List of Translations

These translations are predominantly of lyrics by Takashi Matsumoto, originally of Happy End (all Matsumoto lyrics are marked with the symbo...

July 15, 2025

Translation: The Tale of a Thousand and One Seconds (Seiko Matsuda)

Another from the archive of unfinished translations. When I started work on this, I didn't know that the title, The Tale of a Thousand and One Seconds (Ohtaki/Matsumoto), was an Inagaki Taruho reference. Many months of Morio Agata obsession later, whose favorite writer is Taruho, and who continues to hold the monthly-or-bimonthly free & everyone-is-invited-to-grab-an-instrument-and-play-along outdoor concerts called Taruho Picnics, I'm now also a bona fide Taruho fanatic.

Granted, this Seiko song has nothing in common with Taruho's stories other than the presence of the moon. Two separate Japanese blog posts point out how utterly unromantic Taruho's stories are, and what a contrast that makes with Matsumoto's text.

I've elaborated that romantic element a little in the second verse ("If I don't say much..."). The Japanese sticks to a straight metaphor — 町は銀河 — literally/drily, "our city [or, even more strictly, just "the city"] is the Milky Way." But as so often with idol-era Matsumoto, the heart of the art is the tone. And translations are new originals; we know this. So, sometimes these new originals sit close to the hearth, and sometimes they wander.

In any case, the Japanese in this song is simple — give the language one or two months of well-intentioned study and you'll be able to make most of Takashi's nuances out for yourself!



:::



In the sky, a paper moon —
a silver moon —
has deigned to shine on me.

As we walk together
after the party,
I tell you the truth:
"You know, that was my first kiss."
A fragrance of cool mint gum
lingers on my lips.

If I don't say much
just this minute,
will word get around
that I'm a boring girl?
I can see the whole city
from this hilltop —
no, not the city —
the Milky Way.
The smoke from your cigarette
permeates my line of sight.

In the sky, a paper moon —
a silver moon —
has deigned to shine on me.

In the sky, a paper moon —
a silver moon —
has deigned to shine on me.

Now don't you dare
let go of me, alright?
Not for the next
one thousand and one seconds...

We walk along
the rusty railroad tracks.
You've wrapped your coat
around me.
The city lights call us back,
but I want to stay
right where I am
at least a little while longer.

In the sky, a paper moon —
a silver moon —
has deigned to shine on me.

Please pinch my cheek.
Tell me that, despite everything,
I'm not dreaming.

And don't you dare
let go of me, alright?
Don't you dare
let go of me...



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