Anime Song Translation: Planetes

They've finally released the Planetes anime in the US. It's a great manga, and an equally great anime. There are certain story differences, but all in all, the serious near-future space adventures of a ship that collects orbiting space garbage is exactly what I was looking for and more than I expected.

The opening theme song is not exactly catchy, but it's another inspirational space song in the vein of "Journey's Done" -- and it'd make a much more suitable OP for Enterprise than the one they picked. Heh.

Actually, I like the official translation, but it doesn't include the whole song and it could be interpreted in a few different ways. This isn't a singable translation, though. I need to get the soundtrack before I can write one of those.

Dive in the Sky
Planetes opening song
Translation: Maureen S. O'Brien, 6/11/05

And beyond Time a person sees the dream.
Embrace silence's ocean!
Gaze up at bird and cloud!
Fleeting lives burned
In a thousand mornings.

Facing the light, won't it flap its wings?
Bird kicking off Earth hard --
Ride dreams with no limit Out to the frontier
Higher and higher the soaring.

To pile up higher the passion's genes,
The yearning that's the energy of the best --
A baby's first cry lifted on the Earth,
Told it the word of thanks
And taking leave....

Shining a light toward the future, if
It grabs for an unknown world
There's no kind of boundary. Leap up and away,
Far, far away. Dive in the sky.

Facing the light, won't it flap its wings?
Time to launch prayers is now.
Ride dreams with no limit Out to the frontier.
Higher and higher the soaring.

Shining a light toward the future, if
It grabs for an unknown world,
There's no kind of boundary. Leap up and away,
Far, far away. Dive in the sky.