Requested by: Cross-ZFire

The title is interesting, since we’d normally say that 居るは居ない (‘exist and do not exist’) refers specifically to what comes after it. In this case, it’s この世界. However, 居る is commonly used to refer to living things. Because of this, I untangled the title and interpreted it as something like 私はこの世界に居るは居ない.

Note that 在るは在り得ない (aru wa arienai) is used later on. This has a similar meaning to the earlier phrase, except it has more of an inanimate feel to it.

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あなたが何をしてるか？
私が知る由はない
同じ時の流れを生き
呼吸しているのは確かね

anata ga nani o shiteru ka?
watashi ga shiru yoshi wa nai
onaji toki no nagare o iki
kokyuu shite iru no wa tashika ne

What are you doing?
There’s no reason why I’d know.
We live in the same flow of time
and we’re definitely breathing.

私が何をしてるか？
あなたが聴く意味はない
違う道の行方を知り
明日出会うこともあるけど

watashi ga nani o shiteru ka?
anata ga kiku imi wa nai
chigau michi no yukue o shiri
ashita deau koto mo aru kedo

What am I doing?
There’s no meaning in you asking that.
We know where our different paths lead
though we may meet again tomorrow.

約束交わしても
(破りたくなる)
疲れて
そのキモチ隠して
偽って笑って

yakusoku kawashitemo
(yaburitaku naru)
tsukarete
sono kimochi kakushite
itsuwatte waratte

We made a promise, but
(I want to break it.)
I’m tired.
I hide how I feel
and laugh, playing pretend.

日が沈む頃には
(帰りたくない)
願って
都合良く生きてる

hi ga shizumu koro ni wa
(kaeritakunai)
negatte
tsugou yoku ikiteru

When the sun sets
(I don’t want to go home.)
I wish
to live fortunately.

居るは居ない  この世界〈はこ〉
開けちゃダメ  玉手箱
誰にも教えない
理解出来なくていい

iru wa inai kono hako
akecha dame tamatebako
dare nimo oshienai
rikai dekinakute ii

I exist and do not exist in this box. (1)
Like Pandora’s Box, it mustn’t be opened. (2)
I won’t tell anyone.
I’m fine with being inscrutable.

在るは在り得ない  私〈はこ〉
もしも視てしまっても
あなた一人ならば
誰も信じてくれない

aru wa arienai hako
moshimo mite shimattemo
anata hitori naraba
dare mo shinjite kurenai

I’m a box that exists yet cannot exist. (3)
Even if you end up catching sight of me,
If you’re by yourself,
Nobody will believe me.

思考には言葉のまま
自由が赦されている
脆すぎる殻が無ければ
侵すことなど出来ないのに

shikou ni wa kotoba no mama
jiyuu ga yurusarete iru
morosugiru kara ga nakereba
okasu koto nado dekinai noni

I’m allowed freedom in my thoughts,
Though ‘freedom’ is just a word.
If I didn’t have my all-too-brittle shell,
Nobody would be able to harm me.

自由には言葉のまま
思考が赦されている
大好きなあなたにだって
残酷なこと押し付けても

jiyuu ni wa kotoba no mama
shikou ga yurusarete iru
daisuki na anata ni datte
zankoku na koto oshitsuketemo

I’m allowed thoughts in my freedom,
Though ‘thoughts’ is just a word,
Yet I even force such cruel things upon you,
Whom I love so much.

好みを合わせてる
(ホントは苦手)
ごめんね
そのキモチ隠して
偽って笑って

konomi o awaseteru
(honto wa nigate)
gomenne
sono kimochi kakushite
itsuwatte waratte

We adjust to suit each other’s tastes.
(Though I really hate it.)
I’m sorry.
I hide how I feel
and laugh, playing pretend.

広がる星空は
(共感出来る)
綺麗ね
ふたりで見上げてた

hirogaru hoshizora wa
(kyoukan dekiru)
kirei ne
futari de miageteta

The starry sky stretches out.
(I sympathise with it.)
It’s so beautiful.
We looked up at it together.

居るは居ない  この世界〈はこ〉
開けてみて  玉手箱
いつかは教えましょう
解ってくれるなら

iru wa inai kono hako
akete mite tamatebako
itsuka wa oshiemashou
wakatte kureru nara

I exist and do not exist in this box.
Try and open Pandora’s Box.
Someday, I’ll tell you
if you’ll understand me.

在るは在り得ない  私〈はこ〉
例え知ってしまっても
あなたは目を逸らす
私を信じてるから

aru wa arienai hako
tatoe shitte shimattemo
anata wa me o sorasu
watashi o shinjiteru kara

I’m a box that exists yet cannot exist.
Even if you end up finding out,
You’ll look away
because you believe me.

日が昇る頃には
(忘れていると)
願って
都合良く生きてる

hi ga noboru koro ni wa
(wasurete iru to)
negatte
tsugou yoku ikiteru

When the sun rises
(I will have forgetten…)
I wish
to live fortunately.

居るは居ない  この世界〈はこ〉
開けちゃダメ  玉手箱
誰もが抱えてる
独りきりのココロ

iru wa inai kono hako
akecha dame tamatebako
daremo ga kakaeteru
hitori kiri no kokoro

I exist and do not exist in this box.
Like Pandora’s Box, it mustn’t be opened.
With them, everybody carries
their solitary heart.

在るは在り得ない  私〈はこ〉
姿現したって
隠し通せたなら
誰も信じてくれない

aru wa arienai hako
sugata arawashita tte
kakushi tooseta nara
dare mo shinjite kurenai

I’m a box that exists yet cannot exist.
When I show myself,
If I was able to hide it,
Nobody will believe me.

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(1) 世界 (sekai – world) is written, but はこ (hako – box) is sung.
(2) The original word used is 玉手箱 (Tamatebako – treasure chest). This refers to the story of Urashima Taro.
(3) 私 (watashi – I) is written, but はこ (hako – box) is sung.

Requested by: Cross-ZFire

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手のひらに残るグラスの感触
ひび割れたような気怠さに交わる

te no hira ni nokoru gurasu no kanshoku
hibiwareta you na kedarusa ni majiwaru

The feeling of glass remains in my palm.
It mingles with my cracked listlessness.

夢と現　嘘と誠　訝しげな音
低い声と高い悲鳴　浴びながら
揺らぐ指に惑わされて　瞳輝かせ
無知な言葉ひねり出して　経た時を並べる

yume to utsutsu yume to makoto ibukashige na oto
hikui koe to takai himei abi nagara
yuragu yubi ni madowasarete hitomi kagayakase
muchi na kotoba hineri dashite heta toki o naraberu

Dreams and reality; lies and truth; a suspicious sound.
While basking in low voices and high screams,
I am misled by swaying fingers, and my eyes are made to sparkle.
I devise ignorant words, itemising the time that has passed.

ひとつずつ確かめ　さぁ　いただこう
この身体へ

hitotsu zutsu tashikame saa itadakou
kono karada e

Confirming each, one by one, come on! Let’s indulge.
This body of mine—

疲れ果てた腕で　頰を撫で上げ
聡明な思惑に　心を打たれる

tsukare hateta ude de hoho o nade age
soumei na omowaku ni kokoro o utareru

With exhausted hands, I stroke at your cheek.
I’m impressed by wise intentions.

向こう側に吸い寄せられ　さらけ出した影
すれ違う　隠しきれない欲と夢
反射すれば触れてしまう　胸の奥の奥
透けた闇を探りながら　密やかに笑み浮かべ

mukou-gawa ni sui yoserare sarakedashita kage
surechigau kakushi kirenai yoku to yume
hansha sureba furete shimau mune no oku no oku
suketa yami o saguri nagara hisoyaka ni emi ukabe

The shadow was laid bare drawn to the other side.
Greed and dreams that can’t be fully concealed pass by each other.
If I reflect them, I end up touching them deep inside my heart.
While groping around in the transparent darkness, I secretly smiled.

差し出す黄色の禁断の果実に酔い
語りに身を委ねて

sashi dasu kiiro no kindan no kajitsu ni yoi
katari ni mi o yudane

I am intoxicated by the forbidden amber fruit offered up.
I yield myself to conversation.

夢と現　嘘と誠　訝しげな音
低い声と高い悲鳴　浴びながら
うねる蛇と黒い髮の不可思議な祈り
吹き散らかす人の声に　耳傾けた

yume to utsutsu yume to makoto ibukashige na oto
hikui koe to takai himei abi nagara
uneru hebi to kuroi kami no fukashigi na inori
fuki chirakasu hito no koe ni mimi katamuketa

Dreams and reality; lies and truth; a suspicious sound.
While basking in low voices and high screams,
I see a twisting snake and hear the mysterious prayers of a black haired person.
I listened to the scattering voices of humans.

描く道は　かけ離れて閉ざされ
同じ場所で　違う夢を見ていた

egaku michi wa kake hanarete tozasare
onaji basho de chigau yume o mite ita

The road I sketch out grows remote and is sealed.
In the same place, I was dreaming differently.

Requested by: Cross-ZFire

Some parts of this song demonstrate the types of sentences you can create in Japanese, which is a subject-object-verb language. For example, there’s 求めるものは (motomeru mono wa). It literally means “[I] search for [???]”, and it doesn’t have to tell us what the speaker is searching for.

Since English is subject-verb-object, we have to be more creative with how we approach this. You could say “[I] search”, but that doesn’t fit the original, which emphasises the thing that the speaker is searching for. You could go with “[I] search for something”, but it’s possible that the sentence could end in a verb, and something could be happening to that thing.

The version I went with is clunky, but it allows us to fill in the second half of the sentence with whatever we want (e.g. “And as for the thing I search for… it’s chocolate.” or “And as for the thing I search for… it’s right in front of me.”)

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壊された羽根を抱えて
忘れない空の下に
あり得るどこかを見つけるまで

kowasareta hane o kakaete
wasurenai sora no shita ni
arieru dokoka o mitsukeru made

I bear my broken wings
until, beneath an unforgettable sky,
I find a place that may exist somewhere.

科学の正しさはどれだけ
自由を与え
君の孤独の悩みでさえ
薄めてくれているのか
精神世界の困難は
言葉を超えて
煩わしい無駄な時間を
君にぶつける

kagaku no tadashisa wa dore dake
jiyuu o atae
kimi no kodoku no nayami de sae
usumete kurete iru no ka
seishin sekai no konnan wa
kotoba o koete
wazurawashii muda na jikan o
kimi ni butsukeru

To what extent can the correctness of science
grant us freedom?
Does it dilute even your loneliness
and your worries?
The mental world’s difficulty
can’t be described using words.
It throws troublesome, useless time
directly at you.

Do you know?  選ばれた
Can’t reach it  境界を経て
Don’t look back  方角は
One-way trip  手探りで今
誰も知らない道を踏みしめて
求めるものは

Do you know? erabareta
Can’t reach it kyoukai o hete
Don’t look back houkaku wa
One-way trip tesaguri de ima
dare mo shiranai michi o fumi shimete
motomeru mono wa

Do you know? I was chosen.
Can’t reach it. Pass through the boundary.
Don’t look back. My direction is a
one-way trip. Now, I fumble around,
Treading on a path unknown to all.
And as for the thing I search for—

渡れない河を眺めて
小石を投げ込む夢で
色の違う太陽だけが
すべてを見下ろして
流れに沿って歩いても
海は見えることなく
覚めていた
どこかにあり得る場所で

watarenai kawa o nagamete
koishi o nage komu yume de
iro no chigau taiyou dake ga
subete o mioroshite
nagare ni sotte aruitemo
umi wa mieru koto naku
samete ita
dokoka ni arieru basho de

In my dream, I stare at a stream I cannot cross
and throw pebbles into it.
Only the sun, a different colour than usual,
Looks down on everything.
Though I walked along the currents,
I woke up
without seeing the ocean
at a place that may exist somewhere.

この心の想像よりは
遠くなれない
宇宙の果てとも異なった
君の昨日の出来事
ありふれた創作の様な
残りもしない
荒唐無稽の平凡を
思い出せない

kono kokoro no souzou yori wa
tooku narenai
uchuu no hate tomo kotonatta
kimi no kinou no dekigoto
arifureta sousaku no you na
nokori mo shinai
koutou mukei no heibon o
omoidasenai

I can’t distance myself
from the imaginings of my heart.
The things that happened around you yesterday
were different to the edge of space.
I can’t remember
the absurd, commonplace thing
that vanished without a trace
like a trite work.

Can you see?  嘘じゃない
I will fly  向こうの空で
Don’t look back  限界は
One-way trip  夢が覚めても
誰も知らない方法を見つけ
目指したものは

Can’t you see? uso ja nai
I will fly mukou no sora de
Don’t look back genkai wa
One-way trip yume ga sametemo
dare mo shiranai houhou o mitsuke
mezashita mono wa

Can you see? It isn’t a lie.
I will fly in the distant sky.
Don’t look back. The limit is a
one-way trip. Though I may wake from this dream,
I will search for a method unknown to all.
And as for the thing I aimed for—

壊された羽根を抱えて
崖に立ち尽くす夢で
捨てられない両手だけが
すべてわかっていて
頭の中で消えていた
飛び立つ記憶を
追いかけていた
どこかにあり得る空へ

kowasareta hane o kakaete
gake ni tachitsukusu yume de
suterarenai ryoute dake ga
subete wakatte ite
atama no naka de kiete ita
tobitatsu kioku o
oikakete ita
dokoka ni arieru sora e

I bear my broken wings
in a dream where I stand still.
I can cast everything away except my two hands.
I understand everything.
I chased after memories
that vanished inside my head
and flew away.
I headed for a sky that may exist somewhere.

シャボン玉の様に
消える夢なら良かった
それでも今は

shabon dama no you ni
kieru yume nara yokatta
sore demo ima wa

If only my dream would disappear
like a bubble.
Instead, now—

忘れない空を眺めて
独り飛び立った夢で
色の違う太陽だけが
すべてを見下ろして
遥か遠く飛んでみても
海は見えることなく
覚めていた
どこかにあり得る場所で

wasurenai sora o nagamete
hitori tobitatta yume de
iro no chigau taiyou dake ga
subete o mioroshite
haruka tooku tonde mitemo
umi wa mieru koto naku
samete ita
dokoka ni arieru basho de

I stare at a sky I can’t forget
in a dream in which I flew away, alone.
Only the sun, a different colour than usual,
Looks down on everything.
Though I few far into the distance,
I woke up
without seeing the ocean
at a place that may exist somewhere.