Cherry Blossom Time

A Japanese song from the era of the "Great Pacific War"... It's the season of blooming cherry blossoms around Japan, which are beautiful for about two weeks, before the flower petals fall in the wind, like a pink blizzard. The song uses this image.

-- DO-KI NO SAKURA

KISAMA TO ORE TO WA, DO-KI NO SAKURA,

ONAJI HEI-GAKKO NO, NIWA NI SAKU.

SAITA HANA NARA, CHIRU NO WA KAKUGO,

MIGOTO CHIRI-MASHO, KUNI NO TAME.

We are cherry blossoms from the same class,

And bloom in the garden of the same naval academy.

We accept that sakura blooms must also fall,

So lets fall spectacularly, for our country.

KISAMA TO ORE TO WA, DO-KI NO SAKURA,

ONAJI HEI-GAKKO NO, NIWA NI SAKU.

CHI-NIKU WAKE-TARU NAKA DEWA NAI GA,

NAZE KA KI GA AU TE, HANARE-NARE-NU.

We are cherry blossoms from the same class,

And bloom in the garden of the same naval academy.

Although we have no blood relationship,

We get along well without knowing why, and can't be divided.

KISAMA TO ORE TO WA, DO-KI NO SAKURA,

ONAJI KO-KU-TAI NO, NIWA NI SAKU.

AO-IDA YU-YAKE, MINAMI NO SORA NI,

IMADA KAERA-NU, ICHI-BAN KI.

We are cherry blossoms from the same class,

And bloom in the garden of the same fighter squadron.

We gaze at the evening glow of the southern sky,

And yet the first plane has still not returned.

KISAMA TO ORE TO WA, DO-KI NO SAKURA,

HANARE-BANARE NI, CHI-RO-U TOMO.

HANA NO MIYAKO NO, YASUKUNI JINJA.

HARU NO KOZUE NI, SAITE AU-O-O.

We are cherry blossoms, from the same class,

And we will fall in separate distant places.

But Yasukuni Shrine is the capitol city of blossoms.

So let's meet and bloom there, in the springtime tree-tops.