Utena Lyrics in Plain English: Gentouchouga Juuroku Seiki (Wakaba Duel)

We have almost reached the end of the black rose arc. I might skip one duel to reach Mikage faster. Also the next duel song is not that interesting to reinterpret, because it can be basically summerised with "Me out of here".
~
*5 years ago a channel simply titled "Utena" uploaded a series of videos where they set out to interpret the infamously cryptic lyrics of RGUs songs that play during the duels. They sadly stopped after the duel of Utena and Touga during the first arc. But because I love the project and I think it has a lot of potential, I am going to try and continue it in a series of videos.
Disclaimer: This is by no means an accurate translation, but an interpretation of the lyrics based on other translations and my understanding of the plot and characters. Naturally this means that these are by no means "final" versions of these songs. My goal is to simply provide one answer to what these cryptic lyrics could mean for those who have been puzzled about them and to make a small contribution to the discourse around the show.
5 years ago a channel simply titled "Utena" uploaded a series of videos where they set out to interpret the infamously cryptic lyrics of RGUs songs that play during the duels. They sadly stopped after the duel of Utena and Touga during the first arc. But because I love the project and I think it has a lot of potential, I am going to try and continue it in a series of videos.
Disclaimer: This is by no means an accurate translation, but an interpretation of the lyrics based on other translations and my understanding of the plot and characters. Naturally this means that these are by no means "final" versions of these songs. My goal is to simply provide one answer to what these cryptic lyrics could mean for those who have been puzzled about them and to make a small contribution to the discourse around the show.

[@pfftt2885]

This black rose episode hits hard, deserves better Fr :(

[@Fallendown-pq1ot]

Imagine a remake of the anime

[@Utterson]

Thank You! This is one of my favorite duel songs!

[@swanscream5152]

excited to see more of this project!!! thank you

[@yourwhale5910]

I have heard that this song retells some episode from Hamlet

[@otokonokoyousei]

The song is nearly word-for-word lifted from excerpts of the Japanese translation of Hamlet. The songs for the Here's a translation I had a hand in (along with the accompanying romaji) that lifted as much as possible from the English text and made modifications where necessary because of the lyrics changing something: The piteous old grandsire, (itawashi ya oi no mi no) his antique sword, (tenareshi tsurugi ni) rebellious to his arm, (chikara komeshi mo) repugnant to command (oitaru kaina no aware naru) He strikes wide but with the whiff and wind... (nerai wa sorete tachikaze ni) ...of his fell sword the unnerved father falls (yoromeki marobu oibito yo) Then senseless Troy, seeming to feel this blow, (unaru tachikaze toroi no jourou) with flaming top stoops to his base, (moyuru itadaki reika to) and with a hideous crash... (kudake ochireba) ...takes prisoner Pyrrhus’s ear (piirasu shibaraku mimishi hitari) Lo! (miyo) His sword, which was declining... (hakutou no rouou) ...on the milky head of the old king seem’d i’ th’ air to stick (kiran to ageshi tsurugi wa sora ni todomarite) so as a painted tyrant Pyrrhus stood (piirasu tachisukumu) After Pyrrhus’s pause, arousèd vengeance sets him new a-work (piirasu yagate tekii wo kaeshi) and his bleeding sword... (chishio shitataru chigatana wo) ...now falls on the old king (rouou megakete uchi orosu) All the duel songs up to the penultimate Black Rose song are new renditions of songs from older projects of JA Saezer. His troupe had performed Hamlet before, which is likely where this song comes from. There is one other song in Utena that comes from Hamlet, and it's the duel song from episode 14. The lyrics we did for that one (which required much more blatant deviations from the English text of Hamlet due to the song restructuring verses in such a way that it changed their meanings), if you're curious: Be thou a spirit of health or goblin damn’d (shinrei ni mo are, akki ni mo are) Whether thou bringst with thee airs from heaven (aa ten no kouki mochikuru tomo) Be the intents of hell’s heart wicked or charitable (naraku no kokoro wa zen ni mo are, aku ni mo are) Whether thou bringst with thee blasts from hell (aa jigoku no enbun tazusaekuru tomo) Thou com’st in such a questionable shape, I bid thee (kakaru ibukashii sugata ni te kuru ue wa) Speak to me! (mondou sen) Further, upon this night with a horrible moon, (sarademo sugoki tsuki no yo ni) thine soul revisit’st us so (akugareide tamaizoya) This mystery beyond human knowledge... (jinchi no oyobanu kono fushigi) ...makes us humans, dwarfed by nature, (zouke no shujutaru ningen wo) tremble in fear at thy image (osore ononokasen sono sugata)

[@lux2625]

Nice work!

[@Fallendown-pq1ot]

There should be an instrumental version ngl

[@blasthardcheese8601]

Poor, pitiful-ass Wakaba ;-;

[@kkerem26]

Well, this translation is wrong. This song tells about a king named Pyrrus. Pyrrus kills the other king and takes the throne (his greatest victory in his life).

[@lotus1072]

Read the description again, fam.

[@kkerem26]

Well, longest description I've ever seen. What it tells?

[@adrimartin6668]

​@@kkerem26read the f. Description.