A bit of a fitting song for this time of year.

No, I’m not talking about allergy season. If Sato’s (Vo.,Gt.) sweater-dress-thing is any indication, then surely I’m talking about the Winter holidays – which has already been in full-swing for some time now. I wasn’t able to prepare anything special this year in terms of Christmas-themed posts or what-have-you, but I did work on this with something along those lines in mind.

This being a translation of a song from an album that launched not too long ago (roughly over a month). きのこ帝国 (Kinoko Teikoku, lit. Mushroom Empire) has been a band that I’ve been completely entranced by for the majority of 2015, and 猫とアレルギー (Neko to Arerugii, lit. Cat and Allergy/ies) marked their debut on a major record label. The song is a definite far-cry compared to songs they made on their indie label, much to the discontent of a number of fans. Suffice to say, even I began to question whether or not Kinoko Teikoku sold-out and became just another band in the mainstream.

But after a while, and like most of their stuff in general, it grew on me. So much so that I wanted to try and see what the song really meant. That last sentence sounded weird in my head as I was typing it, but it’s true; I very rarely go and check out song lyrics when I listen to Japanese songs. I’m fine with not completely understanding the words being sung – doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it. Most of the time there aren’t any translations for the songs at all, which would be the case for Neko to Allergy here.

If there was already one made for this, I’d have stopped there. Or there could be one just buried in the comments somewhere. But I wanted to put to use the things I can still remember from four semesters of Elementary Japanese. Granted, I really shouldn’t even be attempting to translate stuff with just that, so I do encourage corrections/criticisms from those of you who know the ways of moonspeak and moonrunes (and really just knowledge of how certain Japanese words/phrases/sentences translate in English)

With that, here’s Neko to Allergy –

 

*TL Note – I translated with the idea that the song is from the perspective of a cat.. for some odd reason.
**Massive thanks to miharusshi for some key suggestions/edits regarding translation

—

話せなくていい   会えなくてもいい
(hanasenakuteii    aenakutemoii)
[ We don’t have to talk. We don’t even have to meet. ]

 

ただこの歌を  聴いてほしいだけ
(tada kono uta o kiite hoshii dake)
[ I only ask that you listen to this song ]

あなたの顔や あなたの声が 夢に出る夜はどうすればいいの
(anata no kao ya anata no koe ga, yume ni deru yoru wa dousureba ii no)
[ Your face and your voice appear in my dreams – What am I to do on those nights? ]

12月の空気を吸い込んで
(jyunigatsu no kuuki o suikonde)
[ A breath of December air ]

くしゃみをひとつ
(kushami o hitotsu)
[ A single sneeze ]

生まれたばかりの猫たちが 散り散りに去ってゆきます
(umaretabakari no nekotachi ga chirijiri ni satteyukimasu)
[ A clowder of newborn cats scatter off ]

いろんなことがあったけど
(ironnakoto ga atta kedo)
[ A lot has happened, but ]

思い出すのはあの日々ばかり
(omoidasu no wa ano hibi bakari)
[ I will always remember those days ]

話せなくていい   会えなくてもいい
(hanasenakuteii    aenakutemoii)
[ We don’t have to talk. We don’t even have to meet. ]

ただこの瞬間、こっちを見ていて
(tada kono shunkan kocchi o miteite)
[ I ask, if only for this moment, that you look over here ]

ほんの少しの勇気があれば   後悔せずにすんだのでしょうか
(honno sukoshi no yuuki ga areba   koukaisezu ni sunda no deshouka )
[ I wonder, if I had just a tiny bit of courage; Would I have lived without regrets? ]

アレルギーでも あなたは優しく撫でた
(arerugii demo anata wa yasashiku nadeta)
[ You had allergies, but still you stroked me gently ]

ああ、昔を懐かしんだり 嘆いたり
(aa, mukashi o natsukashindari nageitari)
[ Ah, lamenting in nostalgia of the past ]

ありあまる残りの人生を 真面目に考えたりして
(ariamaru nokori no jinsei o majime ni kangaetarishite)
[ Thinking, in all seriousness, that there’s more to this life. ]

大人になったような気でいる
(otona ni natta youna kideiru)
[ I choose to be like an adult. ]

時間を巻き戻せたならば なんてね、もう思い飽きてる
(jikan o makimodoseta naraba.. nantene, mou omoiakiteru)
[ If we were to go back in time.. Just kidding. I’m tired just thinking about it. ]

 

話せなくていい 忘れていいから
(hanasenakuteii wasureteiikara)
[ We don’t have to talk. It’s alright to forget. ]

ふとした瞬間アルバム開いて
(futoshita shunkan,arubamu hiraite)
[ Out of nowhere an album suddenly opens ]

なんにも知らないあの頃のように
(nannimo shiranai ano koro no youni)
[ Just like those days when I knew nothing at all ]

横顔にそっと見惚れていて
(yokogao ni sotto mitoreteite)
[ I grew a light fondness for your profile ]

 

あと7日間で世界が終わるなら
(ato nanoka kan de sekai ga owaru nara)
[ If the world were to end in seven days.. ]

なんて、 あんなどうしようもない例え話
(nante, anna doushiyoumonai tatoebanashi)
[ Ahh! These kinds of helpless hypotheticals ]

他の誰にもしないでいて これからもずっと
(hokano darenimo shinaideite korekara mo zutto)
[ I would never do with anyone else, from here on to forever ]

触れなくていい 忘れていいから
(sawarenakuteii wasureteiikara)
[ We don’t have to touch. It’s alright to forget. ]

ただこの瞬間、こっちを見ていて
(tada kono shunkan kocchi o miteite)
[ I ask, if only for this moment, that you look over here. ]

あなたの顔や あなたの声が
(anata no kao ya anata no koe ga)
[ Your face and your voice- ]

何度でも思い出して歌うわ
(nandodemo omoidashite utauwa)
[ I’ll sing about any number of times as I remember ]


届かなくていい 忘れていいからでも
(todokanakuteii wasureteiikara)
[ We don’t have to reach. It’s alright to forget, but ]

 

 あなたの目と手の温もりが
(anata no me to te no nukumori ga)
[ Your eyes, and the warmth of your hands ]

なにもない空、滲んで消えてく
(nanimonai sora, nijinde kieteku)
[ Blur out and disappear into the empty sky ]

アレルギーでも あなたは優しく撫でた
(arerugii demo anata wa yasashiku nadeta)
[ You had allergies, but still you stroked me gently. ]

 —

:3