[Song] Tabisuru Ulysses – Traveling Ulysses Butterfly (Kanata Solo)
Index
Full Size Lyrics - Highlights Playlist - Translation Notes
Full Lyrics
旅するユリシス – Tabisuru Ulysses
Traveling Ulysses Butterfly
Note: Italics indicate the lyrics sung in English.
| Lightly, the gentle breeze rocks the flower petals Fluttery, we wave our hands to one another “Goodbye, blue wings” Goodbye, the flowers blooming in that horizon1 That’s where I’m headed |
| Chasing after the sun, this is the time of day when all is dyed in sunset red Everyone’s going home, aren’t they? Goodbye The guidepost looks to be fading away from view; are you going home, too? I truly hope we can meet again tomorrow |
| Sound asleep, just the gentle breeze in quiet darkness Only I am awake, now lost in the forest Goodnights are nowhere to be heard Goodnight, I murmur to myself, and softly rest my wings |
| At some point, Within the free sky, I was entranced Stretching my wings, all alone I once felt as though I could go on my own anywhere |
| Free as I am, I realized I forgot all about the place I’m to return to I journey with the light, as the Ulysses2 |
| Growing tired of waiting for the sun, just wanting to exchange “Good morning”s Within the forest of the night, I hold my breath Hoping that you, who rises early, will notice me again I drift into a dream-like, light dream |
| Please shine on my way O Guidepost Please shine on Shine on my way |
| Sparkly, waking up to the morning sun are the flower petals Here I am, we smile at each other “Good morning, blue wings” Good morning, thank you It’s time to continue the journey |
For more details about this song’s lyrics, please check the translation notes!
Highlights Playlist
To celebrate the release of his new solo, Kanata prepared his own recommendation song playlist! Click below for a translation of each recommended song ♪
Songs Directory
Ryuseitai Yumenosaki Era
Ryuseitai ES!! Era (1st Rotation)
Ryuseitai ES!! Era (2nd Rotation)
Shuffles, Collabs, etc.
Translation Notes
(1.) This song is associated with Kanata’s Bright Me Up!! Scout: crossing past the [vast ocean]. It is extremely recommended to read the story as well as Kanata’s card & outfit details!
(2.) For Kanata’s previous solo songs, marine blue rendezvous and happy drops, the official lyrics are written in hiragana only. Hiragana-only text is an extremely unique trait of how Kanata speaks, and doesn’t reflect how the Japanese language is typically used. On the other hand, Tabisuru Ulysses is the first time Kanata’s solo song lyrics are written as they typically would be in Japanese: with the use of kanji, katakana, hiragana, and English mixed together.
(3.) To add to the above, Kanata has sung lyrics that were written as they typically would be (with kanji and hiragana mixed in), including in his center/leader song, Bokura no Stella. There are also some songs where his lines are in hiragana only, such as Tenka Muteki ☆ Meteoranger! and Ryusei Hanabi.
(4.) See here for an article detailing information about the Ulysses butterfly. In Japanese articles, it is typically regarded as “the butterfly of happiness”, and is said that encountering three of them in the same day could bring about happiness to the person. More information in Japanese can be found here.
(5.) This is completely my own speculations, but I wanted to point out some interesting things I noticed. Please note this is purely my own intepretations of the song. Hover/Tap the text to see!
The lyrics “good bye/good morning, blue wings” implies that there is only one butterfly with those wings, i.e. the Ulysses is a one-of-a-kind in that area.
The guidepost could be many different things, but since it’s fading from view at around the same time the sun is setting, and the lyrics say “I truly hope we can meet again tomorrow” (implying something that isn’t 100% consistent), plus the Ulysses “journeys with the light”; one possible interpretation is that sunlight/sunrays (and maybe even the clear skies to see the light from the sun) are the Ulysses’ guidepost.
I get the impression that the song’s Ulysses butterfly is inspired by both migratory butterflies (as mentioned in Kanata’s story) and the Ulysses butterfly itself (for its vivid blue color).
- ↑ Kanata says chiheisen for “horizon”, and it specifically refers to the horizon between the land and sky. This is unlike the “horizon” found in his first solo, marine blue rendezvous. In that solo, it’s suiheisen, which refers to the horizon between the sea and sky.
- ↑ For the Ulysses butterfly, please check the translation notes for more information! I also recommend the story for Kanata’s thoughts on the butterfly imagery.