Learning Through Lyrics, Part 2

So, let’s move on to part 2.

Second Line

Trust me もう何もおそれないで my dear 見えない糸で

Translation

Trust me / don’t be afraid of anything anymore                  my dear / for with an invisible thread

Vocabulary/ Grammar Notes

Mou

In this case, “mou” stands for the part I translated as “anymore.” That is, anymore, any longer, and so forth. Japanese: もう

Nani Mo

“Nani” is well known for representing “What?” in Japanese. Japanese: なに、何

“Mo” here is a particle. When the two are combined together, they represent nothing; nothing at all. However, as it would be awkward to write, “Be afraid of nothing,” putting it as “don’t be afraid of anything” flows off the English tongue better. Japanese: も

Osorenai De

This is a negative, volitional tense conjugation of osoreru, “To Be Afraid.” The volitional tense normally urges someone to do something; it is asking, not telling. Therefore, rather than saying, “be afraid, be very afraid,” this is saying, don’t be afraid. (Pretty please?) Japanese: おそれない

Mienai

This is the negative non-past (that is, not clearly past, and probably present, but possibly short-term future also) of “mieru,” “To Be Visible.” That is, to be in the state of being visible. Consequently, something that is not in this state is, by implication, invisible. Japanese: みえない、見えない

Ito

This word, “ito,” simply represents thread. It is written in kanji form here. Japanese: いと、糸

De (Particle)

This “de” is not part of the verb. Rather, it is defining what immediately precedes it as something related to a verb, but that is neither the subject, nor a direct or indirect object, to the verb. This is why I use the translation “with.” Japanese: で

This last part dovetails into Line 3, so tune in later to see how!

J Sensei

About J Sensei

Blogger, writer, linguist, former Japanese> English translator, rusty in French, experienced in Japanese, fluent English native. Writing for Technorati.com and various blogs. Skype: jeremiah.bourque (messages always welcome). E-mail: [email protected]
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