Nakamori Akina - SAND BEIGE -Sabaku e-

SAND BEIGE -to the desert- is Nakamori Akina's 12th single, released on the 19th of June 1985. It reached number 1 on the Oricon charts, but as far as I'm aware is not one of Akina's better known songs. I absolutely love Akina and at some point on this blog will introduce her properly, but unfortunately I'm sick with a cold at the moment and don't have the energy to do so in this blog post! I also translated this whilst sick so apologies if it doesn't make much sense. I really enjoyed translating this song, actually - I felt trying to be more poetic was quite fun, and I hope the results aren't TOO bad. I enjoyed it but it was more difficult than I first thought - there's quite a few lines I still don't really understand (especially the one about a veil of tears) and I have to apologise for those. Translating this song made me question my Japanese skill and I'd be lying if I said I didn't still feel a bit down about it.

Anyway, please enjoy this wonderful Youtube video of the beautiful Akina performing this song!

SAND BEIGE －砂漠へ－

作詞：許瑛子

作曲：都志見隆

サハラの夕日を　あなたに見せたい

さよならを私から決めた別離の旅なのに

翼を広げて　火の鳥が行くわ

地の果ては　何処までか　答えてはくれないの

砂も風も乱れて　逢いたいあなた

愉しすぎた笑顔が

Ah　月よりまぶしい　これも愛なの?

星屑　私を抱きしめていてね

アナ　アーウィズ　アローホ　SAND BEIGE

涙のヴェールも　渇きつくしたら

神秘の顔立ち

崩れる私を　支えてお願い

アナ　アーウィズ　アローホ　SAND BEIGE

このまま一人で　眠りについたら

無口な女になるわ

主を失くした　ラクダがポツリと

草求め果てしなく　一人さまようその姿

焼けつく砂丘に　窓からマアッサラーマ

私には愛ひとつ　空に返せなかった

元気でねとひとこと　くちづけ交わし

何度も振り返れば

Ah　あなたも泣いていた　それも愛なの?

東へ行くのよ　唇かみしめ

アナ　アーウィズ　アローホ　NILE

夢に包まれた　子供に返って

笑ってみたいの

遠くであなたが　呼んでる気がする

アナ　アーウィズ　アローホ　NILE

破いた写真は　宙に舞い踊り

無くなってくだけなのに

星屑　私を抱きしめていてね

アナ　アーウィズ　アローホ　SAND BEIGE

涙のヴェールも　渇きつくしたら

神秘の顔立ち

崩れる私を　支えてお願い

アナ　アーウィズ　アローホ　SAND BEIGE

このまま一人で　眠りについたら

無口な女になるわ

SAND BEIGE -To the Desert-

I want to show you the setting sun of the Sahara

Even though saying goodbye and parting from you

Was a journey I decided upon myself

Spreading out its wings

The phoenix continues its journey

How far is it until the end of the earth?
Can’t you answer me?

Becoming disheveled by both the sand and the wind

I want to see you

That smile of yours when you’re having too much fun

Ah, is brighter than the moon    
Is that also love?

I’m like stardust, so please hold me tightly (1)

I want to see the beige coloured sand (2) (3)

Once this veil of tears dries up

It will take on a mysterious form (4)

I’m falling apart, so please support me

I want to see the beige coloured sand

If I end up falling asleep alone like this

I’ll become a woman who is unable to speak

A camel, abandoned by its owner

Casts a lonely figure as it wanders, tirelessly begging for grass

As the sand dunes go up in flames

I say goodbye from the window (5)

This is the one love I couldn’t return to the sky

With only the words “take care”
We exchanged a kiss

No matter how many times I look back on it

Ah you cried too

Is that also love?

Whilst biting my lips, I head for the East

I want to go to the Nile

I want to become wrapped up in my dreams

And laugh like a child once more

I have the feeling you are calling my name from far away

I want to go to the Nile

The photographs I tore up dance in the air

Even though they will eventually disappear

I’m like stardust, so please hold me

I want to see the beige coloured sand

Once this veil of tears dries up

I will take on a mysterious form

I’m falling apart, so please support me

I  want to see the beige coloured sand

If I end up falling asleep alone like this

I’ll become a woman who is unable to speak

Translation Notes:

The theme for this song is that Akina is heartbroken so visits the Sahara to get over her lost love, but isn’t quite ready to move on as she keeps thinking about her ex. So the lyrics may randomly seem to talk about camels but in reality she’s walking through the Sahara talking about things she sees as she goes along.

1. Technically a more literal translation is “please hold onto the me who is like stardust” but my friend pointed out that makes no sense in English so I changed it. I guess she’s trying to say that she feels she’ll fall apart easily so wants her ex to keep her together.

2. アナ　アーウィズ　アローホ Is apparently Arabic for “I want to go to” but is the male form of saying it, according to Yahoo Japan. I’m not sure if the lyricist made a mistake or if perhaps this is supposed to be from the perspective of Akina’s ex? Perhaps her ex wants to follow her to the Sahara? She also uses this later when she says she wants to go to the Nile. I don’t know any Arabic so I’m unsure of how to write this in romaji. Yahoo Japan says it’s Egyptian dialect…

3. Nobody really seems to know what on earth Sand Beige is. General consensus seems to be that it either means literally beige coloured sand or is the way the lyrics are describing the Sahara desert. Sadly because of translating it into English I had to go with what made more sense and now I’ve lost the actual song title in translation…

4. This line is the bane of my existence and genuinely made me question my Japanese skill and want me to give up translating. Even if I google parts of this line it just comes up with the song lyrics, that is how little sense these verbs make together. It literally says “when this veil of tears tires of being thirsty”. Veil in katakana is also one character off of “well”, so I’m not sure if that’s what the songwriter meant...I also considered that it could be Arabic again and googled, with google suggesting a hijab. Whilst this would make sense culturally I still don’t understand... Interestingly, there’s a phrase in English which is “vale (not veil) of tears”, which is meant to represent all the pain one goes through in life before they’re rewarded with happiness in heaven. The only way I can think of understanding this line is to say that Akina’s tears will “tire of being thirsty” aka dry up, and then for some reason she will take on a mysterious form.

5. Another line that made me want to die. Apparently sand dunes can go on fire, I had to google this. What window is she saying goodbye from? Who is she saying goodbye to? THE SAND DUNES? THEY CAN’T HEAR YOU, AKINA. Ps apparently マアッサラーマ means goodbye in Arabic. I’m basing this on what fans on Yahoo Japan said. If any lovely Arabic speakers find this blog and wish to comment telling me how to write this in “English” (Or in Arabic!) then I would be really happy!