| 静かに二人を包んでいた 綺麗な動かない時間から 羽を広げ飛び立つ時が もう側に来てるの | We had been wrapped up in the serenity Of a moment frozen beautifully in time; The chance for me to spread my wings and fly away Is near enough to touch; |
| 緑の夜の中寄り添って 無口な慰めをくれたから どんな時もその温もりを 抱きしめて行ける | Nestling within this verdant night Gives me a quiet comfort; That warmth, forever with me, I’ll hold it close; |
| 夢の住むこの場所を守りたいずっと 風の音運命の歌が響いて 灯火を手に取って冬空を照らす 胸の星をただ信じて | I want to always protect the place where my dream resides; The song of my fate echoes amidst the sound of the wind; With the lamplight in my hand, I illuminate the winter sky, Believing instead in the star within my heart; |
| 空を行く鳥たちの交わす鳴き声 暮れて行く草原に響いてるよ 安らぎの大地へと還るため 最後の風を越えて行く | The caws of the birds flocking the sky Are resounding across the darkening steppes! To go back to a more tranquil land, I’ll pass through that final wind; |
| 額にちりちりと夕凪が 嵐の予感を運んで来る 貴方に吹く風のすべてを 受け止めてあげたい | The evening calm that shivers across my forehead, Carries with it a brewing storm; The gales that blow against you, I want to endure them all; |
| 優しい時間だけでいいのに いのちは切なさをくれるのね 二人でいたよろこびだけを 抱きしめて行くは | Though all I wanted was a gentle life, Of course I could only long for it;1 The happiness I had from just being with you, I’ll hold it close; |
| 愛の住むこの場所を守りたいずっと 体ごと運命に焼かれてもいい 灯火を手に取って冬空を照らす 胸の星をただ信じて | I want to always protect the place where my love resides; It’s fine if destiny burns me to ashes;2 With the lamplight in my hand, I illuminate the winter sky, Believing instead in the star within my heart; |
| 空を行く鳥たちの交わす鳴き声 暮れて行く草原に響いてるよ 嵐を超えて辿りつく場所は きっと貴方の胸の中 還るは… | The caws of the birds flocking the sky, Are resounding across the darkening steppes! What awaits beyond the storm, Is surely a place within your heart; I will return… |
Footnotes
1. A more literal translation here would be “Though I only wished for a gentle time/Life naturally gave me heartache”. But this sounds incredibly odd in English, so I tried to focus instead on the duality between Nina’s simple wish for an easier, less painful life and the reality of how her life actually turned out.
I also tried to express that feeling of heartache,「切なさ」, which comes with a powerful, denied yearning, and the feeling of hoping against hope inherent in「ね」.
In essence, all she wanted was to not suffer, and she couldn’t even get that.
2. The language here is that of permission, implying that Nina would like this to happen. It also hearkens back to the way that the HiME’s most precious person dies in Mai-HiME.
Translation Notes
tba
Narrative Commentary
It’s unpopular, but I actually really like the dynamic between Nina and Sergei. She’s trying to process confusing feelings about him being an absent father to the point of him being a stranger, while also trying to deal with him using her as a weapon for Artai.
Further Links
tba