by Donnie Hayden © 2014, all rights reserved
In 2006, Susan and I were (together) 🙂 , in Japan.
Not everyday, but quite often I would begin my mornings with a cup of coffee from a McDonald’s in Moriyama, literally right across the street from where we were staying. It was always clean and always inviting. It was a comfortable place to hang out. I would listen to music over their sound system always in Japanese. And always, I was clueless to the meaning of the words being sung. This did not prevent me from enjoying it anyway as music, a universal language, has a way of communicating.
One particular morning when I came in, somewhere around the end of July, a new song was playing. I was instantly drawn to the beautiful sounds and the soothing voice of the singer. Armed with a book of Japanese words with pronunciations and English translations and my limited understanding, I set out to try and find out what I could about the song. Our friend and adopted daughter, Yukari, told me it was from an animated movie called Gedo Senki (Tales from Earthsea). Knowing that I had become fond of Japanese music (traditional and modern), her brother made me a DVD with several videos of Japanese Music, including this particular song. To this day, I cannot find this disk. But one day before we left Japan, I was inside a music store and all I could remember or pronounce was Gedo Senki. A store clerk helped me find the CD with this song as a single. It has taken me nearly eight years, to find out all the information I wanted to know then and the translation of the words in English. I share here with you friend-reader that you may enjoy this haunting and beautiful song as I have.
Gedo Senki (Tales from Earthsea ゲド戦記 is a feature anime film from Studio Ghibli, released in Japan on July 29, 2006. It was the first film directed by Gorō Miyazaki, son of Hayao Miyazaki. The movie is loosely based on a combination of plots and characters from the first, third, and fourth books of the Earthsea series, A Wizard of Earthsea, The Farthest Shore, and Tehanu, by Ursula K. Le Guin.
The singer is Aoi Teshima (手嶌葵 Teshima Aoi, born June 21, 1987 in Hakata, Fukuoka, Japan. Aoi Teshima is a Japanese singer and voice actor. In March 2005, she acted in “Japan-Korea slow music’s world” in South Korea and her performance was favorably received among the audience. Her performance attracted the attention of anime director Gorō Miyazaki. Toshio Suzuki was also very impressed when he listened to her demo version of Bette Midler’s “The Rose.” On June 7, 2006, she finally released a song called “Therru’s song” (テルーの唄 Terū no Uta.
Aoi Teshima is in essence, a shy and humble choir girl whose unobtrusive voice soothes your senses and reminds you of our love for nature, for the purity of life and for love itself. I love this song and more so in Japanese, but I will also share the English words and music to follow.
Teru no Uta (Therru’s song)
Music by Hiroko Taniyama – Lyrics by Miyazaki Goro
words in Japanese, and sung by Aoi Teshima
JAPANESE
Yuuyami semaru kumo no ue
Itsumo ichiwa de tonde iru
Taka wa kitto kanashi karou
Oto mo todaeta kaze no naka
Sora wo tsukanda sono tsubasa
Yasumeru koto wa deki nakute
Kokoro wo nani ni tatoe you
Taka no you na kono kokoro
Kokoro wo nani ni tatoe you
Sora wo mau yo na kanashi sa wo
Ame no sobo furui wakage ni
Itsumo chiisaku saite iru
Hana wa kitto setsuna karou
Iro mo kasunda ame no naka
Usu momo-iro no hanabira wo
Medete kureru te mo nakute
Kokoro wo nani ni tatoe you
Hana no you na kono kokoro
Kokoro wo nani ni tatoe you
Ame ni utareru setsuna sa wo
Hitokage taeta no no michi wo
Watashi totomo ni ayunderu
Anata mo kitto samishi karou
Mushi no sasayaku kusahara wo
Tomo ni michiyuku hito dakedo
Taete mono iu koto mo naku
Kokoro wo nani ni tatoe you
Hitori michiyuku kono kokoro
Kokoro wo nani ni tatoe you
Hitoribocchi no samishi sa wo
sung by, Aoi Teshima
Teru no Uta (Therru’s song)
Music by Hiroko Taniyama – Lyrics by Miyazaki Goro
words in English, arranged and sung by Saskia Kusrahadianti
ENGLISH Far, far above the clouds Soaring with the wind A falcon flies alone Silent as the sky I hear his lonely cry Never can he rest I walk with you alone An empty winding road We’re far from The ones we love Never can they turn Never can we see again Countries of our birth When will I ever find A place to call my home Sadness circling Like a falcon in the sky When will I ever find A way to speak my heart To someone who knows What it is to be alone Far, far above the clouds Against the setting sun A falcon flies alone Silent as the sky I hear his lonely cry Never can he rest I long to spread my wings And fly into the light Open this lonely heart To one who understands When will I ever find A way to speak my heart When will I ever find A place to call my home Sadness and loneliness A falcon in the sky When will I ever find A way to speak my heart To someone who knows What it is to be alone
sung and arranged by, Saskia Kusrahadianti
If you are interested in more information about this song, how I came to hear it and a higher quality mp3 audio file in Japanese, please start at the following page and click through:
http://dahni.com/DahniDaily/Japan3.htm
Note: The mp3 file is located at http://dahni.com/DahniDaily/Japan6.htm and is intended for HIGH SPEED Internet users, otherwise, it may take some time to download and hear it.
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