I was subbing 45-secs of BuZZ’s CHOO SEXY and there is a part of the lyrics that goes
only you 目を閉じた
一輪のヒマワリを
太陽のように照らし続ける
and I faced a big hurdle with my limited Japanese lexical and semantic knowledge.
The big hurdle right here is ‘を’.
At first, I translated it this way:
Only you closed your eyes,
The bud of sunflower,
shone as bright as the Sun.
But then I realized that ‘を’ should means it was inflicted by something. In this context, something neede to shone as bright as the Sun on the bud of sunflower…
However, the question is… who? Is it the girl in the lyrics? Does she shine on the sunflower brightly as the sun? Is this what they meant to say?
But then how does that relate to her closing her eyes?
So I thought maybe ‘only you 目を閉じた一輪のヒマワリを’ is one phrase, but you cannot use two ‘を’ in a single sentence.
So ‘only you 目を閉じた | Only you closed your eyes’ is one phrase, ‘一輪のヒマワリを太陽のように照らし続ける’ | keep shining on the wheel of sunflower brightly as the sun’ is another phrase.
At least I cleared that, but I was still very confused. What is this? What Re they trying to convey with this stanza?
Timing the 45-secs video didn’t took long. I finished the first draft in 10 minutes, but reviewing the translation for this particular line took me another 40 minutes.
I can’t get my head around it, this line seems out of place.
I decided to sleep on on this translation for one night.
Right now, I’m reviewing it back first thing in the morning during work hour. I ain’t proud of it but, hey hear me out! It hits me! This must be a poetic phrase and it may bring a different meaning.
I looked it up and discovered ‘一輪のヒマワリ’ | A single bud of sunflower has a meaning in flower language and it should not be taken literally.
This Japanese site stated, when you prepare a bud of small sunflower and present it to your lover or the person you like, it symbolizes your love, attachment, and adoration for the person.
But then again, I can’t translate it this way either, can I?
Only you closed your eyes,
May my love for you,
keep shining as bright as the sun.
It sounds awkward too?? Should I take it literally or should I take the latter??
Or should it be this way?
Only you closed your eyes,
Take my love for you,
and keep shining as bright as the sun.
But the sun shines on the sunflower, and not the sunflower shines as bright as the sun… I don’t know…
or should it be this way?
Only you closed your eyes,
Here’s a bud of sunflower for you,
May it brings a glow to your day.
I DON’T KNOW!! Grrrr!!!
Do you think that’s the end of my suffering translating this song??
There’s this line after that
それでも汗ばむ鼓動
This was the first time I’ve ever come upon the word 汗ばむ | Asebamu. I looked up it’s meaning. It said, feeling sweaty, or gone all sweaty. If I were to translate that literally, it’ll sound like this:
Yet, my heart is sweating/perspiring
But it doesn’t sit right with the song!! So I changed it to this:
My heart’s beating and I’m sweating
but baby! No! It’s awkward too! I’m taking it too literally! It doesn’t sit well with the rest of the lyrics either!
I changed it to this!
You’re still making me nervous
I think I’m reaching the tone that I want with this one, but it’s still not right… It doesnt even do justice to the detail in the choreography!
Lord, help me get past this 45-secs video…
I gotta prepare for my class so yeah… see you again, CHOO SEXY
eugenary 