夢と葉桜 – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: 青木月光, ヲタみん

Lyrics & Translation

Learning Japanese through "Yume to Hazakura" offers a beautiful immersion into the poetic and emotional depth of the language. The song's lyrics, centered around the cultural symbolism of cherry blossoms, provide a window into the Japanese concept of "mono no aware" – the gentle sadness of passing moments. Its clear, melodic vocals make it an excellent piece for learners to practice pronunciation and connect with the subtle nuances of expressing nostalgia and memory in Japanese.

[English]

Dream and Cherry Leaves

As this river flows

A gentle melody drifts in

The wind brushes my cheek

Nostalgic memories blur

The distant sky

As if tearing my chest

Awakening memories that were about to be forgotten

Tears overflow

The season of white cherry blossoms

Only within a distant dream

The whisper of scattering petals

Words that cannot be forgotten

Alone on a sleepless night

Stepping forward into the tepid wind

Mischieffully, still playing around

Before I know it, it turns into memories

The moon also hides behind clouds

In the sweltering days

Even the memories I want to erase are fleeting

Tears that won’t stop

The time engraved is cruelly

It binds people, playing with them

The lush, dense cherry leaves

Say nothing

The season of white cherry blossoms

Only within a distant dream

The whisper of scattering petals

Words that cannot be forgotten

Music & Lyrics : 青木月光 (Aoki Gekkou) Vocal : ヲタみん (Wotamin)

[Japanese]

『夢と葉桜』 "Yume to Hazakura"

この川の流れるが如く kono kawa no nagareru ga gotoku

穏やかに音色が聞こえる odayaka ni neiro ga kikoeru

吹く風が頬を撫でていく fuku kaze ga hoho o nadete yuku

懐かしい思い出が滲む natsukashii omoide ga nijimu

遙かなる空は haruka naru sora wa

胸を裂くように mune o saku you ni

忘れかけた記憶を醒ます wasure kaketa kioku o samasu

溢れるは涙 afureru wa namida

白い桜の花の季節は shiroi sakura no hana no kisetsu wa

遠く夢の中にだけ tooku yume no naka ni dake

舞い散る花びらの囁いた maichiru hanabira no sasayaita

忘れられない言葉 wasurerarenai kotoba

眠れない夜を一人きり nemurenai yoru o hitori kiri

歩き出す　ぬるい風の中 arukidasu nurui kaze no naka

いたずらに　はしゃいでいたまま itazura ni hashaide ita mama

気がつけば思い出に変わる ki ga tsukeba omoide ni kawaru

月も雲隠れ tsuki mo kumo-gakure

蒸し暑い日々の mushi atsui hibi no

消したい記憶も儚くは keshitai kioku mo hakanaku wa

止まらない涙 tomaranai namida

刻まれる時間は残酷に kizamareru jikan wa zankoku ni

ヒトを縛りつけ遊ぶ hito o shibari tsuke asobu

青々と茂る桜の葉は aoao to shigeru sakura no ha wa

何も語りはしない nani mo katari wa shinai

白い桜の花の季節は shiroi sakura no hana no kisetsu wa

遠く夢の中にだけ tooku yume no naka ni dake

舞い散る花びらの囁いた maichiru hanabira no sasayaita

忘れられない言葉 wasurerarenai kotoba

Music & Lyrics : 青木月光 (Aoki Gekkou) Vocal : ヲタみん (Wotamin)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
川 /ka.wa/ A1	noun - river
風 /ka.ze/ A1	noun - wind
空 /so.ɾa/ A1	noun - sky
花 /ha.na/ A1	noun - flower
夢 /jɯ.me/ A2	noun - dream
桜 /sa.ku.ɾa/ A2	noun - cherry blossom
白い /ɕi.ɾo.i/ A2	adjective - white
時間 /dʑi.ka.n/ A2	noun - time
涙 /na.mi.da/ A2	noun - tear(s)
記憶 /ki.o.ku/ B1	noun - memory
思い出 /o.mo.i.de/ B1	noun - recollection; memory
蒸し暑い /mu.ɕi.at.sɯ.i/ C1	adjective - humid, muggy
儚く /ha.ka.na.ku/ C1	adverb - fleetingly; transiently
青々 /a.o.a.o/ B2	adjective (onomatopoeic) - lush, verdant
遙か /ha.ɾɯ.ka/ B2	adjective - far, distant
流れる /na.ɡa.ɾe.ɾɯ/ A2	verb - to flow; to stream
撫でる /na.de.ɾɯ/ B1	verb - to stroke; to caress
舞い散る /ma.i.t͡ɕi.ɾɯ/ C1	verb - to flutter and fall (e.g., petals)

Key Grammar Structures

• この川の流れるが如く

  ➔ Simile with 如く

  ➔ The phrase "が如く" expresses a simile, meaning 'like' or 'as if', in this case comparing something to the flow of a river.

• 吹く風が頬を撫でていく

  ➔ Continuing action with ～ていく

  ➔ The structure "～ていく" indicates an action that continues gradually or towards the future, such as the wind "撫でていく" caressing the cheek ongoingly.

• 遙かなる空は

  ➔ Literary adjective formation

  ➔ The suffix "なる" attached to adjectives like "遙か" creates a more literary or archaic form, as in "遙かなる" meaning 'distant'.

• 胸を裂くように

  ➔ Adverbial phrase with ように

  ➔ The phrase "ように" indicates manner or way, meaning 'as if' or 'like', in "胸を裂くように" implying the chest is torn 'as if' tearing.

• 忘れかけた記憶を醒ます

  ➔ State on the verge with ～かける

  ➔ The auxiliary "～かける" indicates an action or state on the verge of completion, in "忘れかけた" meaning 'almost forgotten'.

• 溢れるは涙

  ➔ Emphatic topic with は

  ➔ The particle "は" marks the topic with emphasis, in "溢れるは涙" highlighting that 'tears overflow'.

• 気がつけば思い出に変わる

  ➔ Conditional with ～ば for unexpected result

  ➔ The "～ば" conditional expresses a hypothesis leading to an unexpected outcome, in "気がつけば" meaning 'when I realize' it has changed.

• 月も雲隠れ

  ➔ Intransitive compound verb '雲隠れ'

  ➔ The compound verb "雲隠れ" combines 'cloud' and 'hide', meaning the moon is hidden by clouds, used figuratively for concealment.

• 刻まれる時間は残酷に

  ➔ Passive form with ninai-stem + られる

  ➔ The passive "刻まれる" uses the nai-stem of "刻む" plus "られる", meaning 'time is carved' in a passive sense, cruelly.

• 青々と茂る桜の葉は

  ➔ Onomatopoeic adverb modifying verb

  ➔ The onomatopoeic "青々と" describes vividly, before the verb "茂る", meaning cherry leaves grow luxuriantly.