フォックスバレット || Fox Bullet

Album art.

フォックスバレット
fokkusu baretto
Fox Bullet

Vocals: lily-an
Lyrics: azuki
Arranged by: kaztora
Album: RETURNER [Official site]
Circle: Liz Triangle
Event: Reitaisai 19 [RTS19]
Original theme: The Great Fantastic Underground Railway Network [幻想の地下大線路網]

Requested by: tulanhchanh
Watch the official video on YouTube!

It always feels like such a gift to be able to sit down and pore over azuki’s lyrics. I went a bit overboard with alliteration in this translation, but I wanted to try and convey some of the fun and wordplay present in the original lyrics.

Keep in mind that this song uses the phrase 管を巻いて (kuda o maite, commonly used to refer to grumbling over one’s sake cup). This sounds similar to Tsukasa’s surname 菅牧 (Kudamaki) and is an example of the wordplay used in the song.


非公式の英訳/Unofficial translation

I saw a strange dream as an outsider.
At purification’s source, clear skies, clear skies.
Forget about hurrying
and grumble away over your basket
forever and ever.

These words, from a human perspective,
are so formal but still simple, splendid.
The setting sun, blurred by summer showers
silently sinks to the west.

She’s shining in the starry sky, the nine-tailed fox.
She seeks light and she deceives,
sneering at all. The things you grieve and lament…
I’ll make them all come true
with honeyed words.
Sing my praises for a millennium.

Even this sudden sun-shower
is, from anyone’s eyes, stormy skies, stormy skies.
By speculation, seduction and self-slander
the four seasons turn. Not for you.

She lurked in someone’s shadow, the nine-tailed fox.
She seeks light and she blinks,
sizing them all up. The things you grieve and lament…
all’s well that ends well, they say.
Such honeyed words they are.
Sing my praises for eternity.

I guess you’ll notice someday
that the incoherent
ordinary days gone by
are nostalgic and so lovely.
The words are always swaying,
the words are always swaying like leaves.
I can’t get those dreams back [your dreams.]
They were just a handful that sank into the bubbles.

She sank into your heart, the nine-tailed fox.
She’ll even make the Butterfly Dream come true,
grumbling over all. The things you grieve and lament…
I’ll make you forget them all
with honeyed words.
Sing my praises for a century.
I look back on the past and stitch together a dream.


Comments

7 responses to “フォックスバレット || Fox Bullet”

  1. mozitre Avatar

    BTW may I ask
    I read your translation and I think the song has 2 viewpoints, one is Kimi that is an outsider (the outside world person who got into gensokyo i guess?), and the other is the Fox. I think the part that have “I” and “she” is kimi’s view point while parts with “I” and “you” is Fox’s. I wonder if it’s right?
    .
    And when i interpret it that way, i found some lines i dont really get:
    .
    Forget about hurrying
    and grumble away over your basket
    forever and ever.
    which viewpoint this part is? is Kimi saying they forget about hurrying when they see the fox, or the fox telling Kimi to forget about hurrying and the rest? if it’s the first case, then who is “you” in “and grumble…”?
    Also what does “and grumble…” mean? I check lyric in mv and found this 葛籠つらつら maybe a twist tongue meaningless line: つづらつらつらきつつきとつづる、つづらつらつらきつつきとつづる。from here https://www.wasabi-jpn.com/japanese-lessons/japanese-consonants-how-to-pronounce-ts/
    So, i guess 葛籠つらつら is just meaningless? and the line is “grumbling nonsense things”?
    .
    Following my interpretation, i separate this stanza (and the similar ones) this way:
    (KIMI)
    She sank into your heart, the nine-tailed fox.
    She’ll even make the Butterfly Dream come true, grumbling over all.
    (FOX)
    The things you grieve and lament… to the rest of stanza
    I dont really get “grumble / 管を巻く” here, like when it appeared in the first stanza, it seems to be Kimi’s action, and fit Kimi because it’s often used to describe drunk person. but then “she (Fox) grumbling over all” doesnt sound like this Fox in the song at all.
    .
    And lastly
    why does the year decrease through stanzas? 😅
    千年だって謳歌して
    万年だって謳歌して
    百年だって謳歌して
    and the last line is just 一年 one year.
    also I guess Sing my praises is like Fox tell kimi (people) to Sing her praises than saying “fox is singing/gonna sing”, right?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Releska Avatar

      Thanks for your comment! I’ll have a think about it and get back to you – I agree with your first point about the perspectives but I’ll take some more time to think through the other things you raised

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Releska Avatar

      Thanks again for your comment! Here’s my thoughts in more detail:

      I think that the first stanza could be told entirely from Kimi’s point of view. The ‘forget’ part could be a command to themselves – something like ‘I’ve had this dream, so now I’ll forget about hurrying and grumble away about it, describing it in a way that makes no sense.’

      With 葛籠つらつら, I think you’re right that it’s a tongue twister, but I think that we’re meant to take some sort of meaning from it because some kanji is used. I went with the ‘basket’ meaning of 葛籠 and added it to the phrase at the end to get my translation.

      I think the whole stanza is building up to 管を巻いて (kuda o maite), which is a clear link to Tsukasa’s surname (Kudamaki). This explains the second point you raised and the inconsistency with 管を巻く. She may be ‘grumbling’ over everything because she’s involved with everything, which fits her character because she is literally ‘kudamaki’.

      I wonder if the years are a fun reference to the different characters in Unconnected Marketeers. You have 千亦 (Chimata) and 百々世 (Momoyo) after all.

      I also think you’re right about ‘sing my praises’ being a command from the fox.

      I hope that helps! I might add a translator’s note to make the link between 管を巻いて and Tsukasa’s surname clearer.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. mozitre Avatar

        Thank you so much for this awesome explanation! It clears all of my doubt now ❤
        the references must be the case, thank you for pointing them out ❤

        Liked by 1 person

  2. mozitre Avatar

    oh hey! isn’t this from the newest liz triangle album? Nice translation as always too
    they release some new songs recently but, this was their only full album since then, haiz

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Releska Avatar

      Thank you very much! Yes, it’s from their first since the break (they also have a recent collab album of Shinra-Bansho/Liz Triangle covers). If I remember correctly this track was originally made for Touhou Danmaku Kagura

      Like

      1. mozitre Avatar

        i hope they will release another new full album soon. collection of new songs released after returner or collection of piano/acoustic version of old song they are doing recently are all cool

        Like

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