About this work
Cherry blossoms frame a poem of mourning for an older brother and the recognition that remembered days cannot return. This English version is an editorial translation for access; the Japanese text remains available alongside it for comparison.
Parallel reading
日本語と英語で読む
Read the Japanese original and its English translation together. On smaller screens, each language follows in sequence.
日本語原文 Japanese original
ひとの命は儚い
まるで春の日の桜
あと桜の花は何回見られるの
私が生きている間なの？
お兄様は今年の桜を知らずに逝ってしまった
突然のお別れだった
予期せぬ出来事だった
心がついていかないよ
いろいろ悲しみを知っているつもり
でもこれほどまでに悲しいことはあったかな
儚く散る桜に重ね合わせると
そっくり悲しみに包まれる
みえかくれする
笑顔といっしょに
初めて分かったの大切だったって
尊くて大切なものは
二度と戻らない日々だった
お兄様と遊んだ幼い頃は
頼もしくて穏やかで楽しい
ついこの間のようね、だけど
私の記憶の中にしっかりと生きて
お兄様は教えてくれる、桜も、わたしも、
いつか命を散らす日を迎えるんだってことを
English translation 英訳
AI-assisted English translation. The Japanese original remains authoritative.
Human life is fleeting
Just like the cherry blossoms of spring
How many more times will I see the blossoms of cherry?
While I live?
My older brother passed away without knowing this year's cherry blossoms
It was a sudden farewell
An unexpected event
My heart cannot keep up
I thought I knew many kinds of sorrow
But has there ever been such deep sorrow?
When overlaid with the fleeting cherry blossoms
I am completely wrapped in sorrow
My older brother. Your image of the days you lived
Is hidden from view
Along with your smile
I first understood how precious things are
What is precious and dear
Is the days that can never return
The time when I played with my older brother as a child
Was full of promise, calm, and joy
It feels like just now, yet
It lives firmly in my memory
My older brother teaches me, the cherry blossoms, and I too
Will one day meet the day our lives scatter
Original wording, author credits, notes and source materials are preserved there.