大正浪漫 – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: YOASOBI

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the enchanting world of "大正浪漫" by YOASOBI, a captivating J-pop song that weaves a poignant tale of love across time, inspired by a novel. As you listen, you can explore beautiful Japanese expressions related to longing, unexpected encounters, and historical events. The song's evocative lyrics and the unique "novel into music" concept of YOASOBI make it a special piece for appreciating Japanese storytelling and emotional depth through its language. What can be learned from the lyrics about connecting with someone from a different era, and how would you convey your feelings across a hundred years?

[English]

One day, suddenly, it came

An event that arrived

It all began with a letter

From you, who lived long ago

Such a mysterious encounter

In my time, now

There are things like this

And I live this way

As we convey our feelings through words

A romance that quietly blossomed

We, who can never meet

From our own worlds

Words we weave

Feelings that grow

Even our appearances

Remain unknown

No matter the time, I long for your words

I am waiting eagerly

Though we live in different eras

Time and again, crossing over time

The feelings we share, you and I

If wishes could come true

Just once, even for a moment

I want to see you

Because I love you

...

What I suddenly remembered

Is the tomorrow of the era you live in

Things that will happen

Sad things

I must convey

Oh, let a miracle happen

As time passes

And seasons change

The letters that ceased since then

Only the words that can no longer reach me tighten my chest

A hundred years ahead, far away

The future you wished to see, now

I am still walking

Holding onto painful feelings

A letter that reached me

Familiar words I had longed for

It was the last love letter you wrote to me

Proof that you lived in your time

Even beyond eight thousand generations, I hold on

Everything I see in my time

I will someday go to convey it

...

...

[Japanese]

ある日突然にそれは

訪れた出来事

始まりは一通の手紙

送り主は遥か昔を生きる君

そんな不可思議な出会い

僕の時代には今

こんなものがあって

こんな暮らしをしているよ

文字に込めて伝え合ううちに

いつしか芽生えたロマンス

決して出会うことの出来ない僕ら

それぞれの世界から

綴る言葉

募る想い

姿さえも

知らないまま

どんな時も君の言葉を

待ち焦がれているんだ

生きる時代は違うけど

何度でも時間を越えて

君と君と伝え合う想い

願いが叶うなら

一目でいいから

会いたいな

好きだから

不意に思い出したのは

君が生きる時代の明日

起こること

悲しいこと

伝えなくちゃ

どうか奇跡よ起きて

過ぎていく時と

変わる季節

あれから途絶えた手紙

もう届かない言葉だけが胸を締めつける

遥か彼方100年先を

君が見てみたいと願った未来を今

僕はまだ歩いているよ

苦しい想いを胸に抱いたまま

そんな僕に届いた手紙

見覚えのある待ち焦がれていた文字

それは君があの日を越えて

僕に書いた最後の恋文

君が君の時代を生きた証を

八千代越えても握りしめて

僕が僕の時代に見るその全てを

いつか伝えに行くよ

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
手紙 /てがみ/ A2	noun - letter
出会い /であい/ B1	noun - encounter
ロマンス /ろまんす/ B2	noun - romance
想い /おもい/ B1	noun - thought, feeling
時代 /じだい/ A2	noun - era, age
未来 /みらい/ B1	noun - future
願い /ねがい/ B1	noun - wish, desire
言葉 /ことば/ A2	noun - word, language
季節 /きせつ/ A2	noun - season
悲しい /かなしい/ B1	adjective - sad
奇跡 /きせき/ B2	noun - miracle
苦しい /くるしい/ B2	adjective - painful, difficult
歩く /あるく/ A1	verb - to walk
届く /とどく/ B1	verb - to reach, to arrive
生きる /いきる/ A1	verb - to live
君 /きみ/ A1	noun - you (informal)

Key Grammar Structures

• 訪れた出来事

  ➔ Past tense usage with 'た' form to indicate completed actions or events.

  ➔ The 'た' form in Japanese indicates a completed action in the past.

• 始まりは一通の手紙

  ➔ Using 'は' as a topic marker to identify what the beginning is.

  ➔ 'は' emphasizes the topic of the sentence, indicating what the 'beginning' refers to.

• 文字に込めて伝え合う

  ➔ Using 'に' to indicate the target or purpose, and verb '込める' in te-form to express 'put into' or 'enclose'.

  ➔ 'に' marks the target or purpose of the action, and '込めて' (te-form) indicates the act of putting or enshrining something into something else.

• 願いが叶うなら

  ➔ Conditional form 'なら' expressing 'if' or 'if it is the case that'.

  ➔ 'なら' indicates a conditional, meaning 'if' or 'in the case that'.

• 一目でいいから会いたいな

  ➔ Using 'から' to indicate reason or cause, and 'だけ' to specify limitation or degree.

  ➔ 'から' explains the reason for wanting to meet, and 'だけ' emphasizes the simplicity or minimal requirement of the wish.

• 君が君の時代を生きた証を

  ➔ The structure 'を' marks the direct object, here '証' (proof or evidence).

  ➔ 'を' indicates the direct object '証' (proof), meaning the proof of someone living their era.