Petals – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: Orangestar, 夏背
• Album: Petals / 花筏

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the poetic world of 'Petals' to improve your Japanese by learning evocative nature-based vocabulary and emotive sentence structures. This song is perfect for understanding how Japanese artists use seasonal imagery to express complex feelings of nostalgia and growth.

[English]

Still

A passing breeze

Occasionally

Pierces my skin on these mornings

As the snow melts, breaking through

The darkness behind my eyelids

Now

“What do you see?”

The question echoes

But there’s no reply

Lost within memories

A smiling face appears

You, on that day, felt the same

It has nowhere to go,

Just dancing on the wind—

Like petals

“Come now,”

Spring blooms

Tears turn into flower petals

Even now

Sorrow itself

Has long since faded away

Days flew by as I chased after

A love that’s already

Lost within memories

Spring loses its color

Remaining as it was on that day

Is not how it should be

Oh

Without uttering a word

Even this pain

Will eventually pass

Come now

Spring

Replacing tears with

Flower petals

Even now, sorrow

Has faded away with it

The season ends,

Petals

Petals

“Come now.”

Spring blooms

Tears turn into flower petals

Even now

Sorrow itself

Has long since faded away

As time passes,

The seasons turn again

In the distant, clear sky

Lost within it

Only the memories

Remain, untouched by time

That voice

Announces the arrival of spring

[Japanese]

まだ

通り風が

時折り

肌を刺す朝に

雪解けた

瞼の暗闇を抜け

今

「何が見える？」

響かせた

応えは知れず

想い出の中

笑いかける

あの日の貴方も同じ

それは行き場もなく

ただ風に舞う

花

「いざや、」

春は咲き

涙に花弁

今さら

悲哀など

疾うに果てたまま

日々馳せた

戀は既に

想い出の中

春は褪せる

あの日のままでは

ないはずで

嗚呼

言葉にはせぬまま

この痛みも

越えはするが

いざや

春は

涙に代わり

花弁

今さら悲哀は

共に果てたまま

季は暮れ

花

花

「いざや。」

春は咲き

涙に花弁

今さら

悲哀など

疾うに果てたまま

過ぎ去れば

また季は巡り

遠く晴れた

それに紛れる

憶いだけが

共に掠れず

その声が

春を告げる

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
通り風 tōri kaze N2	noun - a passing breeze
肌 hada N5	noun - skin, flesh
刺す sasu N4	verb - to pierce; to sting
朝 asa N5	noun - morning
雪解け yukidoke N2	noun - snow melt
瞼 mayu N2	noun - eyelid
暗闇 kurayami N2	noun - darkness
抜ける nukeru N3	verb - to pass through; to get out
見える mieru N4	verb - to be visible; can be seen
響かせる hibikaseru N2	verb - to make resound; to cause echo
想い出 omoide N3	noun - memory, reminiscence
笑いかける warai kakeru N2	verb - to smile at; to grin toward
風 kaze N5	noun - wind
舞う mau N2	verb - to dance; to flutter
花 hana N5	noun - flower
春 haru N5	noun - spring (season)
咲く saku N4	verb - to bloom; to blossom
涙 namida N4	noun - tear (from the eye)
花弁 hanabira N2	noun - petal
悲哀 hiai N1	noun - sorrow; grief

Key Grammar Structures

• まだ通り風が時折り肌を刺す朝に

  ➔ Adverb + Noun + Particle + Adverb + Verb + Particle + Noun + Particle + Noun

  ➔ This sentence uses a series of nouns and particles to create a descriptive scene. The particle 'に' indicates location/time ('in the morning'). '時折り' (tokiori) means 'occasionally'. The structure emphasizes the feeling of the morning breeze.

• 雪解けた瞼の暗闇を抜け

  ➔ Verb (past tense, passive) + Noun + Possessive Particle + Noun + Particle + Verb (gerund/noun form)

  ➔ The phrase '雪解けた' (yuketoketa) is a past tense, passive form of the verb '解ける' (tokeru - to melt). It describes the state of the snow having melted. '瞼の暗闇' (mabuta no kurayami) means 'the darkness of the eyelids', using the possessive particle 'の'. 'を抜け' (o nuke) means 'escaping from'.

• 今「何が見える？」響かせた

  ➔ Adverb + Direct Question + Verb (past tense, volitional/imperative)

  ➔ '今' (ima) means 'now'. '何が見える？' (nani ga mieru?) is a direct question meaning 'What can you see?'. '響かせた' (hibikasetta) is the past tense of the causative form of '響く' (hibiku - to echo, to resound), implying someone *made* the question echo or *asked* the question aloud.

• 想い出の中笑いかける

  ➔ Noun + Particle + Verb (attempt/try to)

  ➔ '想い出の中' (omoide no naka) means 'within memories'. '笑いかける' (waraikakeru) is a verb meaning 'to try to laugh', 'to offer a laugh', or 'to smile at'. It implies an attempt to recapture a feeling.