Over the course of translating Nana songs, I have come to realize that one of my favorite things is when the song challenges me to think about much more than what is explicitly said in it. It's like solving a mystery - the mystery of what she was thinking of and what she wanted to convey when she wrote that particular song. To my joy, Netsujou no Maria (=Maria of Passion) provided me with plenty of these, encouraging me to understand it.
Let's start with the most obvious one. When you think of this song, the first question that might pop into your head could be "Who is Maria?" and when I embarked upon this translation I wondered if I would ever find out or if she would remain an anonymous person to me (like, as I haven't given Maria&Joker much thought, I still have no idea who the Maria in that song is).
While it was the last reference to dawn on me, I did figure out who this Maria in Netsujou no Maria is. The other references (found in the translation notes at the end) led me to this one - I felt like I was deciphering a puzzle with only everything making sense piece by piece. I really love nothing more than this sense of discovery.
So, it is my belief that the Maria of the title is a nod to the Maria of [West Side Story]. In case you are not familiar with it, you can read about it from the link I just posted... or long story short, I can just tell you that it is a musical inspired by Romeo and Juliet and is a similar tragic love story. You'll see why I came to this conclusion when you read the lyrics and what the other references in the song are, as they all stem from a certain type of source (a musical performance of some sort, be it a musical or ballet).
With "tragic love story" as our starting point, let's take a look at the lyrics. And of course, QC and additional nuance spotting done by @DarkSoul4242.
熱情のマリア (Translation)
作詞：水樹奈々
作曲・編曲：加藤裕介
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
また繰り返すの？ 止まらない衝動―アラーム― 嵐よ過ぎ去れと ただ願う 気まぐれな砂のように 自由に焦がれ踊る 答えのない 麗しきジゼル | Will I repeat it again? The alarm won't stop* I just wish that the storm would pass Just like the whimsical sand, I dance craving freedom A lovely Giselle** without any answers |
溜め息増えるほど 高鳴る裏腹な心 見抜いて 本能探り当てて…じれったい | My sighs increase, Do see through and notice my throbbing conflicted heart Please find out my instincts... it is so tantalizing |
愛のまま身体震わせ あなたに触れたなら 夢よりも甘い楽園がきっと見えるの 曖昧な秩序なんて壊して その手で抱き寄せて 戻れないことは もう、知っているでしょ？ ときめかせて | If while letting my body be guided by the impulse of love, I were to touch you I would surely see a sweet paradise instead of a dream Break the ambiguous harmony, and in those hands embrace me closely There is no turning back, you do know that already? Make me flutter |
まだ胸に残る 埋まらない足跡 古ぼけた時計が火を灯す 豊潤に香り立つ 悲哀に満ちた誘惑 やめられない…？ クセになるジキル | Your frivolous footsteps still linger on in my heart A timeworn clock lights a fire The mellowly fragrant temptation filled with sorrow I can't stop....? A Jekyll who's become a habit*** |
躊躇い増やすほど 鎖キツくなっていく イヤよ…早く引き千切って、思いきり | The more I doubt, The tighter the chains become I don't want it.... quickly tear them away, with all your might |
ありのまま感じ合いたい 私を受け止めて 海よりも深い蜜月に嵌っていく ありふれた言葉はいらない 隣りで眠らせて あやふやなゲーム終わらせましょう つまらないわ | I want us to feel each other as we are, please accept me and let's go on a honeymoon deeper than the ocean We don't need unremarkable words Let me sleep by your side and let us end this iffy game it's no fun |
(はぐらかさずに)今を生きていきたいの (逃げたりしない)涙にはサヨナラ (縛り付けてた)仮想の中 (理由も消えた)プライドなんて捨てて もっと羽ばたくの…待てないわ | (Without skirting around it) I want to live the present (Don't run away) goodbye to my tears (I was tied) within a virtual world (It has lost its reason now) throw away your pride and let's fly even more... I can't wait |
愛のまま身体震わせ あなたに触れたなら 夢よりも甘い楽園がきっと見えるの 曖昧な秩序なんて壊して その手で抱き寄せて 戻れないことは もう、知っているでしょ？ ときめかせて | If while letting my body be guided by the impulse of love, I were to touch you I would surely see a sweet paradise instead of a dream Break the ambiguous harmony, and in those hands embrace me closely There is no turning back, you do know that already? Make me flutter |
-Translation Notes-
*:Interestingly Nana decided to use the kanji for "urge/impulse" here, but with the reading of "alarm". This could tie into the later reference of Jekyll & Hyde (translation note ***), in that the impulse she is feeling serves as the sounding alarm that will make the "other" side of her wake up.
**:The Giselle here most likely refers to [the ballet of the same name], which as a metaphor deepens the story of tragic love in the song. "The ballet is about a peasant girl named Giselle, who dies of a broken heart after discovering her lover is betrothed to another." In the beginning of the ballet, Giselle does not yet know the truth about her beloved, and perhaps it is this what Nana refers to with her line (since she says she is a Giselle without answers), indicating that she does not know much about the person she is longing for in the song apart from the moments they spend together.
***:This was the reference I was most familiar with, and it is what initially prompted me to look for the other ones as well. At first I thought that she mixed up Jekyll and Hyde (since Hyde is the one doing bad stuff in [the story]), but now when I think about it more, I think she actually identifies with Hyde more in this song, since she is doing something she isn't supposed to... and here actually refers to her conscience with "Jekyll" and how that part of her wishes she could stop what she is doing.
Also, I have a feeling that instead of directly referring to the original novella, she is referring to the musical version of [Jekyll & Hyde] as all the other references are linked to musical performances. In this version the story sees the inclusion of two key women, Emma Carew, the betrothed of Jekyll, and Lucy Harris, the prostitute Hyde keeps visiting but who is actually in love with Jekyll. This setup fits the sort of scenario that we've already established with West Side Story and Giselle. Though in a way it is curious that she uses Jekyll (and Hyde by association) as her reference point instead of Lucy for example (since the other references in the song have been the tragic women in love), but I guess with this one she focuses on how she is doing something she shouldn't be doing but not regretting it (Hyde).
Bonus: There were a few more nuances in the song that I didn't talk about in detail which I will now briefly go over, such as the 焦がれ in自由に焦がれ踊る ("I dance craving freedom") possibly being a play on words as it also means "burn", if let's say you were dancing in the sand (perhaps in a desert) and the sand was burning your feet. Also, the "increasing sighs" are most likely directly linked to a part of her mind being dissatisfied with the situation being "so tantalizing", while "conflicted heart" could also be taken to mean the "hidden side of my heart". Lastly, the "time worn clock that lights a fire" might hint at the passing of the torch from one side of her mind to the other linking it directly to the mention of Jekyll (and implication of Hyde) a couple of lines later.
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This ended up becoming a bit of an analysis as well, sorry! I just can't help being fascinated by the multiple layers that references like this give to a song/story.
Also, I have a feeling that instead of directly referring to the original novella, she is referring to the musical version of [Jekyll & Hyde] as all the other references are linked to musical performances. In this version the story sees the inclusion of two key women, Emma Carew, the betrothed of Jekyll, and Lucy Harris, the prostitute Hyde keeps visiting but who is actually in love with Jekyll. This setup fits the sort of scenario that we've already established with West Side Story and Giselle. Though in a way it is curious that she uses Jekyll (and Hyde by association) as her reference point instead of Lucy for example (since the other references in the song have been the tragic women in love), but I guess with this one she focuses on how she is doing something she shouldn't be doing but not regretting it (Hyde).
Bonus: There were a few more nuances in the song that I didn't talk about in detail which I will now briefly go over, such as the 焦がれ in自由に焦がれ踊る ("I dance craving freedom") possibly being a play on words as it also means "burn", if let's say you were dancing in the sand (perhaps in a desert) and the sand was burning your feet. Also, the "increasing sighs" are most likely directly linked to a part of her mind being dissatisfied with the situation being "so tantalizing", while "conflicted heart" could also be taken to mean the "hidden side of my heart". Lastly, the "time worn clock that lights a fire" might hint at the passing of the torch from one side of her mind to the other linking it directly to the mention of Jekyll (and implication of Hyde) a couple of lines later.
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This ended up becoming a bit of an analysis as well, sorry! I just can't help being fascinated by the multiple layers that references like this give to a song/story.
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