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codegeassfacts
Extolling the Brave Chivalry of Youth1
Before I met you, I was really just irritated.
I thought: "I want to change the world2,"
but though I lashed out, recklessly, I didn't actually believe I would be able to change anything.
When I lost my brother, it was like a heavy door had slammed shut behind me.
I wasn't going to let that go. I'd fight to the bitter end. There'd be no going back, I decided.
And then, someday, I'd die — just like my brother had.
To the end, Kouzuki Kallen would follow no leader, serve no master3.
Dimly, I'd thought that small, stubborn pride would be the end of me.
But then: like a morning star coming into view, you called for me4.
Whenever I was doing something for your sake, I felt lighter.
No battle was too difficult.
Whenever you directed us to a battlefield, I came running, wanting to be the first one there5.
I wanted to become a lion, to rip your enemies apart with my teeth.
To dirty myself with any amount of muck6, so long as it cleared the way for you.
It's strange, really, if you think about it.
It was supposed to be about loathing — and fighting against — Britannian despotism,
but before I knew it, I had all this personal loyalty to you7.
Hey, Lelouch.
That last moment we had together, with that kiss...
Well, if you'd said I love you8 back then, it wouldn't have mattered if it was a lie —
I still would have followed you all the way into your personal hell.
But you already knew that, didn't you?
Not very characteristic of you, was it.
Wasn't manipulating people by saying that sort of thing one of your talents...?
Yeah, that was so uncharacteristically... gentle.9
Maybe because you wanted to tell me to live on...?
Even though that sort of gentleness isn't at all why I fell for you10, heh11.
男侠青春謳
あなたに会うまで、私はただイラついてるだけだった。
現実を変えたいって思って、
怒りでガムシャラに行動してたけど、それで何かが変わるとは信じてなかった。
お兄ちゃんがいなくなって、私は背後で、重い扉が閉じる音を聞いた。
許さない。私は戦い抜く。絶対に後戻りはしないんだって決めた。
そうしていつか、お兄ちゃんと同じく、私も死ぬんだろう。
最後まで紅月カレンは、支配者たちに従わなかった。
そんな小さな意地を貫き通して、終わるんだろうって、うっすら感じてた。
そんなときにあなたは、夜明けの星みたいに現れて、私を誘ったんだ。
あなたのために、と思ったら、体が軽かった。
どんな戦いも辛くはなかった。
あなたの指し示す戦場に、一番乗りに駆けつけよう。
私は獅子になって、あなたの敵をかみ砕こう。
あなたの道をつくるために、どんな泥にも汚れよう。
考えてみれば不思議ね。
ブリタニアの専制主義が憎くて戦ってたはずなのに、
いつのまにか、あなたに個人的な忠識心を抱いていたんだもの。
ねえ、ルルーシュ。
あの別れのキスのとき、
嘘でもいいから「愛してる」って言ってくれたら、
私はあなたの地獄についていったのにね。
わかってたでしょう？
らしくなかったわね。
そんなこと言って、人を動かすの得意だったじゃない。
ほんと、らしくない優しさだわ。
私に生きろって言いたかったわけ？
そんな優しさのために、あなたを好きになったわけじゃなかったのにね。
1 This is the title of the first ending theme; other regret messages similarly take their titles from theme songs. This was released as part of an Original Soundtrack CD, after all. ↩
2 現実=reality, to be more literal. ↩
3 支配者たちに従わなかった = serve/follow/obey no masters/leaders/rulers. IMHO this use of たち makes perfect sense in Japanese, by "serve no masters" sounds somewhat grammatically awkward. Importantly, given what Kallen is about to talk about, I think she's speaking somewhat ironically about how she'd made this small vow to herself, but was about to wind up following/serving/etc Zero. ↩
4 The verb, 誘う, means to invite or to call for or to take someone along (and also to tempt/lure/entice/seduce); in this case, I think Kallen is referring both literally and metaphorically to Lelouch suddenly calling her on the radio in Stage 2 and guiding her to victory. ↩
5 Sudden volitional form on this and the next three lines, indicating (in this context) Kallen's strong intention to do [whatever]. The switch here to present-tense isn't literal, but rather a common device in Japanese writing to add a sense of emphasis and immediacy, sort of like when an English sentence begins with "Suddenly...!" ↩
6 Given the "title", likely a bit of a reference to the lyric 混濁の純潔この身は汚れても / Even if my purity is sullied and this self is dirtied. ↩
7 だもの is a sentence ending that indicates a reason in a tone of protest, such as 14歳だものね = "You're fourteen," where the speaker is probably pointing out that the person they're talking to is too young (to stay out late, or whatever). In this case, the はずなのに + んだもの is definitely a complaint. She should have been focused on the larger war, but she wound up more focused on her personal loyalty to Lelouch, ugh — sort of a sentiment. (Though, I'm sure, affectionate now.) ↩
8 Strong, dramatic phrasing here, because such strong dramatic phrasing would have swept Kallen off her feet and convinced her, as she elucidates, to follow him anywhere — even if it meant throwing away her morals and working for what she thought, at the time, was a mad tyrant. (Claims I've seen about this line, that Kallen wouldn't have even imagined Lelouch saying it hypothetically if she hadn't been completely sure he loved her — are extremely weird and based on nothing at all, lol.) ↩
9 Again, the present-tense here adding emphasis. ↩
10 好きになった=to come to care about, to learn to like, to fall in love with. This phrase is used platonically as well as romantically (you can, for example, talk about developing a taste for beer this way). Kallen almost certainly means it romantically, of course, given all the givens — but she's not necessarily talking about deep love; this wording could very easily be a crush. ↩
11 This and "Well" and a couple of other little flourishes have been added to the English in an attempt to convey the very casual tone of Kallen's entire message, which is full to the brim with ね: like she's talking casually, albeit in a heartfelt way, to a friend (or perhaps a boyfriend! if you want to interpret it that way!) — rather than writing a dramatic letter. ↩
Extolling the Brave Chivalry of Youth1
Before I met you, I was really just irritated.
I thought: "I want to change the world2,"
but though I lashed out, recklessly, I didn't actually believe I would be able to change anything.
When I lost my brother, it was like a heavy door had slammed shut behind me.
I wasn't going to let that go. I'd fight to the bitter end. There'd be no going back, I decided.
And then, someday, I'd die — just like my brother had.
To the end, Kouzuki Kallen would follow no leader, serve no master3.
Dimly, I'd thought that small, stubborn pride would be the end of me.
But then: like a morning star coming into view, you called for me4.
Whenever I was doing something for your sake, I felt lighter.
No battle was too difficult.
Whenever you directed us to a battlefield, I came running, wanting to be the first one there5.
I wanted to become a lion, to rip your enemies apart with my teeth.
To dirty myself with any amount of muck6, so long as it cleared the way for you.
It's strange, really, if you think about it.
It was supposed to be about loathing — and fighting against — Britannian despotism,
but before I knew it, I had all this personal loyalty to you7.
Hey, Lelouch.
That last moment we had together, with that kiss...
Well, if you'd said I love you8 back then, it wouldn't have mattered if it was a lie —
I still would have followed you all the way into your personal hell.
But you already knew that, didn't you?
Not very characteristic of you, was it.
Wasn't manipulating people by saying that sort of thing one of your talents...?
Yeah, that was so uncharacteristically... gentle.9
Maybe because you wanted to tell me to live on...?
Even though that sort of gentleness isn't at all why I fell for you10, heh11.
男侠青春謳
あなたに会うまで、私はただイラついてるだけだった。
現実を変えたいって思って、
怒りでガムシャラに行動してたけど、それで何かが変わるとは信じてなかった。
お兄ちゃんがいなくなって、私は背後で、重い扉が閉じる音を聞いた。
許さない。私は戦い抜く。絶対に後戻りはしないんだって決めた。
そうしていつか、お兄ちゃんと同じく、私も死ぬんだろう。
最後まで紅月カレンは、支配者たちに従わなかった。
そんな小さな意地を貫き通して、終わるんだろうって、うっすら感じてた。
そんなときにあなたは、夜明けの星みたいに現れて、私を誘ったんだ。
あなたのために、と思ったら、体が軽かった。
どんな戦いも辛くはなかった。
あなたの指し示す戦場に、一番乗りに駆けつけよう。
私は獅子になって、あなたの敵をかみ砕こう。
あなたの道をつくるために、どんな泥にも汚れよう。
考えてみれば不思議ね。
ブリタニアの専制主義が憎くて戦ってたはずなのに、
いつのまにか、あなたに個人的な忠識心を抱いていたんだもの。
ねえ、ルルーシュ。
あの別れのキスのとき、
嘘でもいいから「愛してる」って言ってくれたら、
私はあなたの地獄についていったのにね。
わかってたでしょう？
らしくなかったわね。
そんなこと言って、人を動かすの得意だったじゃない。
ほんと、らしくない優しさだわ。
私に生きろって言いたかったわけ？
そんな優しさのために、あなたを好きになったわけじゃなかったのにね。
1 This is the title of the first ending theme; other regret messages similarly take their titles from theme songs. This was released as part of an Original Soundtrack CD, after all. ↩
2 現実=reality, to be more literal. ↩
3 支配者たちに従わなかった = serve/follow/obey no masters/leaders/rulers. IMHO this use of たち makes perfect sense in Japanese, by "serve no masters" sounds somewhat grammatically awkward. Importantly, given what Kallen is about to talk about, I think she's speaking somewhat ironically about how she'd made this small vow to herself, but was about to wind up following/serving/etc Zero. ↩
4 The verb, 誘う, means to invite or to call for or to take someone along (and also to tempt/lure/entice/seduce); in this case, I think Kallen is referring both literally and metaphorically to Lelouch suddenly calling her on the radio in Stage 2 and guiding her to victory. ↩
5 Sudden volitional form on this and the next three lines, indicating (in this context) Kallen's strong intention to do [whatever]. The switch here to present-tense isn't literal, but rather a common device in Japanese writing to add a sense of emphasis and immediacy, sort of like when an English sentence begins with "Suddenly...!" ↩
6 Given the "title", likely a bit of a reference to the lyric 混濁の純潔この身は汚れても / Even if my purity is sullied and this self is dirtied. ↩
7 だもの is a sentence ending that indicates a reason in a tone of protest, such as 14歳だものね = "You're fourteen," where the speaker is probably pointing out that the person they're talking to is too young (to stay out late, or whatever). In this case, the はずなのに + んだもの is definitely a complaint. She should have been focused on the larger war, but she wound up more focused on her personal loyalty to Lelouch, ugh — sort of a sentiment. (Though, I'm sure, affectionate now.) ↩
8 Strong, dramatic phrasing here, because such strong dramatic phrasing would have swept Kallen off her feet and convinced her, as she elucidates, to follow him anywhere — even if it meant throwing away her morals and working for what she thought, at the time, was a mad tyrant. (Claims I've seen about this line, that Kallen wouldn't have even imagined Lelouch saying it hypothetically if she hadn't been completely sure he loved her — are extremely weird and based on nothing at all, lol.) ↩
9 Again, the present-tense here adding emphasis. ↩
10 好きになった=to come to care about, to learn to like, to fall in love with. This phrase is used platonically as well as romantically (you can, for example, talk about developing a taste for beer this way). Kallen almost certainly means it romantically, of course, given all the givens — but she's not necessarily talking about deep love; this wording could very easily be a crush. ↩
11 This and "Well" and a couple of other little flourishes have been added to the English in an attempt to convey the very casual tone of Kallen's entire message, which is full to the brim with ね: like she's talking casually, albeit in a heartfelt way, to a friend (or perhaps a boyfriend! if you want to interpret it that way!) — rather than writing a dramatic letter. ↩
