October 17, 2024

Translation: Suburban Train (Sons of Sun)

Another of those songs that took a long time to translate because it kept making me cry. Suburban Train (Yanagida/Matsumoto) is one of my favorite songs ever.

I love the way Hiro aligned the words of the chorus into a near-ryhme (郊外電車に, the a-i vowels of ga-i in kougai 郊外 matching the a-i of sha-ni 車に). The euphony was present in Takashi's phrase, but the ingenious emphasis is Hiro's. 



:::



I'm thinking of you
at this very moment.
I bought coffee beans
and a couple of little cakes,
and now the change in my pocket
is jingling.

And now I'm heading back.
I'm on board the suburban train.

Move faster now, come on.

You're thinking of me
at this very moment.
You've adorned the table
with a windflower
and now you're waiting, chin in hand,
for my return.

And now I'm hurrying back.
I'm on board the suburban train.

Move faster now, come on.



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