Akiko Shikata is a singer-songwriter, musician and soundtrack composer. A t… Read Full Bio ↴Akiko Shikata is a singer-songwriter, musician and soundtrack composer. A tricky artist to categorize, her works incorporate various genres such as neoclassical darkwave, world music, experimental, jazz, synthpop, new age, classical, ambient, and more ordinary Japanese pop, among many others. She launched her career in 2001, with the vocal EP Midori no mori de nemuru tori ("Sleeping Bird in the Green Forest"), which she made on her own using a synth and a laptop. In 2002, she released an instrumental album, Kurenawi, showing various influences such as Caribbean music, traditional Japanese folk and classical piano music. In 2003, she released her first full-length vocal album, Haikyo to Rakuen ("Ruins and Heaven"), showing influences from Old Europe, classical and ethnic music, in which she sang Italian poetry, but also Japanese lyrics and what is seemingly an invented language ("Iuripuka"). This album gained critical success in Japan through the indie music platform Muzie, where it stayed on top of the sales for two years.

Her latest release is the avant-garde album Ayashi (2018) which could be labeled as world fusion.

ヒュメン
志方あきこ Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Πόσο βαθύ είναι το ποτάμι που μας χωρίζει.
我等を隔てる河の何と深き事か
Με αποτρέπει να εκφράσω πόνο ένα αίσθημα.
ただ一つの思いを伝える事すら叶わない
Η γλώσσα μου δεν έχει δύναμη.
我が舌の無力さよ

Βαθιά θλίψη που μοιάζει με απελπισία.

絶望にも似た深き哀切
Τα πάντα φαίνονται σαν επακόλουθο ενός εφιάλτη.
全てが悪い夢の続きの様

Οποιαδήποτε λέξη που βγαίνει από τα χείλια
尽した言の葉も唇を零れると
εξατμίζεται και εξαφανίζεται.
霧となり消えてしまう

Αχ, σου έδειξα την αγάπη μου,
ああ私の愛は伝われど
αλλά γιατί αυτή η ευχή δεν φτάνει σε αένα;
何故この願いは届かない？

Η υπερηφάνεια μου τώρα έχει γίνει
この身に纏う誇りが
βαριές και σκοτεινές χειροπέδες.
今重く暗い枷になる

Αναρωτιέμαι μήπως αν τα πετάξω όλα και γονατίσω οτα πόδια σον,
何もかも捨ててその足にひれ伏せば
οι χειροπέδες αυτές θα ξεκλειδωθούν;
この錘(オモリ)は外れるのだろうか

Ακούγεται ο ήχος του γραναζιού με τη κακόφωνη στριγκλιά.
歯車の音が聞こえる耳障りに軋みながら
Πλησιάζει το γρανάζι βγάζοντας μαύρο καπνό.
歯車が近づいてくる暗黒の煤を吐きながら

Αχ, η μοίρα που κρύβεται στη σκιά της ευτυχίας.
ああ幸福の影に潜む運命

Η κλωστή που δένει τους δυο μας είναι λεπτή και εύθραυστη.
二人を繋ぐ糸は細く脆い

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "ヒュメン" by 志方あきこ are reflective and introspective, touching on themes of separation, despair, and the power and limitations of language. The opening lines speak of a deep river dividing the singer from the object of their affection, preventing them from expressing their pain and emotions. They lament the powerlessness of their tongue to convey their singular thought, and the deep sorrow, bordering on despair, that follows. The singer wonders if throwing away everything and kneeling at their beloved's feet would free them from the heavy and dark shackles that now bind them. The song ends on a note of uncertainty, with the fragile thread that binds the two lovers together hanging by a delicate thread.

Overall, the song conveys a sense of intense longing and an awareness of the fragility of human connection. The language used is poetic and evocative, and the imagery of dark, heavy shackles and a thin, fragile thread adds to the sense of weight and tension conveyed throughout the song.

Line by Line Meaning

Πόσο βαθύ είναι το ποτάμι που μας χωρίζει.
Πόσο μακριά είμαστε.

Με αποτρέπει να εκφράσω πόνο ένα αίσθημα.
Δεν μπορώ να επικοινωνήσω τα αισθήματά μου.

Η γλώσσα μου δεν έχει δύναμη.
Δεν μπορώ να εκφράσω αυτά που νιώθω.

Βαθιά θλίψη που μοιάζει με απελπισία.
Δυσκολία να ξεχάσω τον πόνο.

Τα πάντα φαίνονται σαν επακόλουθο ενός εφιάλτη.
Όλα φαίνονται σαν ένας εφιάλτης.

Οποιαδήποτε λέξη που βγαίνει από τα χείλια εξατμίζεται και εξαφανίζεται.
Οποιαδήποτε λέξη φεύγει από το στόμα μου αδιάφορα.

Αχ, σου έδειξα την αγάπη μου, αλλά γιατί αυτή η ευχή δεν φτάνει σε αένα;
Αισθάνομαι αδύναμος παρόλο που σου έδειξα την αγάπη μου.

Η υπερηφάνεια μου τώρα έχει γίνει βαριές και σκοτεινές χειροπέδες.
Η υπερηφάνειά μου με εμποδίζει να προχωρήσω.

Αναρωτιέμαι μήπως αν τα πετάξω όλα και γονατίσω οτα πόδια σον, οι χειροπέδες αυτές θα ξεκλειδωθούν;
Αναρωτιέμαι αν εγώ τα παρατήσω, θα απαλλαγώ από τους προβληματισμούς μου.

Ακούγεται ο ήχος του γραναζιού με τη κακόφωνη στριγκλιά.
Άκουσα την αρρωστημένη σχέση μας.

Πλησιάζει το γρανάζι βγάζοντας μαύρο καπνό.
Η σχέση μας προχωρά προς το κακό.

Αχ, η μοίρα που κρύβεται στη σκιά της ευτυχίας.
Η μοίρα μας έχει ήδη αποφασιστεί και κρύβεται στις σκιές της ευτυχίας.

Η κλωστή που δένει τους δυο μας είναι λεπτή και εύθραυστη.
Η σχέση μας είναι επιτακτική, αλλά εύθραυστη και επιρρεπής στην καταστροφή.

Contributed by David P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

Sakon Ke

6y↑82

I'm greek and I find this wonderful! I don't really care if the pronunciation isn't exactly accurate as some other greeks pointed out. It is supposed to make it feel like muses are singing it in an ancient world. It is a beautiful fantasy world inspired by ancient greek mythology. I find it very artistic. Also, it was a trend in 1950s-60s for greek singers to use a ''foreign pronunciation'' in their songs. To me, it does not sound weird but beautifull. In music you're allowed to bend the rules of the language some times, especially if the result is as euphonious as this.

Princess

The legend of Hymen is quite difficult to read. Can you tell me about it? I'm looking for information to write a novel.(QAQ)
As far as I know...
1) Hymen is the son of Calliope and Apollo. He is the brother of Orpheus. (Short story telling the contents of the music album)
2) Hymen was a young human who was chasing after a noble woman. to the point of disguising herself as a woman to attend the ceremony only for women in order not to be out of sight And in the end, the ceremony ended with the incident where all the women were kidnapped.

Ilias Papadopoulos

9y↑26

Thank you for uploading this video! I'm Greek an I feel so proud that Akiko Shikata has songs with Greek lyrics! :D
And the lyrics are awesome!!

MoundKallef Benoit

8y↑1

How is her Greek? Are there many mistakes in the lyrics? It's a beautiful language btw. :)

Ilias Papadopoulos

8y↑12

Her pronunciation is a bit stranger but still good! The lyrics are very beautiful and there are no mistakes! The Japanese person who wrote it is really good! Even though I don't like Greek music I love listening to Akiko Shikata's Greek songs :D Thank you :)

Ilias Papadopoulos

Yep I've listened to these albums many times so far :D

Peijiang Xie

7y↑1

Ilias Papadopoulos Nice. I have been listening her songs for many years. Her songs are really fantastic and exotic. These songs often give me inspiration to draw

NadiaBakker

9y↑5

Are there translations of this song in english, spanish or portuguese anywhere? It sounds beautiful, I wish I could understand what the lyrics are saying...