This song may sound like a slightly dark fairy tale if you’re only listening to it, and to the album version at that, where miko’s ultra nasal high-pitched singing makes you think of a little 8-year-old girl. But if you read the lyrics as written in the liner notes, it turns into a tale fit for Criminal Minds.

I don’t think the translations currently out there (at least in English & Spanish) get the full story. What’s more, all the ones I’ve seen have errors that show an incomplete grasp of the Japanese language. But to be fair, I think some mistakes occurred because fan translators were trying to make sense of a story while probably missing a key part:

The red arrow in the photo above is pointing to the phrase 無口な皆様 (mukuchina mina-sama), which can be translated as “everyone silent.” Above that is written, as furigana, the word プレゼント (purezento) meaning “presents.” This is the word that miko actually sings, and it’s all that’s given on even Japanese lyrics sites. Taking both sets of words into account helps everything fall into place.

So, on to it! My English translation follows the kanji & romanization below. I’ve also translated miko’s blog post about this song.

☆

リトル・メアリーと美しき憎しみのドナウ

許してくれるかな
ママの大事なリング
どこかになくしてしまったの
ごめんなさい

メアリー　どこにいるの
まさか　私のリング
今すぐ　ここへお戻りなさい
お仕置きよ

痛いわ　もうやめて
わたし探してくるわ
森の奥　沼の底だって

いつからか　わたし達は
壊れてしまったの
二人きり　お城の中
痛みだけが安らぎだから

ねえパパ　抱きしめて
息も出来ないくらいに
冷たく止まったまま
何故目覚めないの？

16の誕生日
招待状を書くわ
この娘を満たす皆様へ

恋をした　白馬の騎士
街一番のシェフ
道を示す　神父様に
おもてなしの毒入りワイン

ねえパパ　賑やかでしょう
このワルツが終わったら
並べよう　無口な皆様　（プレゼント）
月だけが見ている

いつからか　コレクションは
お城を埋め尽くし
それでもまだ　一番奥
お気に入りの席が空いてるわ

哀れなお妃は
メアリーに毒を盛った
「誰にも渡さない」と
優しい笑顔で

ねえパパ　抱きしめて
息も出来ないくらいに
今すぐそこへ逝くわ
メアリーと共に

Ritoru Mearii to Utsukushiki Nikushimi no Donau

Note: In this section, italicized words in brackets represent what’s actually sung for the word(s) written in the lyrics that immediately precede them.

yurushitekureru kana
mama no daijina ringu
dokoka ni nakushiteshimatta no
gomen nasai

mearii doko ni iru no
masaka watashi no ringu
ima sugu koko he omodorinasai
oshioki yo

itai wa mou yamete
watashi sagashitekuru wa
mori no oku numa no soko datte

itsukaraka watashi-tachi wa
kowareteshimatta no
futarikiri oshiro no naka
itami dake ga yasuragi dakara

nee papa dakishimete
iki mo dekinai kurai ni
tsumetaku tomatta mama
naze mezamenai no?

juu-roku no tanjoubi
shoutaijou wo kaku wa
kono musume [“ko”] wo mitasu mina-sama he

koi wo shita hakuba no kishi
machi ichiban no shefu
michi wo shimesu shimpu-sama ni
omotenashi no dokuiri wain

nee papa nigiyaka deshou
kono warutsu ga owattara
narabeyou mukuchina mina-sama [“purezento”]
tsuki dake ga miteiru

itsukaraka korekushon wa
oshiro wo umetsukushi
soredemo mada ichiban oku
oki ni iri no seki ga aiteru wa

awarena okisaki wa
mearii ni doku wo motta
“dare ni mo watasanai” to
yasahii egao de

nee papa dakishimete
iki mo dekinai kurai ni
ima sugu soko he iku wa
mearii to tomo ni

Little Mary and the Blue Danube of Hate¹

Wonder if Mommy will forgive me
I lost her precious ring somewhere
I’m so sorry!

Mary, where are you?
I cannot believe my ring is gone!
Return here at once!
I am going to punish you!

Ow, that hurts! Please stop!
I’ll go look for it everywhere,
In the depths of the forest, even at the bottom of the swamp!

When did we fall apart?
Just the two of us, alone in this castle
Since pain is the only thing that makes us feel at ease…

Daddy, hold me so tight I can barely even breathe
You’re still cold and motionless
Why won’t you wake up?

For her 16th birthday,
I’ll write invitations for everyone who appeases my daughter

The doting knight on a white horse,
The best chef in town,
The priest who shows us the way,²
We’ll treat them all to poisoned wine!

Daddy, isn’t it splendid?
Once this waltz ends,
Let’s line up all our silent presents³
Only the moon is watching

When did our collection completely fill the castle?⁴
And yet, all the way in the back,
Our favorite seat remains empty…

With a gentle smile, the disconsolate Queen
Served Mary poison
Saying, “I won’t give her to anyone”

Daddy, hold me so tight I can barely even breathe
I’m going there right away⁵
Together with Mary

miko Blog, May 14, 2012
“Ritoru Mearii to Utsukushiki Nikushimi no Donau”

Yurushite kureru kana?
Mama no daijina ringu

Moving to the rhythm of the waltz, today I’m bringing you “Little Mary and the Blue Danube of Hate.” This song had been included on a previous recording, so this time, I want to explain some things for those who haven’t seen it live yet.

[Note: Here miko briefly sidetracks to mention a show the band was on]

But getting back to the main topic, “Little Mary and the Blue Danube of Hate” is one of our most story-like songs. So when we perform it live, we put on Venetian masks and Phantom of the Opera masks, and each one of us takes on a role. Sometimes there are people in the audience who bring their own mask to wear for this song. It ends up feeling like we really are at a masquerade ball. It’s wonderful!

But guess what?

What happens during the dance between Mary and the Knight is different depending on the show.

Just as songs develop through each live performance, the characters in this story are living, breathing things that gradually evolve. Maybe someday this whole story will take a big step forward.

Also, had you noticed the soft sounds of a violin after the band finishes playing? I put a certain special meaning into that performance.

When? Who’s playing? What are they feeling then?

I won’t reveal those answers just yet.

Please pay attention to the story that isn’t included in the lyrics.

---

^1. The title of this song refers to one of the most famous waltzes ever, “The Blue Danube” by Johan Strauss II, which is known in Japanese as 「美しく青きドナウ」 (utsukushiku aoki donau) meaning “beautifully blue Danube.” However, the Strauss piece is usually referred to by English speakers as simply “The Blue Danube,” without the word “beautiful” in it. I had also considered going with “Little Mary and the Beautiful Waltz of Hate,” because I think miko is using “The Blue Danube” to refer to waltzes in general. ⤴

^2. While it may well be that Mary loved the knight, in this verse what we’re told is that the knight loved her. As for the priest, he’s not telling people how to go from Point A to Point B. 道 (michi, “street”) can also mean “way” as in The Way (morals). ⤴

^3. This is the line I had pointed out at the beginning of this post. The sung lyrics say “Let’s line up the presents,” while the written lyrics say “Let’s line up all the silent people.” So, the “presents” are actually the poisoned guests. ⤴

^4. This line is very clear, yet often translated incorrectly. コレクションはお城を. Since を (wo) is the direct-object marker, it’s the castle which is receiving the action of the verb 埋め尽くす (umetsukusu, meaning “to fill completely”) which is being carried out by the subject “collection.” So, the castle is filled to bursting with a collection, probably of corpses. Yikes! ⤴

^5. The kanji used here for “iku” is 逝く rather than 行く. The former means “to die” while the latter means “to go.” ⤴