Monday, 22 February 2016

Roy Kim - The Great Dipper (북두칠성) translated lyrics

English lyrics translation for The Great Dipper (북두칠성), title track (and track 2) on Roy Kim's album.

Heart broken with loneliness
I force myself to drag myself out
Sitting at a quiet café
The people going past on the street
As I look at their expressions
Why does it seem only I am like this?
If it becomes more sorrowful
Planted in the area
Those many trees, look at them
Nobody acknowledges them but
They stand tall, don't they?

While imagining me on the way home
Please would you look at the sky?
Since you see the Great Dipper
While the shining stars are little by little held together,
I hope you will wait for me.
Since you see the Great Dipper
Wherever it is you are
I follow you, I promise I will light the way for you.

For the first time in a long while the weather is good,
I take a book and go out
Sitting in the park in front of the house
As I read I watch
The stooped shadows
If today of all days they appear a little smaller
Placed in the area
The lonely lampposts, look at them
Nobody acknowledges them, but
They stand tall, don't they?

While imagining me on the way home
Please would you look at the sky?
Since you see the Great Dipper
While the shining stars are little by little held together,
I hope you will wait for me.
Since you see the Great Dipper
Wherever it is you are
I follow you, I promise I will light the way for you
I promise I will light the way for you.

Translator's Note:  Parts of this sound a little awkward... I could do it more poetically, but I like to try to keep true to the meaning of the line. 

Example: "Planted in the area / those many trees, look at them" would sound much better in English as "Look at the many trees / planted in the area", obviously. 

However, if you were looking at the Korean lyrics wanting to know which bit was about trees (idk, these things are helpful if you are picking up some Korean!  I know I did it a lot in the past lol) then you would end up looking in the wrong place.

Yes, I confess, I am a bit OCD about direct translation.  ^_^;

2 comments:

  1. Thank you, makes it worthwhile for me since I don't understand Korean but love Roy Kim!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Roy Kim is awesome! <3 Can't wait for a new album!!! It seems like forever since this one now. Let me know if there is ever anything you'd like me to translate! ^_^

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Please leave a comment! I am always happy to answer any questions about my translations, and just a thank you makes all my work worthwhile! ^__^