Language Log

Old Long Since: Firefly light, snow on the window

January 1, 2024 @ 12:48 pm · Filed by Victor Mair under Ethics, Language and culture, Language and music

Yesterday, on New Year's Eve, I was sending around, to family and friends, the lyrics and melody of the beloved song we sing at this time of year (here [The Choral Scholars of University College Dublin], here, [Rod Stewart]). I also circulated the Wikipedia article so that people could know the ballads and folk songs that preceded Robert Burns' famous poem (1788).

This morning when I awoke, I received the following message from Martin Schwartz:

Shortly before midnight I googled Auld Lang Syne, which we were singing, and the first entry had the lyrics plus a Japanese translation. It may be interesting to see how Burns' Scots lyrics were rendered in Japanese.

It is indeed interesting to see how these Scottish sentiments are presented in this East Asian language. Thoughtfully, the source provided an English translation for the Japanese.

The lyrics by Robert Burns before the Japanese gets mixed in:

Should auld acquaintance be forgotAnd never brought to mind?Should auld acquaintance be forgotAnd the days of auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dearFor auld lang syneWe'll drink a cup of kindness yetFor the sake of auld lang syne

And surely you will buy your cupAnd surely I'll buy mine!We'll take a cup of kindness yetFor the sake of auld lang syne

We two have paddled in the streamFrom morning sun till nightThe seas between us Lord and swellSince the days of auld lang syne

For old acquaintance be forgotAnd never brought to mindShould old acquaintance be forgotFor the sake of auld lang syne?

For old acquaintance be forgotAnd never brought to mindShould old acquaintance be forgotIn the days of auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dearFor auld lang syneWe'll drink a cup of kindness yetFor the sake of auld lang syne

And now with the Japanese added:

Should old acquaintance be forgotten Should old acquaintance be forgot And never brought to mind And never brought to mind Should old acquaintance be forgotten Should old acquaintance be forgot And auld lang syne And auld lang syne Firefly light, snow on the window 蛍の光窓の雪 I read books over and over again 書読む月日重ねつつ Before you know it, the year passes by いつしか年もすぎの戸を Open it, this morning we're parting ways 開けてぞ今朝は別れゆく Firefly light, snow on the window 蛍の光窓の雪 I read books over and over again書読む月日重ねつつBefore you know it, the year passes by いつしか年もすぎの戸を Open it, this morning we're parting ways 開けてぞ今朝は別れゆく Should old acquaintance be forgotten Should old acquaintance be forgot And never brought to mind And never brought to mind Should old acquaintance be forgotten Should old acquaintance be forgot And auld lang syne And auld lang syne For auld lang syne, my dear For auld lang syne, my dear For auld lang syne For auld lang syne We'll take a cup of kindness yet We'll take a cup of kindness yet For auld lang syneFor auld lang syneStop or go as far as you like とまるも行くも限りとて Ten million thoughts of each other 互みに思う千万の The edges of my heart all at once 心のはしをひとことに I'm so happy that I sing 幸くとばかり歌うなり For auld lang syne, my dear For auld lang syne, my dear For auld lang syne… For auld lang syne… I'm so happy that I sing 幸くとばかり歌うなり I'm so happy that I sing幸くとばかり歌うなり

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Scottish Traditional

Here are the complete Japanese lyrics with romanization and English translation:

Lyrics

Verse	Japanese text	Romaji	English translation
1	蛍の光、窓の雪、書読む月日、重ねつゝ。何時しか年も、すぎの戸を、開けてぞ今朝は、別れ行く。	Hotaru no hikari, mado no yuki, Fumi yomu tsukihi, kasane tsutsu Itsushika toshi mo, sugi no to wo, Aketezo kesa wa, wakare yuku.	Light of fireflies, (moonlight reflected off) snow by the window. Many days and months spent reading. Before one knows it, years have passed. The door we resolutely open; this morning, we part ways.
2	止まるも行くも、限りとて、互に思ふ、千萬の。心の端を、一言に、幸くと許り、歌うなり。	Tomaru mo yuku mo, kagiri tote, Katami ni omou, chiyorodzu no, Kokoro no hashi wo, hitokoto ni, Sakiku to bakari, utau nari.	Stay or leave, either an end Mutually, countless thoughts from the bottom of the heart, expressed in one word a wish for peace, we sing.
3	筑紫の極み、陸の奥、海山遠く、隔つとも。その眞心は、隔て無く、一つに尽くせ、國の為。	Tsukushi no kiwami, michi no oku, Umi yama tooku, hedatsu tomo, Sono magokoro wa, hedate naku, Hitotsu ni tsukuse, kuni no tame	Far reaches of Kyushu and Tōhoku Though separated by seas and mountains Our sincere hearts are separated not Serving single-mindedly for country.
4	千島の奥も、沖繩も、八洲の内の、護りなり。至らん國に、勲しく、努めよ我が背、恙無く。	Chishima no oku mo, Okinawa mo Yashima no uchi no, mamori nari Itaran kuni ni, isaoshiku Tsutome yo waga se, tsutsuganaku	From the ends of Chishima to Okinawa, We protect all part of Japan. Contributing to our great country, I'll faithfully devote my life.

The story behind the song:

Hotaru no Hikari (蛍の光, meaning "Glow of a firefly") is a Japanese song incorporating the tune of Scottish folk song Auld Lang Syne with completely different lyrics by Chikai Inagaki, first introduced in a collection of singing songs for elementary school students in 1881 (Meiji 14). The swapping of lyrics without substantial change to the music is known as contrafactum. The words describe a series of images of hardships that the industrious student endures in his relentless quest for knowledge, starting with the firefly’s light, which the student uses to keep studying when he has no other light sources (originating from the story of Che Yin from Volume 83 of the Book of Jin). It is commonly heard during graduation ceremonies and at the end of the school day. Many stores and restaurants play it to usher customers out at the end of a business day. On the very popular Japanese New Year's Eve TV show, NHK's Kōhaku Uta Gassen, it has become a tradition for all the performers to sing Hotaru no Hikari as the last song. Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea here is Tokyo Disney Resort for Countdown Party's from New Year's Eve Park show, "New Day, New Dream". Another song from the same period and used at graduation ceremonies thought to be based on a Scottish folk song is "Aogeba Tōtoshi".

(source)

And here is Hotaru no Hikari sung in Japanese and explained by a Japanese language teacher.

Both Auld Lang Syne and Hotaru no Hikari are farewell songs, but the ways they express their nostalgia and sorrow at parting are so very different.

Selected readings

"From the auldies but guidies file" (1/1/11)
"And a right guid willie waught to you, too, pal" (12/30/04)
"Christmas words: Auld Lang Syne" (Superlingo 12/31/11)
"Yes, 'Auld Lang Syne' Is an Ethics Song" (Ethics Alarms, 12/31/23)

New Year’s is the one holiday that has a single ethics song permanently associated with it: “Auld Lang Syne,” despite the fact that almost nobody knows what the words mean if they know all the words at all. One problem is the title and the phrase, which is best translated as “old time’s sake.” The other is that it shares a text-setting flaw with the National Anthem, beginning with a question. Nothing in the music makes the line “Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?” resonate as a question; if fact, I’m ashamed to admit, for a long time I thought “should” was used in the sense of “if.”

I was stunned to learn recently that singing the song on New Year’s Eve is not an ancient tradition. In fact, the practice as a tradition began in 1929, when bandleader Guy Lombardo needed something to play at the stroke of midnight and chose “Auld Lang Syne” because it had a sentimental vibe and the band knew it. Then Lombardo’s (somewhat whiney, annoying version) continued to be a staple on New Year’s Eve TV broadcast as long as Guy was still kicking.

The full poem, usually attributed to the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759–1796) but probably with other contributors, reads,

1. Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?

Should old acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne?

For old times since, my dear, for auld lang syne,