The Bird in the Cage 1,2
May. 2nd, 2010 06:56 pmDisclaimer: Don't own 'em, don't make money off 'em.
Notes: The title for this story comes from a Japanese song and game called "Kagome, Kagome."
Kagome, Kagome
Kago no nako no tori wa
Itsu, itsu deyaru?
Yoake no ban ni
Tsuru to kame ga subetta
Ushiro no shoumen dare?
English translation:
Kagome, kagome
The bird in the cage.
When will you come out?
In the evening of the dawn,
The crane and the turtle slipped.
Who stands right behind you now?
A ring of children with one child in the middle, like a reverse "Duck, Duck Goose." The "bird" has his/her eyes closed, and the children go around him/her as they sing the song. At the end, they stop, and the "bird" has to guess who's standing behind him/her. If he/she's right, then the one behind takes the "bird"'s place in the middle and the game goes on.
I thought "the bird in the cage" describes Hoshi's childhood, since she said she was mostly alone with tutors for her language talent, and this sparked an idea. Translations for Japanese and Swahili phrases are in bold. The suffixes -san is "Mr./Mrs.", -sama is honorfic for a Very Important Person, -chan is an affectionate name suffix, -sensei is "Professor or teacher".
Rating: T
( Chapter One )
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, don't make money off 'em.
Notes: Hoshi has a fateful meeting with Professor Hatayama that determines the course of her life.
Information on Tokyo University, Komaba Campus is on Wikipedia. Translation isn't as easy as it sounds...especially from an unfamiliar language with little in common with your own!
A few other notes:
Translations from Japanese in bold.
In Japanese, it's significant when someone gives you permission to use their given name. It implies trust. Colleagues who have worked for decades together would probably still refer to each other as "Lastname-san". So when Mwemina asks Hoshi to call her that, Hoshi's surprised, esp. given the honor bestowed on the elderly. Of course, when Archer tells Hoshi to call him "Jonathan", he isn't aware of the cultural significance, esp. given what the future will bring!
Please R&R. Thanks.
( Chapter Two )
Notes: The title for this story comes from a Japanese song and game called "Kagome, Kagome."
Kagome, Kagome
Kago no nako no tori wa
Itsu, itsu deyaru?
Yoake no ban ni
Tsuru to kame ga subetta
Ushiro no shoumen dare?
English translation:
Kagome, kagome
The bird in the cage.
When will you come out?
In the evening of the dawn,
The crane and the turtle slipped.
Who stands right behind you now?
A ring of children with one child in the middle, like a reverse "Duck, Duck Goose." The "bird" has his/her eyes closed, and the children go around him/her as they sing the song. At the end, they stop, and the "bird" has to guess who's standing behind him/her. If he/she's right, then the one behind takes the "bird"'s place in the middle and the game goes on.
I thought "the bird in the cage" describes Hoshi's childhood, since she said she was mostly alone with tutors for her language talent, and this sparked an idea. Translations for Japanese and Swahili phrases are in bold. The suffixes -san is "Mr./Mrs.", -sama is honorfic for a Very Important Person, -chan is an affectionate name suffix, -sensei is "Professor or teacher".
Rating: T
( Chapter One )
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, don't make money off 'em.
Notes: Hoshi has a fateful meeting with Professor Hatayama that determines the course of her life.
Information on Tokyo University, Komaba Campus is on Wikipedia. Translation isn't as easy as it sounds...especially from an unfamiliar language with little in common with your own!
A few other notes:
Translations from Japanese in bold.
In Japanese, it's significant when someone gives you permission to use their given name. It implies trust. Colleagues who have worked for decades together would probably still refer to each other as "Lastname-san". So when Mwemina asks Hoshi to call her that, Hoshi's surprised, esp. given the honor bestowed on the elderly. Of course, when Archer tells Hoshi to call him "Jonathan", he isn't aware of the cultural significance, esp. given what the future will bring!
Please R&R. Thanks.
( Chapter Two )