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.

Se l'aura Spira
志方あきこ Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Se l'aura spira tutta vezzosa, la fresca rosa ridente sta,
La siepe ombrosa di bei smeraldi d'estivi caldi timor non ha.

A balli, a balli, liete venite, ninfe gradite, fior di beltà.
Or, che sì chiaro il vago fonte dall'alto monte al mar sen'va.
Al canto, al canto, ninfe ridenti, scacciate i venti di crudeltà!

Suoi dolci versi spiega l'augello, e l'arboscello fiorito sta,

Un volto bello all'omra accanto sol si dia vanto d'haver pietà.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Se l'aura spira" by 志方あきこ are in Italian and can be translated into English as follows:

"If the breeze blows all lovely, the smiling fresh rose stands,
The shady hedge of beautiful emeralds has no fear of summer heat.

Come, happy nymphs, beautiful flowers, come dance, come dance.
Now the beautiful fountain flows from the high mountain to the sea.
Sing, laughing nymphs, banish the winds of cruelty!

The bird explains his sweet verses, and the blooming tree stands,
A beautiful face next to the shadow only dares to boast of having pity."

The song seems to be a love song, which talks about enjoying the beauty of nature and finding solace in its enchanting elements. Through the imagery of beautiful flowers, singing birds, and a calming breeze, the lyrical message appears to encourage listeners to let go of their worries and find joy in the present moment. The love between the singer and the recipient is not explicit in the song, but there is a hint of it through the last verse that suggests that the singer finds comfort in the company of their loved one.

Line by Line Meaning

Se l'aura spira tutta vezzosa, la fresca rosa ridente sta,
If the wind blows gracefully, the fresh and lively roses flourish

La siepe ombrosa di bei smeraldi d'estivi caldi timor non ha.
The shady hedge adorned with beautiful emeralds has no fear of scorching summer heat

A balli, a balli, liete venite, ninfe gradite, fior di beltà.
Come, let's dance and enjoy the beautiful nymphs, the flowers of beauty

Or, che sì chiaro il vago fonte dall'alto monte al mar sen'va.
Now that the charming fountain flows from the high mountain to the sea

Al canto, al canto, ninfe ridenti, scacciate i venti di crudeltà!
Sing, oh smiling nymphs, let us drive away the cruel winds!

Suoi dolci versi spiega l'augello, e l'arboscello fiorito sta,
The sweet bird explains its verses, and the flowery grove flourishes

Un volto bello all'omra accanto sol si dia vanto d'haver pietà.
A beautiful face should only take pride in showing compassion to those nearby

Contributed by Benjamin G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS