#i love amazarashi but their texts sometimes give me headaches

[seherstudies]

amazarashi 　ベストアルバム『メッセジーボトル』

Note: I recently go amazarashi's メッセジーボトル and from what I understood, every album of the band is accompanied with a short message inside the case. This is my very scuffed translation of the one in メッセジーボトル. It was a huge challenge for me because I suck at translating (poetry)... If there are some mistakes or if you think I misunderstood something, please let me know!

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終わりから始まった僕らに　怖いものなんて何もなかった 旅路に宛はなく　ここじゃないどこかを探す 雨風にたゆたう　波間にメッセじーボトル

For us, who began at the end, there was nothing that could fright us. This journey has no end goal. We were simply looking for a somewhere that is not here. Messages in a bottle amidst the waves, drifting in rain and wind.

恒久的な欠落を　埋めようともがくあの日の覚悟。 あれから七年後　ようやく辿り着いたこの岸辺へと 正解でも　間違いでも　それがわかるのはどうせ未来。 そう言って託した未来に今立って　結局言えることなんて何一つなくて

There was a resolve on that one day, to try to fill up the permanent void. Seven years after that, I finally find myself at the shore. Whether it is right or wrong, only time will tell. But standing now in the future that I was entrusted with, there is nothing I can say in the end.

吐き出す度に磨り減り　抗う度に傷つき けど、それ故の気付き　書き留めるだけの日々 空白を埋める生き死に　手を差し伸べてくれた導き 手放した分の重み　背負い歩き続ける意味

I vomited and became worn out. I resisted things and got injured. But a realisation led me to write down messages day after day. For them, to act as a guidance that reach out to the living and dying to fill their void. Messages about the meaning of continuing with heavy burdens on your shoulders and about letting them go.

何か変わると信じて託した言葉　音の間。 過去から見れば　今日の僕が合わせるつじつま 五分四十秒答え合わせ　過ぎた時間こそ笑え 「間違ってなかった」という為の今日だ

When things change, believe in the words that were entrusted to you through the music. Judging prom the past, the you of today is just fine. You may have taken five minutes and forty seconds to compare your answers your journey has brought, but just laugh at the time that has passed. Today is the day to say, "I wasn't wrong."

逃げ道でもない　感傷でもない　凍る夜に　縋り付ける温み そういう記憶だけを思い出と呼んで　還らぬと決めたらまた旅路へ戻れ 今日だってどうせやまない雨　運命と呼ばれる全てを疑え 降らば降れと天を睨みつけ　どうか光へ進め

These words are not meant to be an escape route nor a sentimentality, but a warmth that embraces the freezing night. Call on memories like these only. If you decide to not return to your old self, then once again commence your journey. Even if it keeps raining today, doubt everything called fate. "Rain! If you must fall, fall!" glare at the sky and continue forward to the light.

Below are grammar and vocab notes.

【GRAMMAR】

Nだって: 'even'; the more casual version of でも Difference between でも and さえ: the first one is for adequate examples while さえ; for more info, this post is great

VようとV: 'in an attempt to do'; for more info about ～ようと～ check out and again, for more info, have this post

Aから見れば: 'If you look at it from A's point of view'; if A is a person, it expresses a judgment or estimation from that person's point of view. It A is a state or situation, it expresses a judgement based on that situation

あ- Stem + ば: ～らば means なら, except that it's an old pattern. Nowadays it's mostly used in very stilted speech and implies "Let it go" or "I don't care". Two common expressions are:

死なば死ね: Let them die if necessary; I don't mind if they/you/I die

笑わば笑え: If they laugh at me, let them do so (I don't care)

【VOCABULARY】

旅路 （たびじ）– route you travel on 宛 （あて）– recipient of a letter or gift たゆたう - to drift about 波間（なみま）- interval between the waves, gap between waves

恒久的 （こうきゅうてき）– permanent, perpetual, lasting 欠落（けつらく） - missing, lacking 埋める (うめる) to bury (e.g. in the ground); to fill up (e.g. audience fills a hall) もがく – to struggle 覚悟 （かくご）– readiness, preparedness 辿り着く （たどりつく）- to arrive at (after a struggle), to finally reach, to find one's way to, to finally hit on (e.g. an idea) 岸辺（きしべ）- shore 託す （たくす）- to have someone deliver (a message, parcel, etc.), to send (through someone), to leave (a message) with someone

吐き出す（はきだす） – to vomit, to spit out 磨り減る （すりへる）- to be worn down, to be reduced 抗う （あらがう）- to go against, to fight against, to oppose, to resist, to deny 傷つく （きずつく）- to be wounded, to get injured; to get hurt feelings それ故（それゆえ） – therefore, for that reason, so, because of that 書き留める （かきとめる）– to write down 空白 （くうはく）– blank space (in documents)；Lack of a part of a continuing thing 生き死に （いきしに）– life and death; life or death 差し伸べる （さしのべる）– to hold out, to extend (one’s hands), to stretch 導く （みちびく）– to guide, to lead, to show the way 手放す （てばなす）– to let go of, to release; to part with eg a posession, person 背負う（せおう）– to carry on one’s back; to be burdened with 辻褄を合わせる（つじつまをあわせる）- make sense. match the logic.

逃げ道 （にげみち）– no way out 感傷 （かんしょう）– sentiment, sentimentality 縋り付く （すがりつく）– to cling to, to embrace 記憶 （きおく）– memorz, recollection; memory 還る （かえる）– to return, to return back to earth 疑う（うたがう）- to doubt, to distrust() 睨みつける（にらみつける）- to scowl at, to glare at