Translation: 瞞し by The GazettE

Here is the third and final part of my big translation project. This was a special challenge for me; I attempted to translate the lyrics in a way that was both accurate, and singable with the original music. I got close to the goal, but unfortunately, if you actually sang my translation, there would be accents in some very strange places! I’ve posted the translation notes again, and if you’re a Japanese nerd like me, I think you might find them interesting. If not, take a look at the translation.

Song: Deception (Japanese title: 瞞し)

Artist: The GazettE

Official Japanese lyrics

Buy or listen to a sample

There are times when they're so hollow they tear my skin… all of your coarse, throaty words

I opened my eyes and drank down fascination with you, hoping it could someday come to break…

All my suspicions should have just come undone …

A bleakness where I don’t dare ask questions…

That only an embrace has no meaning…

Cherry blossoms dance, having forgotten color, still not knowing how to change with skill

It’s not as if I actually wanted anything. So that I can come to forget…

‘Cause I already know about betrayal

Until I can sleep, you’ll make me keep

Staring at that deep lie

I’m just acting out my sorrow, circling self-conceit

I couldn’t even see my outstretched hand

Kisses for deception, and forgiveness for wounds…
And when I stop to look, its deserted here again

I don’t need a solution to be found in the tranquilizers that I gulp down

Saying, "the instant of escape is the end," ignorance is pretend

And, the gap between us bleeding through in our smiles

Was always much too profoundly sad

Whenever I shut down, that narrowing gap was
So overly gentle, it seemed cold-hearted

Like flower petals taking on their full colors…

If the time ever comes, just remember

Like flower petals that discolor and fall off…

Even if the time comes, just don’t forget

I’m just acting out my sorrow, circling self-conceit

I couldn’t even see my outstretched hand

Kisses for deception, and forgiveness for wounds…

And when I stop to look, its deserted here again

Translator's Notes

In this song, I attempted to translate the lyrics so that they could be sung with the original music; it turned out to be one of the most challenging translations I have done up to this point. The results are surprisingly faithful to the words in the original lyrics; for the most part, it was the syntax that needed to be changed. The individual words I chose match the Japanese ones in length and thus fit into the meter well. Unfortunately, as English is a very accented language and Japanese is not, if someone tried to sing my lyrics exactly as the originals are sung, the emphasis would be on the wrong syllables and the wrong words. In other short, this translation would be very suitable for fans looking for English that flows with the song, but intolerably awkward if someone wanted to record an English version of the track.

This song in particular displays the tendency in Visual-kei to use strange grammatical constructions. There were two or three lines I had trouble comprehending at first. The most difficult of these by far was “まやかしに接吻を傷に許しを” (Lines 13 and 27). I studied this line many times, and even asked for the help of a Japanese friend to decipher it; I was told that this line does not make sense. However, in Visual-kei, lines that “do not make sense” are common; they are intended to force the listeners to go beyond the song and create more of the story on their own. Of course, this can be badly done and evoke nothing, but often times it works to make listening to Visual-kei songs a powerful, personal experience. With this concept in mind, I was able to figure out that “まやかしに接吻を” and “傷に許しを” are two sentence fragments both alluding to something else; they were just placed on the same line. I ended up with the translation “Kisses for deception, and forgiveness for wounds…” I have doubts about whether or not my translation properly prompts readers to engage with the song and feel the story for themselves, but it was my best effort in the face of the meter restrictions.