SHANGHAI DANCER 上海の踊り子 SHANGHAI NO ODORIKO

Because I usually relax in the evening with a cup or two of strong coffee, sleep does not come early. Last night, being wide-staring awake at somewhere past midnight (though quite relaxed), I ended up in the far reaches of youtube researching miss Matsushima Utako (松島詩子), about whom apparently zipdiddly is known in English. One of her famous songs was 'Dancer of Shanghai' (上海の踊り子 'shan hai no odoriko'), a song written in the very late thirties.


That far reach of youtube, where wild animals and lusus naturae abound, is where I found the video below.


MEGURINE LUKA SINGS 'SHANGHAI NO ODORIKO'


[SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sgsNkt8Hvc.]


上海の踊り子

霧の夜を　月の夜を
踊るランタン　踊る上海
夢を見るよな　踊り子の
黒い瞳が　ぬれている　ぬれている

街の灯も　窓の灯も
みんな呼んでる　歌の上海
リラの花さえ　開く夜を
何を泣くやら　夜の雨　夜の雨

あの歌も　この歌も
遠い想い出　夢の上海
君の形見の　日の丸の
紅のあかさは　燃えるのに　燃えるのに

Kiri no yoru o tsukinoyo o, odoru rantan odoru Shanhai, yume o miru yo na odoriko no, kuroi hitomi ga, nurete iru nurete iru.
Machinohi mo mado no akari mo, min'na yon deru, uta no Shanhai, riranohana sae hiraku yoru o, nani o naku yara, yoru no ame yoru no ame.
Ano uta mo kono uta mo, tōi omoide yume no Shanhai, kun no katami no hinomaru no, kurenai no aka-sa wa, moeru no ni moeru noni.


Here is a very slapdash translation:

Night, fog and moonlight
Dancing, swaying lanterns in Shanghai
One dancer, oh, as if inside a dream
Dark limpid eyes, tears.

Lights, lights and bright windows
Where everyone's song is of Shanghai
A night of a myriad opened blossoms
Lamenting a night of rain.

That song, and also this song
Distant memories, dreams of Shanghai
Of a ninefold sunray flag, of your keepsake
Crimson, the fieriest of burning red.



One could read a note of pre-war propaganda into the song, as indeed others have. But the war was long over before I was born, and I prefer to appreciate it for what it is, namely a very lovely musical number.
Having a vocaloid sing it is a nice space-age touch.




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