Aliens in This World

An ordinary Catholic and a science fiction and fantasy fan.

Saturday, June 11, 2005

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.

Thursday, June 09, 2005

St. Ephraim of Syria!



In honor of the saint's day, a song adaptation of one of his songs. Very post-9/11, really.



Nisibene Hymn II (v2.0)
Lyrics: Maureen S. O'Brien, 6/9/05
(adapted from Nisibene Hymn II by St. Ephraem of Syria, 373 AD)
Tune: "Sheebeg, Sheemore", Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738)

Remember the day that they breached our wall?
It looked like a mirror; both sides looked in.
They saw that God had allowed them within.
We saw our God who repaired it.
They saw our God and His heavy hand.
We saw our God as He saved our land.
They saw our God and ran off in fear.
We saw His help and declared it.

Wake up, lazybones, for the day is saved!
Spears showered, and our men fought valiantly,
And when our foes broke through in great waves --
A sight fit for angels' bright eyes.
For iniquity fought us, and mercy won!
Through the many brave deeds that they then saw done,
Compassion and kindness triumphed here.
The watchers shouted from on high.

So our foes used up all their strength and men
While trying to break through the wall again.
Three times it cracked, but they couldn't get in,
They lost three times out of three.
By the grace of God, gladness multiplied!
Let my fruits in this city surpass my crimes!
I sinned in my youth; in old age, it's time
That I should thank God for His mercy!

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

AOI



I know I've been lying down on the blog lately. Sorry.

Anyway, gleaned from the wonderful dictionary at Animelab, here's a list of Japanese words for blue and green. I have to put them together, because the common word 'aoi' means the whole range of color from blue to green. Also (as you can see), 'iro' means 'color'.



ao/aoi: blue or green. Also, unripe.
mizuiro: aqua ('water-colored')
kon: navy blue
aiiro: indigo ('indigo-colored')
tetsuiro: iron-colored (reddish black or iron-gray blue)
sorairo: sky-blue ('sky-colored')
taisei: blackish blue
nandoiro: grayish blue
haiseishoku: grayish blue
hanairo: iris blue/light blue
haganeiro: steel blue
noukon: dark blue
nouseishoku: dark blue
hatobairo: blue-black
masao/massao/makoto ao: deep blue ('sincere/pure blue'), ghastly pale
asaji: light blue
ruriiro: azure/lapis lazuli blue
midori: green (literally 'melon')
aotake: malachite green (literally, 'green bamboo')
asamidori/usumidori: light green
anmidori/anryoku: dark green
uguisuiro: brownish green (literally, 'Japanese nightingale-colored')
ouryoku: pea-green, yellowish-green
kairyokushoku: greenish gray
kimidori: yellowish green
kusairo: dark green
kuromidori: blackish green
shinryoku: deep green, dark green
suishoku: emerald green
senryoku: light green
tanryokushoku: light green
hisuiiro: jade green
fukamidori: deep green
moegiiro: light green/yellowish green ('sprout-colored')
ryoukuoushoku: greenish yellow
rikyuuiro: blackish green
rikyuunezumi: grayish dark green
ryokuhakushoku: greenish white
wakakusairo: bright green, chartreuse ('young grass-colored')
wakamidori: young pine-green