田原坂 Tabaruzaka


 

雨は降る降る、陣羽は濡れる (Ame wa furu furu; jinba wa nureru)

越すに越されぬ、田原坂 (Kosuni kosarenu; Tabaruzaka)

The rain falls and falls, soaking my military overcoat

Striving to advance but not advancing. Tabaruzaka


 

右手に血がたな、左手に手綱 (Meteni chi-gatana, yunde ni tazuna)

馬上ゆたかな、美少年 (Bajō yutakana, bishōnen)

In my right hand a bloody sword, in my left the reins

Upon a horse a beautiful youth in the prime of life


 

山に屍、川に血流る (Yama ni shikabane; kawa ni chi naguru)

肥薩の天地、秋さびし (Hi-satsu no tenchi, aki-sabishi)

Mountains full of corpses, the river flows with blood

The heaven and earth of Higo and Satsuma in the loneliness of autumn


 

草をしとねに、夢やいずこ (Kusa o shitone ni; yume ya izuko)

明けのみ空に、日の御旗 (Ake-nomi sora ni, hi no mi-hata)

We make grass into a bed; where are the dreams?

In the sky of fresh dawn waves the rising-sun flag


 

泣いてくれるな、かわい駒よ (Naite kureru na, kawai koma yo)

今宵しのぶは、恋でなし (Koyoi shinobu wa, koi de nashi)

Don't cry, my lovely horse

Tonight's sneaking around is without love


 

どうせ死ぬなら、桜の下よ (dōse shinu nara, sakura no shita)

死なば屍に、花が散る (shinaba kabane ni, hana ga chiru)

If I have to die anyway, let it be beneath the cherries

Thus dying, flowers will scatter over my body


 

田原坂なら、むかしが恋し (Tabaruzaka nara, mukashi ga koishi)

男同志の、夢の跡 (Otokodōshi no, yume no ato)

Tabaruzaka—a fond place in days gone by

Monument to the dreams of manly comrades


 

春は桜よ、秋ならもみじ (Haru ha sakura yo, aki nara momiji)

夢も田原坂の草枕 (Yume mo Tabaruzaka no kusamakura)

In the spring the cherries, in autumn the maple leaves

Our dreams on the grass pillow of Tabaruzaka


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