| 幼きを守りたくて 傷ついた想いがある 私も只の少女だった 脆く儚い せめて | I want to protect your youth Although it was wounded; I, too, was such an ordinary girl; It’s brittle, transient At best; |
| ｄｅｌｉｇｈｔ 分かち合えば 満たされていたら | d e l i g h t If we could’ve shared our differences,1 If I were satisfied, |
| いまは並んで歩けたのかもね 助けて 寒くて凍りそうだ 選ばれるよりも 選んでしまった 綺麗なものは捨てると 会えるだろう…戦いにて | We might be walking side by side now, huh? Help me It’s cold and I’m going to freeze; Rather than being selected I do the selecting;2 If I’ve discarded something pure, Then I suppose we’ll able to see each other… …In battle |
| 静けさを汚すように 立ち上がる暗い決意 あなたは変われない筈と 疼く哀愁 だけど | I hope to defile3 serenity: A dark determination arises; You’re probably not going to change,4 So there’s an aching grief… But |
| ａｌｉｖｅ 最後のとき 取り出した愛は | a l i v e In the final moments The love I plucked out is… |
| 絶望の底沈んだ船にも 生きてる 証を残したくて 伝えたいけれど 伝えきれないよ 今更だよと 微笑む 触れたかった…熱い涙 | Within the depths of despair, on this sunken ship, I’m alive I wanted to leave you a testimony; Although I wanted to tell you I can’t tell you! “It’s too late!”, I smile; I wanted to touch… …Those hot tears; |
| 最後のとき 引き返せたなら | In the final moments If I could turn back; |
| いまも並んで歩けたのかもね 助けて 寒くて凍りそうだ 選ばれるよりも 選んでしまった 綺麗なものは捨てると 会えるだろう…戦いにて | We might also be walking side by side now, huh? Help me It’s cold, I’m going to freeze; Rather than being selected I do the selecting;2 If I’ve discarded something pure, Then I suppose we’ll able to see each other… …In battle |
Footnotes
1. The theme of misunderstandings and an inability to share how they feel runs between all of the songs sung from Yomi’s and Kagura’s perspectives, especially in how ruinous those misunderstandings prove to be. The language specifically used is「分かり合う」, between delight and alive, Yuuki no Kodou, and Paradise Lost. I’ve tried to keep it consistent.
2. The form used for “I do the selecting” strongly implies regret and a desire to undo it.
3. The language here echoes that of the opening song, sung by Kagura. Translated here. They both use the same verb,「汚す」, and thus I kept the same translation choice between the songs as well.
Additionally, this is the verb form of「汚れ」 or kegare, which is the Shintou idea of “corruption/defilement” by proximity to things such as criminality, violation, and death – and is something that, in Ga-Rei, the sesshouseki inflicts on people naturally.
It must be said that, while kegare requires the afflicted to be spiritually cleansed, it isn’t necessarily due to action on the behalf of the afflicted, and thus doesn’t carry the same moral judgement that the Christian idea of “sin” would.
This is especially meaningful in the story of Ga-Rei -Zero-, as, not only does Yomi have proximity to death in that her father is killed, but she herself kills Mei, and Mitogawa forces the sesshouseki on Yomi in a scene analogous to sexual assault. Unfortunately, sexual violation does induce kegare in the one violated, and must be spiritually cleansed to prevent further harm to the victim and the victim’s community.
Ga-Rei does muddy this a little with Ayame declaring that Yomi has to “accept” the sesshouseki, introducing the idea of Yomi having agency, but, given we see the circumstances in which Yomi is bonded to the sesshouseki, this could be Ayame’s own misguided beliefs rather than canonical lore.
4. Much like Kagura does in Paradise Lost, Yomi uses「あなた」for “you”, as opposed to「貴方」, which reads as a lot more intimate.
Translation Notes
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Narrative Commentary
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Further Links
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