D.L.N

Romaji and English translation of the song D.L.N from the album NIL and the compilation album TRACES VOL.2 BALLAD BEST by the GazettE.

There was an extra verse added to the end when they re-recorded the original song for TRACES VOL.2. This verse has now been translated; the original version from NIL simply ends after “Song of the sheep in dark long night.” I decided against making a separate page for the NIL version of the song since nothing else was changed in the lyrics.

This is an updated version of my translation originally done in 2008.

Lyrics originally sung in English are in italics , and words or phrases I felt were implied are in [brackets] in the translation.

I also (usually) put repeats of chorus/verses/stanzas in [brackets] if they’re not written that way in the original lyrics for ease of singing along.

If he writes a word in the lyrics but doesn’t sing it, I put it in light grey to make it easier to skip when singing along.

I usually romajize katakana characters in CAPITALS, and keep punctuation and line spacing as close to the original booklet as possible. If you see me putting spaces before punctuation at the end of a sentence or writing things in mixed-case capitals, that’s because it’s how it was in the booklet.

Any comments I had during the romajization/translation process will be included as footnotes so as not to disturb the flow of the song. They’re not required reading, but Ruki does some pretty nifty things with his lyrics/kanji choices, or sometimes there’s further explanations about words or phrases in there.

D.L.N: Romaji

Hajimekara [hajimekara] wakatteta¹ dakara kanashiku wa nai
Sukoshi zutsu [sukoshi zutsu] sukoshi zutsu kazu wo kazoeru mitai ne

Kusaki no kareru iro ga boyake kisetsu no owari ga wakaranai

Ashiato wo nazoru hi wa ashiato wo kiku hi wo yondeiru wa
Nozomi mo shinai watashi ni ashita wa kaerarenai mono

Kusaki ga kareru oto wo tadori kisetsu no owari wo kanjiru
Hana ga irodzuki sakihokoru koro watashi ni wa nani ga nokoru no

Tsuki ga KAATEN wo tojiru demo taiyou ga watashi wo terasu no
Hajimekara wakatteta dakara kanashiku wa nai

Megasame yoru ga owaranaku temo soko ni kagayaku hoshi ga nakutemo
Machi wo irodoru akaritachi ga subete kietemo…
Mamoru beki hito no yorokobu kao wo aishita hito no saigo mo
Juubun na hodo mite koretakara mou ii no [mou ii no]

Song of the sheep in dark long night

Akari wo ubatte akai² komoriuta
Ima wa mou kikoete konai
Nokosareta hitotsu kotoba naki jiketsu wo

D.L.N³: English Translation

I knew it from the beginning [from the beginning],　so that’s why I’m not sad
I’ll just keep on counting　little by little　little by little

The withering plants begrudgingly give up their colors　as if they don’t realize their season is at an end

I keep trying to summon back the days when I could [not only] hear our footsteps but see the tracks we left
But [I know] it’s hopeless; I can’t change what tomorrow brings

Following the sound of the withering plants,　I can sense the season’s end⁴
What will I have left　when the flowers [once again] bloom in their full-colored glory?

The moon may draw the curtains⁵　but the sun will still shine down on me
I knew it from the beginning,　so that’s why I’m not sad

When I awake and open my eyes, it’s to a never-ending night;　there are no stars shining here,
And the lights that painted the streets have all gone out
But it’s enough that I was able to see the face of my beloved,
The one I want to keep safe, in the end;　so I’ll be all right　[I’ll be all right]

Song of the sheep in dark long night

The light [of dawn] steals away this shining lullaby
Until it can no longer be heard
And I am left alone [in] silent⁶ self-determination

D.L.N.: Spanish Translation

My English lyrics have been translated into Spanish and subtitled in the video below by AndyxRRRx. Thank you!

Ruki uses the kanji 理解 (rikai – to comprehend) in the printed lyrics but sings 解 (waka – to understand/realize) throughout. He does this… all the time, no lie. Like, a solid 60+% of the time he says “waka__” he’s used the rikai kanji. My personal opinion is that rikai seems to be a more complete or deeper understanding of something, including the reasons behind it, rather than just understanding it on the surface.
赫い uses the kun-yomi reading akai instead of on-yomi reading kagayai. Both readings, however, mean the same thing: “bright/brilliant/shining/glittering.”
The title of the song is an abbreviation for Dark Long Night, part of the chorus sung by the children in the background throughout the song. According to interviews, the song is sung by a girl who was born with a degenerative illness that is slowly making her lose her sight. (She knew she would lose her sight all along, so she’s resigned to it.)
Bearing in mind that she’s losing her sight, she relies on her other senses to tell her what’s going on around her. In this case, the crunching sound of the leaves and dead vegetation below her feet tells her the seasons are changing.
Or, “the moon may go dark,” but since he specifically uses カーテン kaaten “curtain,” I kept it the way he wrote it. I take this line to mean that while she might not be able to see the light of the moon, she’ll still be able to feel the warmth of the sun.
言葉無き kotoba naki literally means “wordless,” but I liked the way “silent” fit better with the sentence. They basically mean the same thing in this case.