長く短い祭 – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: 椎名林檎 (Sheena Ringo)
• Album: 三毒史 (Sandokushi)

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the vibrant sounds and poignant themes of Sheena Ringo's "Nagaku Mijikai Matsuri." This song offers a unique opportunity to learn about Japanese culture through its festival imagery and delve into the nuances of the Japanese language as it captures the essence of fleeting moments and complex emotions.

[English]

Fireworks connecting heaven and earth!

An encounter of eternity and a fleeting moment

Let us not forget our summer

Casting my incongruously chilled body into the crowd's warmth

Swept along, I realize how far I've come

Life is so fleeting, isn't it?

And youth, even more so, is gone in an instant

Tonight, every single one of us is the vanguard, the leading act

Everyone in their own diverse costumes

Makeup covering our unrestrained lives

Let us not hide, for we are summer

My somehow downcast heart wanders through the human warmth

Swept along, I realize how far I've come

Eternity is so unfeeling, isn't it?

Just a fleeting moment is perfect, isn't it?

At last, the banquet is in full swing; it's the real show

Everyone, individually, choosing from all directions

The scent of burning, ferocious lives

Let us not falter, for we are summer

What should I do with this moment, the peak of my womanhood?

If things stay like this, there'll be nowhere to go

Blooming, vibrant, at its very peak, still

Just like a weeping willow in full, grand bloom

A lifetime's memories revive like a revolving lantern

Let us not miss our summer

What should I do with this moment, the peak of my womanhood?

If things stay like this, I still can't let it end

Blooming, vibrant, at its very peak, still

[Japanese]

天上天下繋ぐ花火哉

万代と刹那の出会い

忘るまじ 我らの夏を

場違いに冷え切った体を人いきれに放って

流し流され 思えば遠くへ来たもんだ

人生なんてあっけないね

まして若さはあっちゅう間

今宵全員が魁、一枚目よ

皆 銘々取り取りの衣装

奔放な命を被う化粧

隠すまじ 我らは夏よ

何かしら落ち込んだ心は 人いきれ彷徨って

流し流され 思えば遠くへ来たもんだ

永遠なんてそっけないね

ほんの仮初めがいいね

いよいよ宴も酣、本番です

皆 銘々選り取り全方位

獰猛な命燃やす匂い

臆すまじ 我らは夏よ

一寸女盛りをどうしよう

このままじゃ行き場がない

花盛り 色盛り 真盛り まだ

丁度大輪の枝垂れ柳

蘇るひと世の走馬灯

逃すまじ 我らの夏を

一寸女盛りをどうしよう

このままじゃまだ終われない

花盛り 色盛り 真盛り まだ

Key Grammar Structures

• 天上天下繋ぐ花火哉

  ➔ Use of archaic/poetic grammar

  ➔ The line uses archaic/poetic grammar typical of classical Japanese, such as the particle '哉' (ya) for rhetorical questions or exclamations.

• 忘るまじ 我らの夏を

  ➔ Negative volitional form

  ➔ The verb '忘る' (wasure-ru) is in the negative volitional form '忘るまじ' (wasure-maji), expressing a strong determination not to forget.

• 場違いに冷え切った体を人いきれに放って

  ➔ Use of 'に' for emphasis

  ➔ The particle 'に' is used to emphasize the state or condition, such as '場違いに' (ba-gai ni, out of place) and '人いきれに' (hito-ikire ni, in the crowd's heat).

• 流し流され 思えば遠くへ来たもんだ

  ➔ Passive-passive construction

  ➔ The phrase uses a passive-passive construction '流し流され' (nagashi nagasa-re), indicating a sense of being carried along by circumstances.

• 今宵全員が魁、一枚目よ

  ➔ Use of 'が' for emphasis

  ➔ The particle 'が' is used to emphasize the subject '全員' (zen'in, everyone), highlighting their role as leaders ('魁', sakigake).

• 隠すまじ 我らは夏よ

  ➔ Negative volitional form

  ➔ Similar to '忘るまじ', '隠すまじ' (kakusu-maji) is the negative volitional form of '隠す' (kakusu, to hide), expressing a strong determination not to hide.