September 17, 2006

Afterword (A Thousand Leagues of Wind)

In the penultimate sentence of Youko's speech, I'm paraphrasing the last line of "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley, which is actually quite close to the original Japanese (lit. "We are each the one and only ruler of the domain that is the self"). It is certainly a nice note to end on.

                        Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstances
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of change
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the year
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

I'm also channeling a little "If" by Kipling.

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Comments
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous
9/17/2006 8:22 AM   
Great story! Thanks for the translation

What's next! What's next! (jumps up and down with hands clasped in anticipation)
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous
9/17/2006 4:12 PM   
Thanks for the translation!!!!!!!
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous
9/18/2006 7:06 AM   
Thank you for another wonderful translation! I became a huge fan of 12 Kingdoms when I randomly rented the DVDs of the anime series from my local video store. Being able to read the novels in English has been a real treat, and I hope you are willing and able to keep up the good work! I have also enjoyed the opportunity to read your other writings on your website, so no matter what, I'll visit again!
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous
9/27/2006 1:17 PM   
Great thanks for your work. \(^o^)\ /(^o^)/

I really awaited the day when it's done and I can start reading it in one go (I knew that I wouldn't be able to stop).
What a nice coincidence that a Bank Holiday is coming up over here in Germany :)
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous
9/30/2006 6:37 AM   
congratulations on doing a job well done!!!
it was (i believe) a very good translation... :)
i am very much looking forward for what's coming! (and i hope it will be this interesting)

so what's next?

thanks once again!!!

***ph
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous
10/01/2006 6:41 PM   
Can I suggest "The Shore in Twilight, the Sky in Daybreak"? The other site isn't going to finish it so you wouldn't be duplicating their work. Thanks for great stories! :-)
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous
4/02/2009 4:22 AM   
Thank you very very much for all that hard work and translation ;D
I love the anime - 12 Kingdoms - but as it is it ends with 'only' 45 episodes... It always made me wonder what happened after...^^
And not being able to read japanese made me think 'if I ever will know what happened next' ;)
Once again thank you *deep bow* and please consider translating the other books of The Twelve Kingdoms ;D
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous
5/23/2009 11:55 PM   
I thank you very much for the translation. I've been working to obtain a competent understanding of Japanese myself to read these novels, but that's still a very long way away for me. So really, thank you very much!
# posted by Blogger Greki
6/19/2009 1:13 PM   
To tell you the truth at first I was very reluctant to read your translations, because even before I saw the anime, I read the TokyoPop books and I was deeply, truly impressed. They stirred in me feelings which I haven't felt in a good while from many stories.

Because of that, when I saw your translations while I was investigating the next books, I thought to myself "I'll only spoil the story if I read the translations from another person."

I'm grateful, though, that in the end I did, indeed, decide to read your translation of Kaze no Banri, because not only you took great care in the redaction of the story, but you also provided notes on many things that otherwise I would not have understood. I'm still going to buy the rest of the official books and read them, but now and forever Kaze no Banri will appear in my head in the words of your writing.

...And, girl, what words!

Thank you, truly, I enjoyed the whole trip.

On to the next book!
# posted by Blogger Sage
3/16/2010 6:04 PM   
Thank you for going to the great effort of translating this book, and all of the rest. Your translation is one with a lot of thought and care, and I am most impressed in how you were able to breathe such character into Yoko and her companions. I highly enjoyed this, and I wish you luck in your present projects as well.
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous
2/02/2012 6:35 PM   
I found your translation after a bit of searching and it is the best one I have found. Your translation is very coherent and detailed it was also very easy to follow despite the complexity of the story. Thank you for such great work!