散りゆく時 || When I Die

散りゆく時
chiri yuku toki
When I Die

Vocals: 紗沙飛鳥 (Asuka Sasa)
Lyrics: 時音 (TOKINE)
Arranged by: 時音 (TOKINE)
Album: 東方月蝶華想 (Night of Butterfly) [Official site]
Circle: 舞風 (MAIKAZE)
Event: Touhou Fuhai Komachi 2 [東方不敗小町2]
Original theme: Love-Colored Master Spark [恋色マスタースパーク]

Requested by: Stella Mira

It looks like there are two different versions of this song. Regular parts appear in all versions. The (bracketed) section appears in the piano version and presumably the original version, too, whereas the other [bracketed] sections appear in the ‘FINAL’ version of this song.

散りゆく (chiri yuku) is quite a poetic term, commonly used in the context of blossoms ‘falling.’ Here, I think it’s being used in a metaphorical way to talk about the speaker’s death.

歌詞

忘れかけた夢の記憶思い出したくて…
期待してた答えはどこにあるの？
一人だけの窓辺に立つ風がさらってゆく
誰かの声届くと信じていた

もしも今この想いが伝えられるのなら
どこへ行けばいいの？

遥か遠く強く口ずさむよあの日の言葉を
街を人をみんな走り抜けてあなたのモトへ
散りゆく時いつか消えてしまうまで永久に願うよ
果てしないこの空どこまでも行くから

離れかけた日々の記憶映し出したくて…
探し求め流れた時の中で

もしも世界の果てまで届けられるのなら
何をすればいいの？

もっと高く広く溢れ出すよあの日の想いが
時も距離も全て通り越してあなたのモトへ
散りゆく時どうか色あせる日まで変わらずにいて
いつまでもいつまでも近くにいるから

明日の中に何がある？知る術など何も無いけれど
それを見つけ変えられるなら私に何が出来る？

それは幼い記憶
儚き夢は彼方
散りゆく時
願わくば永遠という名の想いを残して

Romanisation

wasure kaketa yume no kioku omoidashitakute…
kitai shiteta kotae wa doko ni aru no?
hitori dake no madobe ni tatsu kaze ga saratte yuku
dareka no koe todoku to shinjite ita

moshimo ima kono omoi ga tsutaerareru no nara
doko e ikeba ii no?

haruka tooku tsuyoku kuchizusamu yo ano hi no kotoba wo
machi wo hito wo minna hashiri nukete anata no moto e
chiri yuku toki itsuka kiete shimau made towa ni negau yo
hate shinai kono sora doko made mo iku kara

hanare kaketa hibi no kioku utsushidashitakute…
sagashi motome nagareta toki no naka de

moshimo sekai no hate made todokerareru no nara
nani wo sureba ii no?

motto takaku hiroku afuredasu yo ano hi no omoi ga
toki mo kyori mo subete toori koshite anata no moto e
chiri yuku toki douka iro aseru hi made kawarazu ni ite
itsu made mo itsu made mo chikaku ni iru kara

asu no naka ni nani ga aru? shiru sube nado nani mo nai keredo
sore wo mitsuke kaerareru nara watashi ni nani ga dekiru?

sore wa osanai kioku
hakanaki yume wa kanata
chiri yuku toki
negawakuba eien to iu na no omoi wo nokoshite

Translation

I want to remember my half-forgotten memories of that dream…
Where’s the answer I was expecting?
The wind, which rises at my solitary windowsill, steals away
Someone’s voice. I believed it would reach me.

If I can now tell you about my feelings for you,
Then where should I go?

Somewhere in the distance, I firmly hum words from that day to myself.
I will travel beyond the city and the crowds, heading toward you.
I will pray forever, until I die and fade away
Because then, I will go anywhere in this endless sky.

[I want to reflect on my memories from those distant days…
I search for them among time that has flown past.]

[If whatever I do can reach the end of the world,
Then what should I do?]

[My feelings from that day will overflow higher and further.
I will travel across time, far away, heading toward you.
I pray that you will stay the same until my memories fade away, until I die
Because I will always, always be close by.]

What lies in store tomorrow? There’s no way to find out
But if I find out and can change the future… what can I do?

Somewhere in the distance, I hum words from that day to myself.
I will travel beyond the city and the crowds, heading toward you.
I will pray forever, until I die and fade away
Because then, I will go anywhere in this endless sky.

(That’s a memory from when I was very young.
My transient dream is distant.
When I die,
I pray to leave behind these feelings, which bear the name of eternity.)