Elden Ring DLC-related musings
The story-trailer for the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion dropped, and I will covering the Japanese counterpart to the English one:
…ミケラ様は、仰っていた
はじまりは、誘惑と裏切りだった
黄金はそうして生まれ
また、影も生まれた
そして戦いが起こった
決して謳われぬ、隠された戦いが
祝福も、名誉もない、粛清が
…メスメルの火が
だから、ミケラ様は全てを棄てていく
その黄金の身体も、力も
宿命も
それでも、私たちは追う
あのお方の行く道を
…君も、そうなのだろう？
... Mikera-sama wa, osshatte ita
Hajimari wa, yûwaku to uragiri datta
Ougon wa sou shite umare
Mata, kage mo umareta
Soshite tatakai ga okotta
Kesshite utawarenu, kakusareta tatakai ga
Shukufukumo, meiyo mo nai, shukusei ga
... Mesumeru no hi ga
Dkara Mikera-sama wa subete wo sutete iku
Sono ougon no shintai mo, chikara mo
Shukumei mo
Sore demo, watashi-tachi wa ou
Ano o-kata no iku michi wo
... Kimi mo, sou na no darou?
My english translation:
"Lord Miquella hath said
There was betrayal and temptation in the beginning.
And how, like that, Gold was born
And Shadow as well.
And the war that occurred,
A concealed war that could not be extolled
Blessings and fame were purged
Due to Mesmer’s fire
Therefore Lord Mikela forsook everything
His golden body, his power,
Even his predestination.
And even then, we pursue,
This great one’s path,
Do you as well, friend?"
I chose to translate "sama" as "lord", which it fits in terms of formality.
Yûwaku can be tricky to translate since it refers to "seduction", "temptation" as well as "allurement", lit. "enticing confusion". The phrase "utawarenu" (...) "kakusareta", i.e. "no extollable" (...) "hidden/concealed", was equally difficult, but the sense is here that it is a battle that seems purged from history thanks to Mesmer's fire.
Shukumei can mean both "fate" and "destiny", but "predestination" fits the dramatic overtones of it, originally stemming from Buddhism.
"Great one" isn't a reference to eldritch, cosmic beings, but rather translating the word "o-kata", lit. "august/esteemed personage", which despite its grand literal meaning is merely a formal alternative to hito (person). Similarly, the beginning which says "Lord Miquella hath said", literally uses "ossharu", the honorific way of referring to when someone speaks, thus fitting together with "o-kata" and the overall tone of what appears to be Miquella's loyal knights.