Gondola No Uta

I mentioned the film Ikiru the other day in a post about depictions of bureaucracy in the movies. This is a song from it that always moves us to tears. I had forgotten about it since I have not seen the film in a long time. She-who-must-etc. played it the other night and I wondered what ancient number was croaking out Christmas carols on her computer...

Then it hit me.

It is one of the most emotionally moving films I have ever seen.
Ask anyone today if they have seen it; ask anyone under 60, and they stare at you with incomprehension. I would tell you what the film is about, but then you would not feel that you must see it.

Cinema... all the Arts... can transform our lives; they show us the infinite and remind us of our choices, closed and open.

My tears at hearing Gondola No Uta burn me with fires of a free soul consumed by the glorious conflagration of a life of five score and ten, which suddenly comes out of the nothingness and will return to the nothingness with the lessons that there is no void and nothingness is an illusion.
We have but to choose.
We have but to say the word.
We need to reach out...


The lyrics from Wikipedia:
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gondola_no_Uta

Lyrics in Kanji:

いのち短し
恋せよ少女
朱き唇
褪せぬ間に
熱き血潮の
冷えぬ間に
明日の月日の
ないものを

いのち短し
恋せよ少女
いざ手をとりて
彼の舟に
いざ燃ゆる頬を
君が頬に
ここには誰れも
来ぬものを

いのち短し
恋せよ少女
波に漂う
舟の様に
君が柔手を
我が肩に
ここには人目も
無いものを

いのち短し
恋せよ少女
黒髪の色
褪せぬ間に
心のほのお
消えぬ間に
今日はふたたび
来ぬものを

In rōmaji:

inochi mijikashi
koi seyo otome
akaki kuchibiru
asenu ma ni
atsuki chishio no
hienu ma ni
asu no tsukihi no
nai mono wo

inochi mijikashi
koi seyo otome
iza te wo torite
ka no fune ni
iza moyuru ho wo
kimiga ho ni
koko ni wa dare mo
konu mono wo

inochi mijikashi
koi seyo otome
nami ni tadayou
fune no yo ni
kimiga yawate wo
waga kata ni
koko niwa hitome mo
nai mono wo

inochi mijikashi
koi seyo otome
kurokami no iro
asenu ma ni
kokoro no honoo
kienu ma ni
kyou wa futatabi
konu mono wo

In English:

life is brief.
fall in love, maidens
before the crimson bloom
fades from your lips
before the tides of passion
cool within you,
for those of you
who know no tomorrow

life is brief
fall in love, maidens
before his hands
take up his boat
before the flush of his cheeks fades
for those of you
who will never return here

life is brief
fall in love, maidens
before the boat drifts away
on the waves
before the hand resting on your shoulder
becomes frail
for those who will never
be seen here again

life is brief
fall in love, maidens
before the raven tresses
begin to fade
before the flame in your hearts
flicker and die
for those to whom today
will never return

--