About this work
A poem entrusts difficult feelings to the Kinugawa River, moving between tenderness, forgiveness and pain that remains unresolved. This English version is an editorial translation for access; the Japanese text remains available alongside it for comparison.
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日本語原文 Japanese original
鬼怒川の清き浅瀬に流すのは恋の灯籠
感情という吊り橋が胸を揺さぶる
ただよう心がつかめなくて、やり過ごすのは無残な自分
でも本心は知っているつもり
だから本気で怒れない
こんな想いだけ似ているのよね、あなたと
愛は許すこころ
でも許すってことは、愛じゃないかも
あなたは、わたしの心を流す
わたし、許してないのよ
わかり合いたい
でもわからない
あなたとわたし
鬼怒川の流れにそっとこの気持ちを流してるの。
English translation 英訳
AI-assisted English translation. The Japanese original remains authoritative.
Flow of the Kinugawa River
Nao Takatori
The lantern of love is cast into the clear shallows of the Kinugawa River
The bridge of emotion sways my chest
I can't grasp this wandering heart, to pass it over is a pitiful self
But I think I know my true feelings
So I can't really get serious about being angry
Only this kind of feeling is similar between you and me
The heart that forgives love
But forgiving might not be love
You are the current that flows through my heart
I, I haven't forgiven you
I want to understand you
But I don't understand
You and me
Flow of the Kinugawa River, I'm gently letting this feeling flow
Original wording, author credits, notes and source materials are preserved there.