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Mar. 21, 2005 People who love exotic music may like “Kimigayo” and “Sakura”, two very famous Japanese songs that really capture the mood of the island nation. “Kimigayo” (Literally “The Emperor's Reign”, but often called “The Peaceful Kingdom”) is the national anthem of Japan, composed by Hiromori Hayashi around 1880 to fit a 31-syllable poem from the tenth century. I have reproduced the lyrics in Romaji, the standardized method of transcribing Japanese into English letters, and provided a link to the Japanese lyrics. In Japanese, no spaces are shown between words, and it is often debatable how to represent them in English. Thus, you may see “chiyo ni” in one book, and “chiyoni” in another. I have also reproduced a translation that I have found on the Worldwide Web. I personally can translate no Japanese. “Sakura” (Cherry Blossoms) is a traditional Japanese folksong from the Edo Period (1603-1837), often played on the “koto” (long Japanese zither), as at the links I have provided. I have reproduced the transcription and the translation by comparing several sources to make sure I have them right, as my knowledge of Japanese is slight. It is to be remarked, though, that the combination “oi” is not a diphthong. It is pronounced as in “going”, not as in “void”. Similarly, “ai” is two syllables. The “n” in “yukan” constitutes a third syllable: yu-ka-nnnn. I have known these two songs since the 1980's: KIMIGAYO (The Emperor's Reign: Romaji transcription) Melody: http://www.nurisite.com/midisonly/japon/kimigayo.mid Japanese Lyrics (Kanji and Hiragana): http://japanese.about.com/library/weekly/aa030400.htm Kimigayo wa, Chiyo ni ya chiyo ni, Sazare ishi no Iwao to narite Koke no musu made. KIMIGAYO (English translation) May the Emperor's reign Last a thousand, or eight thousand generations, Till the pebbles become Rocks covered with moss. SAKURA (Cherry Blossoms: Romaji trascription) Melody, and Japanese Lyrics (Kanji and Hiragana) for first stanza only: http://www.biwa.ne.jp/~kebuta/MIDI/MIDI-htm/SakuraSakura.htm http://classic-midi.com/midi_player/uta/uta_sakura.htm Sakura! Sakura! Yayoi no sora wa Miwatasu kagiri Kasumi ka kumo ka. Nioi zo izuru Iza ya! Iza ya! Mi ni yukan. Saita sakura, Hanamite modoro, Yoshino wa sakura, Tatsuta wa momiji, Karasaki no matsu. Toki wa! toki wa! Iza yukan. SAKURA (English translation) Cherry blossoms! Cherry blossoms! Under the April sky, As far as the eye can see— Are they mist, are they clouds?— Blooming fragrantly. Let us go! Let us go, To see them! After seeing the cherry blossoms, Let us return home, Yoshino for cherry blossoms, Tatsuta for maple trees, Karasaki for pine trees. Forever! Forever! Let us go! NOTE: Yoshino, Tatsuta and Karasaki are places in Japan. Japanese cherry trees (Prunus serrulata) can be seen at this URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:SakuraHealed.png ------------ About the author Thomas Keyes: I have written two books: A SOJOURN IN ASIA (non-fiction) and A TALE OF UNG (fiction), neither published so far. I have studied languages for years and traveled extensively on five continents. Email: udikeyes@yahoo.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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