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Thursday, February 1, 2018

Chou / Kiryu

Kanji & Romaji: hiphopvomit
Translation: myself; thanks to one of my readers (Tatyana K) for giving me a possible interpretation of the lyrics

Lyrics & music: Sakai Mitsuki




蝶 [Chou] (no vid available)
Butterfly



I want to become a "butterfly" that blooms bewitchingly     To caress the sky as I flutter around
To go up and down, hang in the air and revolve      At early night hours

I want to become a "butterfly" that cuts brilliantly     To slice the darkness into tiny pieces as I flap [my wings]
To play a scream-like sound of wings     At early night hours

Before I decay away and my silhouette gets to be dyed white...

Fluttering, flapping, going in circles
Fluttering, flapping, going in circles
Fluttering, flapping, going in circles

"Dance of spirals"

Fluttering, flapping, going in circles
Fluttering, flapping, going in circles
Fluttering, flapping, going in circles

"Garden of emptiness"

I let hands entwine together and spread my wings      The feet have troubles at the bottom of the sea
I spread my wings inside the chilly blue     The voice of light goes into the mist
Let's dream     Dissolve this life
Let's dream     Fall in love with the feeling

My wish is to become a "butterfly" of the new moon      To glare at the moon as I go in circles
I'm no different than my previous self, as if I didn't exist at all


Discussion:

Since our subject is being... bugged by their life (depression?), they want to become a butterfly. Why a butterfly, one might ask. The answer is simple: this charming bug is a symbol of the endless cycle of death and rebirth and starting something brand new. It also refers to feminine energy and young maidens, soon to become fine ladies (I guess the subject is a female because of that).

I think, the song is pretty easy to understand now. If the subject doesn't like their current life, they can always undergo the transmigration and hope they will get something better.

There's also a possibility for the song to be somewhat inspired by Zhuangzi's Butterfly Dream  - a story written from a perspective of a man who once dreamed about being a butterfly. When he woke up and realized he's still a human, he started to wonder whether he's a man dreaming about transforming into a butterfly, or now a butterfly dreaming about transforming into a man. He notices the distinction between him and the butterfly and concludes it must've been an instance of transformation. Zhuangzi or Chuang Chou himself was a Chinese philosopher.

5 comments:

  1. It's more likely based on Zhuangzi's butterfly dream

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    Replies
    1. It might be very loosely inspired, but I don't think it's a main theme. The theme of The Butterfly Dream kinda doesn't make sense for me when I analyze it with the lyrics. Could you elaborate as to why you think so? Maybe I missed something (:3 _ )=

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    2. Last lines make me think there's some connection.
      Like someone after dreaming oneself as butterfly want to think that his/her life just a dream of this butterfly.
      The very last line I see as some interpretation of ideas of parable:

      Between me and the butterfly there must be a difference. This is an instance of transformation.

      So subject of song thinks he/she want be butterfly but it won't be the same person, that he/she is now.

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    3. Hmm, maybe indeed there's a loose connection, still I don't think of it as a solid base for the lyrics. Yet, I'll add your thoughts to the discussion. Thank you!

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  2. I love you for that entry <3 one my fav songs of them

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