english tl from amis/japanese ❤️
o nani cowaay kita?
where have we come from?
nani tira i kahadakan no cidal
from the place where the sun rises
tatalacowa kita? micelemayto ko cidal
where are we going? the sun has already set
malingad to kita!
we are setting off!
pasiwali kita
heading all the way east
a~a taiyō ni se o mukete katana o futte
with the sun behind me, i will carve my path forward
michi o terashite kureta hachibōsei
as the eight-pointed star¹ guides my way
yoru no tobari ga orita kuroku nure
night falls and slowly dyes the sky black
“sonata wa doko ni mukau?”
“where are you going?”
oshiete
please tell me
awaay ma’araw ako ko soda i ca’ang no kilang.
we may know nothing of snow-covered branches
awaay ma’araw iso ko taneng niyam.
but you know nothing of our wisdom
latek cowa kafana’ kako to kararoman no miso.
perhaps i am simply unable to understand your struggles
kaorira i, caay ka patadoen ako kiso a malalo’od.
but i will not fight your battles
tatalacowa kita? micelemayto ko cidal.
where are we going? the sun has already set
minokay to kita!
we’re going home!
a~a higashi ni mukatte yama o koete
to the east, past the mountains
mimimoto de sasayaite ita hachibōsei
the eight-pointed star whispers in my ear and guides my way
boya no kiri ni daka reta aoku nure
the fog of night surrounds us and slowly dyes the world blue
“sonata wa nanto yoba reru?”
“what is your name?”
oshiete
please tell me
a~a kyokujitsu ga iranai ya jū o sutete
abandon the rising sun, lay down your guns
hirahara ni shizunde ita hachibōsei
as the eight-pointed star sinks beneath the plains
akatsuki ga akete kita akaku nure
day breaks and slowly dyes the sky red
darenimo nozoki koma renai yukusue
and we reach the end of our journey, safe from prying eyes
¹reference to an important amis/pangcah cultural symbol, visible in the cover art in the center of the soldier's hat. i could not find the actual word for it in amis and, interestingly, it only appears in the japanese sections of the song. will edit the post if i find it T-T
this song is the story lead singer (and lyricist on this song) Natsuko once heard from her father about her grandfather's experience as an amis volunteer soldier during the final days of WWII. full translation of the portion of the interview that talks about this particular song in very great depth here. brief excerpt for basic contexts:
In 1945, the US military began bombing Taiwan, and Japan was on the verge of facing the reality of their imminent loss. A group of young Amis men were at the Takasago volunteer military camp in Taichung, witnessing the chaos firsthand and fearing deployment under such circumstances. They resolved not to fight any more on another nation’s behalf, and a number of them decided to desert and return to Taitung on foot. Natsuko’s grandfather was among them.
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