku moru hikari no o ni sugaritsuite
yoi ni saraware dorehodo miotsukushi
sukui sukuedo mo aeka na kono yubi no
sukima kara mata inochi ga koborete’ku

Clinging to the tail of a pale, leaking light
Swept away by the evening, how many route markers have I passed?^[2]
Though I try to scoop it up and save it,
Life is spilling yet again through my fragile fingers

祭は囃し立てり
月は東に日は西に

matsuri wa hayashitateri
tsuki wa higashi ni hi wa nishi ni

The festival is mocking me
The moon is in the east, the sun in the west

入相戯（ざ）れた兄弟（けいてい） 夜は骸
泡沫（うたかた）より軽く儚い

iriai zareta keitei yoru wa mukuro
utakata yori karuku hakanai

The siblings played at sunset; night is a corpse
Lighter and more fleeting than transience itself

淡く洩る光の尾を見送りて
独り旧い傷を雪（そそ）ぐ岩清水
掬い救えどもあえかなこの指の
隙間からまた命が零れてく

awaku moru hikari no o o miokurite
hitori furui kizu o sosogu iwashimizu
sukui sukuedo mo aeka na kono yubi no
sukima kara mata inochi ga koborete’ku

Seeing off the tail of a pale, leaking light
I am alone as the water from the rocks settles on my old wounds like snow
Though I try to scoop it up and save it,
Life is spilling yet again through my fragile fingers

恒河沙ほど不幸に穿たれて
肺を漏る希望を離せるか
呼吸はうねり幾千の灯を揺らす

kougasha hodo fukou ni ugatarete
hai o moru kibou o hanaseru ka
kokyuu wa uneri ikusen no hi o yurasu

Bombarded by innumerable misfortunes,
Can I let go of the hope that leaks from my lungs?
My breath swells, causing thousands of lights to waver

流る魂 行方に逆巻いて
帰れ帰れと手を引く才の華
掬い零せどあえかなこの指の先にまだ命が掴めるか

nagaru tamashii ikikata ni sakamaite
kaere kaere to te o hiku sai no hana
sukui kobosedo aeka na kono yubi no saki ni mada inochi ga tsukameru ka

The flow of souls, surging in one direction
The flower of age tugs at my hand, saying “Go back, go back!”
Though I scoop it up and spill it, can these fragile fingers still grasp some life?

嗚呼 夜は骸――
夜は骸――
夜は骸――

aa yoru wa mukuro–
yoru wa mukuro–
yoru wa mukuro–

Ah, night is a corpse–
Night is a corpse–
Night is a corpse–

Notes:

“Soulscour” (like the Magic card) seems to be the official English title, but in the lines in the song where “魂流し” appears, it didn’t make sense to translate it that way, so I’ve included the alternate title translation up top so it’s clear where in the song the title drops happen.

[1] 遠音 means distant sound, but it’s usually pronounced “toone,” not “tooto.” “Tooto” is, however, how you would normally transcribe the German word for death, “Tod,” into Japanese. Take that as you will.

[2] Specifically, route markers along a waterway. “Miotsukushi” also sounds like 身を尽くし (to exhaust your body, more figuratively to pour all your energy into something); Japanese poetry has long employed wordplay that takes advantage of this.