Translation: Meguru Kisetsu
I've tried to be as accurate as I could, but still I can't vouch for anything. As always, please feel free to correct and comment.
Spring
[The sound of wind blowing through the trees…ah, natsukashii! Ahem…]
Shuurei: Nee Ryuuki, when I met you for the first time, it was under a full blown cherry tree, wasn’t it? Ryuuki, please give me your hand.
[Ryuuki puts his hand into Shuueri’s]
Shuurei: Your hand is warm…so warm…hey, I wonder if you still want to marry me? If the engagement from ten years ago is still valid, that is.
Saiunkoku Drama CD Meguru Kisetsu (Circling Seasons)
Summer
[The sound of cicadas]
Seiran: Ojou-sama, would you like to drink something? What about I squeeze some summer oranges for you?
Shuurei: Perfect! My throat was so dry! But it’s so hot…can you dip the oranges in cold water?
Seiran: The cold might be bad for you.
Shuurei: Oh no, it’s fine. Even the child inside me says so.
[Shuurei is pregnant at this point of time]
Seiran: Can I ask you something?
Shuurei: What is it, Seiran?
Seiran: What made ojou-sama retire from being an officer and enter the Inner Palace?
[There is a slight pause]
Shuurei: Hmm…there were many reasons.
Seiran: Reasons?
Shuurei: You know, that person…Ryuuki…could have chosen any woman besides me. A woman who would not have wounded his heart.
Seiran: Yeah…
Shuurei: He hates to fight, and always turns his face away from things he doesn’t like… somehow he’s always ready to flee. But in spite of being the most afraid of being abandoned, he still chose me. To choose me is the same as eventually losing me…in spite of knowing that he might be irreparably, deeply wounded, he still found me necessary to his life.
Seiran: So you finally submitted to the Emperor’s wish?
Shuurei: No. That person never asked for something from me. It was I who decided.
Seiran: I don’t understand…
Shuurei: Nee Seiran, till some time ago, I was really arrogant. I did the things I liked, and in that if my time drew near, I thought it would be fine to just give the rest of my time to the Emperor. I only thought about myself. I knew that I was the one who could influence him the most, so I didn’t need to be careful (?)…what shameless conceit!
Seiran: Ojou-sama…
Shuurei: But that person changed in ten years…I wasn’t the one who was substituted. The Emperor had chosen and decided that for himself…he is capable of doing that. He didn’t have one reason to endure for my sake. Ryuuki didn’t snatch a thing away from me. Even when it became painful to the point of breaking his heart, just because I am important to him, he would at the end of his endurance, come to me and return only after one hug - he is that kind of a person.
Seiran: I know…
Shuurei: At that time I decided to give him the rest of my time. I wanted to return his feelings and make him very important to me. Nee Seiran, that person surely feels a hole somewhere in his heart. That’s why he desperately searches for things to seal that gap. But his fear of being hurt by abandonment only causes that gap to become wider. Still he chose me. Even if I couldn’t reciprocate satisfactorily, even if I couldn’t reciprocate anytime soon…
Seiran: Ojou-sama…
Shuurei: …that gentle person loved me the most. That’s why I wanted to make him more important to me than life itself. I didn’t want him to return alone once more. I wanted to see his happy face rather than his lonely face. (I wanted) the two of us (to stay) beside that person, until my time comes.
[Seiran starts sobbing….nope, not lying, listen to the CD for proof]
Shuurei: Seiran, can I ask for something? If (when I'm gone) Ryuuki disappears somewhere on his own please search him out? He doesn’t like being alone, but when he’s depressed he tends to wanders off on his own. As though he is waiting for someone.
Seiran: I know…since long ago…
Shuurei: Isn’t it? If Seiran is here, Ryuuki will be fine. That’s why even if he goes off somewhere, please go after him.
Seiran: Yes. Even if the Emperor becomes paralyzed in the dark, I’ll surely find him. Until he feels ready to smilingly return, no matter how long it is, I’ll wait beside him. Even…even if a time comes when ojou-sama is no more in this world…I won’t leave the Emperor’s side even once. I promise.
Autumn
[There is a knock on the door]
Kouyuu: Sorry to intrude.
Shuurei: Kouyuu-sama! Are you alone?
Kouyuu: Yeah…how’s your condition?
Shuurei: Oh, I’m really fine. Just a little worn out from sitting all summer. But what’s more surprising is Kouyuu-sama coming to my room all by himself without even losing his way!
Kouyuu: We-well, if you think I always lose my way inside the palace then you’re totally wrong!
Shuurei [laughing]: I suppose so…I’m sorry.
Kouyuu: It’s okay… [clears his throat] Enough about me, but the Emperor’s condition is a little weird. Don’t you think so?
Shuurei: No…
Kouyuu: No…he has definitely changed. Since the death of Yuushun-dono, before we could realize he ended up erecting a small partitioning screen in relation to me, Shuuei and Seiran.
Shuurei: It’s okay. That's because Ryuuki doesn’t want to be called selfish by all of you. He wants to be a good kid. It won’t do to be otherwise…that’s how he feels. You can say he lacks confidence, but that’s usual, isn’t it? Everybody wants to protect the people they love.
Kouyuu: I’m seeing the same in relation to you now. In the past the Emperor was only called selfish by you.
Shuurei: Yes...I guess I was wrong…I wonder if he is still feeling afraid.
Kouyuu: Afraid?
Shuurei: Because he thinks that he let his beloved Yuushun-sama die by being selfish and coveting more than he should. Of course, he is mistaken.
Kouyuu: Mistaken?
[Kouyuu does repeat a lot, doesn’t he?]
Shuurei: Even I used to think in the past that by granting everything according to Yuushun-sama’s wish maybe Ryuuki is unwittingly committing an error…I wondered if that was correct. But I realized one day that even by giving him (Yuushun) as much as he wanted, nothing would have changed (he would have died in any case). That’s why I’m fine now. Ryuuki and I have come so far…somewhere, little by little, we became strong, we became gentle, we became deep, and thus we changed. Even if something was difficult in the past, if it befalls us now, we can accept it. It’s because Kouyuu-sama, too, felt that same way that he came here, didn’t he?
Kouyuu: I don’t understand if I’m the elder one or you are. Yes, it might be so. Since I’ve grown older now, things that weren’t so clear to me in the past are becoming a bit clearer now. After being so dead wrong, losing my way, taking detours and then reaching here at last I feel like enlightening him, since he’s so confused over so many things. Whatever happens, I want to stay by his side and at least do something for him. Even if not as much as Yuushun-dono, but at least to some extent. That’s all I wanted. But that fool ended up even confusing me!
Shuurei: He fears losing you. He doesn’t want to lose you like he lost Yuushun-sama. Because he loves you a lot.
Kouyuu: Shuurei, he loves you. No…he’s afraid of losing you.
Shuurei: You seem worried…I won’t die or anything.
Kouyuu: The Emperor thinks that he himself bound you. That he snatched the life of an officer from you.
Shuurei: I haven’t relinquished anything. If I want something, no matter where it is, I’ll go to grasp it in my hand. It’s just that what I want is here, right now. Once I make it my own, I’ll go to achieve my next wish.
Kouyuu [laughing]: Sounds like you.
Shuurei: That’s me!
Kouyuu: Is it alright if you grant it?
Shuurei: I understand. Ryuuki still hasn’t had enough that’s why he roams around with a lonely face. Please give that person plenty until he would cry because it will never run out.
Kouyuu: Yes, that’s correct.
Shuurei: Kouyuu-sama, can I request something? If that person sits alone somewhere somehow, please remain by his side until he can stand again. Please grasp his hand and pull him up. If you do that, I’m sure he’ll be fine.
Kouyuu: Yes…even though I said I don’t like that guy, I’ll stay by his side till the day I die. I’ll live a long life. If I can win over Yuushun-dono in some area, it is perhaps there.
Shuurei: Kouyuu-sama...
Kouyuu: You also live long and then the two of us will rile him a lot.
Shuurei [laughing]: Yes!
Winter
[Sound of a snow storm. Brrrr! A door closes]
Shuuei: The snow has piled up heavily, ne?
Shuurei: Ran-shougun! I’m afraid it’s so…but inside the room it’s considerably warmer. Ryuuki is very fussy about keeping it warm.
Shuuei: That’s natural. The cold is the arch enemy of pregnant women. That too, when the child can be born any minute.
Shuurei: Yes, she's planning to come out soon, I think. Even I want to meet this child soon. I want to show her to Ryuuki.
Shuuei: Shuurei-dono, you have said ‘it’s alright’ to shujou, didn’t you?
Shuurei: Yes.
Shuuei: This is no circumstance for things to be ‘alright’. Shujou can’t go on after losing Shuurei-dono. Under that circumstance, I don't know if us being here is ‘alright’ or the child inside you will eventually support shujou, that's why it’s ‘alright’.
Shuurei: Why cast such a burden on a child that hasn’t even been born yet?
Shuuei: Then why? Why are you saying ‘it’s alright’? I don’t understand at all. If you see the Emperor you’ll understand.
Shuurei [laughing]: Ran-shougun, you really love Ryuuki, don’t you?
Shuuei: This is no laughing matter.
Shuurei: I’m sorry…but I’m glad. There is a scope for things to be alright one day. Having decided to become his wife, I know him better than anybody that’s why I am saying so.
Shuuei: I’m not sure. More than welcoming a new life, shujou is more strongly afraid of losing you.
Shuurei: But I won’t die or anything.
Shuuei: Do you really believe~
Shuurei: It’s alright. Really. Besides, Ryuuki is not someone to ignore a crying child for long. Because he, more than anybody, understands the feelings of a child who can’t stop crying. That’s the man I love.
Shuuei: Shuurei-dono…
Shuurei: Can I ask something? If Ryuuki becomes absentminded please look after him quietly. Perhaps he doesn't understand well when it's okay to cry.
Shuuei: Yes, I know.
Shuurei: That's why I entrust him to you, Ran-shougun. If it seems like he’s about to cry, please stay by him. If you do that, I’m sure he’ll be fine.
Shuuei: I promise, Shuurei-dono. If the Emperor looks like he’s about to crumble I’ll support him from the back. If he loses his way and stands still, I’ll press my back and walk forth with him. if he becomes tired and wants to rest, I’ll lend my back. If he wants to cry, I’ll stand in front of him and lend my chest.
Shuurei: Ah, that’s a relief!
Shuuei: Then…in case…shujou decides to turn back and not walk any further, I’ll hold his hand and accompany him.
Shuurei: Where?
Shuuei: If required, to the place were you will be.
Shuurei: That’s fine…for the final destination, Ran-shougun.
******
[The sound of a child crying]
Shuurei: Here, here…look, the child was crying just now and now she’s laughing!
Ryuuki: Hmm.
Shuurei: Isn’t she cute?
Ryuuki: Hmm.
Shuurei: Ryuuki, please give me your hand.
[Ryuuki places his hand in Shuurei’s]
Shuurei: Your hand is so warm…really warm…
[Ryuuki makes a sound between laughter and a sob]
Shuurei: Nee, what should I wish for this child? That she lives happily? That she travels a long, long road and reaches her destination?
Ryuuki: Shuurei…
Shuurei: That she is blessed with good health? You too take care of yourself. Always smile a lot. Because I love you a lot.
Ryuuki: Shuurei…
Shuurei: Don’t make that face…I’m not dying or anything.
[Ryuuki starts sobbing now…awww]
Shuurei: Don’t cry…I’ll get better. I promised you everything will be fine, didn’t I? I’ve decided to live a long life…by your side.
Ryuuki: Shuurei…Shuurei…
Shuurei: Nee, Ryuuki, look out of the window. The snow hasn’t stopped yet?
Ryuuki: Hmm? No, spring is still far away.
Shuurei: No…it’s close…very soon the snow will stop. My beloved season when the cherry blossoms bloom, the season when I met you for the first time…it’s coming again…
Spring
[The sound of wind blowing through the trees…ah, natsukashii! Ahem…]
Shuurei: Nee Ryuuki, when I met you for the first time, it was under a full blown cherry tree, wasn’t it? Ryuuki, please give me your hand.
[Ryuuki puts his hand into Shuueri’s]
Shuurei: Your hand is warm…so warm…hey, I wonder if you still want to marry me? If the engagement from ten years ago is still valid, that is.
Saiunkoku Drama CD Meguru Kisetsu (Circling Seasons)
Summer
[The sound of cicadas]
Seiran: Ojou-sama, would you like to drink something? What about I squeeze some summer oranges for you?
Shuurei: Perfect! My throat was so dry! But it’s so hot…can you dip the oranges in cold water?
Seiran: The cold might be bad for you.
Shuurei: Oh no, it’s fine. Even the child inside me says so.
[Shuurei is pregnant at this point of time]
Seiran: Can I ask you something?
Shuurei: What is it, Seiran?
Seiran: What made ojou-sama retire from being an officer and enter the Inner Palace?
[There is a slight pause]
Shuurei: Hmm…there were many reasons.
Seiran: Reasons?
Shuurei: You know, that person…Ryuuki…could have chosen any woman besides me. A woman who would not have wounded his heart.
Seiran: Yeah…
Shuurei: He hates to fight, and always turns his face away from things he doesn’t like… somehow he’s always ready to flee. But in spite of being the most afraid of being abandoned, he still chose me. To choose me is the same as eventually losing me…in spite of knowing that he might be irreparably, deeply wounded, he still found me necessary to his life.
Seiran: So you finally submitted to the Emperor’s wish?
Shuurei: No. That person never asked for something from me. It was I who decided.
Seiran: I don’t understand…
Shuurei: Nee Seiran, till some time ago, I was really arrogant. I did the things I liked, and in that if my time drew near, I thought it would be fine to just give the rest of my time to the Emperor. I only thought about myself. I knew that I was the one who could influence him the most, so I didn’t need to be careful (?)…what shameless conceit!
Seiran: Ojou-sama…
Shuurei: But that person changed in ten years…I wasn’t the one who was substituted. The Emperor had chosen and decided that for himself…he is capable of doing that. He didn’t have one reason to endure for my sake. Ryuuki didn’t snatch a thing away from me. Even when it became painful to the point of breaking his heart, just because I am important to him, he would at the end of his endurance, come to me and return only after one hug - he is that kind of a person.
Seiran: I know…
Shuurei: At that time I decided to give him the rest of my time. I wanted to return his feelings and make him very important to me. Nee Seiran, that person surely feels a hole somewhere in his heart. That’s why he desperately searches for things to seal that gap. But his fear of being hurt by abandonment only causes that gap to become wider. Still he chose me. Even if I couldn’t reciprocate satisfactorily, even if I couldn’t reciprocate anytime soon…
Seiran: Ojou-sama…
Shuurei: …that gentle person loved me the most. That’s why I wanted to make him more important to me than life itself. I didn’t want him to return alone once more. I wanted to see his happy face rather than his lonely face. (I wanted) the two of us (to stay) beside that person, until my time comes.
[Seiran starts sobbing….nope, not lying, listen to the CD for proof]
Shuurei: Seiran, can I ask for something? If (when I'm gone) Ryuuki disappears somewhere on his own please search him out? He doesn’t like being alone, but when he’s depressed he tends to wanders off on his own. As though he is waiting for someone.
Seiran: I know…since long ago…
Shuurei: Isn’t it? If Seiran is here, Ryuuki will be fine. That’s why even if he goes off somewhere, please go after him.
Seiran: Yes. Even if the Emperor becomes paralyzed in the dark, I’ll surely find him. Until he feels ready to smilingly return, no matter how long it is, I’ll wait beside him. Even…even if a time comes when ojou-sama is no more in this world…I won’t leave the Emperor’s side even once. I promise.
Autumn
[There is a knock on the door]
Kouyuu: Sorry to intrude.
Shuurei: Kouyuu-sama! Are you alone?
Kouyuu: Yeah…how’s your condition?
Shuurei: Oh, I’m really fine. Just a little worn out from sitting all summer. But what’s more surprising is Kouyuu-sama coming to my room all by himself without even losing his way!
Kouyuu: We-well, if you think I always lose my way inside the palace then you’re totally wrong!
Shuurei [laughing]: I suppose so…I’m sorry.
Kouyuu: It’s okay… [clears his throat] Enough about me, but the Emperor’s condition is a little weird. Don’t you think so?
Shuurei: No…
Kouyuu: No…he has definitely changed. Since the death of Yuushun-dono, before we could realize he ended up erecting a small partitioning screen in relation to me, Shuuei and Seiran.
Shuurei: It’s okay. That's because Ryuuki doesn’t want to be called selfish by all of you. He wants to be a good kid. It won’t do to be otherwise…that’s how he feels. You can say he lacks confidence, but that’s usual, isn’t it? Everybody wants to protect the people they love.
Kouyuu: I’m seeing the same in relation to you now. In the past the Emperor was only called selfish by you.
Shuurei: Yes...I guess I was wrong…I wonder if he is still feeling afraid.
Kouyuu: Afraid?
Shuurei: Because he thinks that he let his beloved Yuushun-sama die by being selfish and coveting more than he should. Of course, he is mistaken.
Kouyuu: Mistaken?
[Kouyuu does repeat a lot, doesn’t he?]
Shuurei: Even I used to think in the past that by granting everything according to Yuushun-sama’s wish maybe Ryuuki is unwittingly committing an error…I wondered if that was correct. But I realized one day that even by giving him (Yuushun) as much as he wanted, nothing would have changed (he would have died in any case). That’s why I’m fine now. Ryuuki and I have come so far…somewhere, little by little, we became strong, we became gentle, we became deep, and thus we changed. Even if something was difficult in the past, if it befalls us now, we can accept it. It’s because Kouyuu-sama, too, felt that same way that he came here, didn’t he?
Kouyuu: I don’t understand if I’m the elder one or you are. Yes, it might be so. Since I’ve grown older now, things that weren’t so clear to me in the past are becoming a bit clearer now. After being so dead wrong, losing my way, taking detours and then reaching here at last I feel like enlightening him, since he’s so confused over so many things. Whatever happens, I want to stay by his side and at least do something for him. Even if not as much as Yuushun-dono, but at least to some extent. That’s all I wanted. But that fool ended up even confusing me!
Shuurei: He fears losing you. He doesn’t want to lose you like he lost Yuushun-sama. Because he loves you a lot.
Kouyuu: Shuurei, he loves you. No…he’s afraid of losing you.
Shuurei: You seem worried…I won’t die or anything.
Kouyuu: The Emperor thinks that he himself bound you. That he snatched the life of an officer from you.
Shuurei: I haven’t relinquished anything. If I want something, no matter where it is, I’ll go to grasp it in my hand. It’s just that what I want is here, right now. Once I make it my own, I’ll go to achieve my next wish.
Kouyuu [laughing]: Sounds like you.
Shuurei: That’s me!
Kouyuu: Is it alright if you grant it?
Shuurei: I understand. Ryuuki still hasn’t had enough that’s why he roams around with a lonely face. Please give that person plenty until he would cry because it will never run out.
Kouyuu: Yes, that’s correct.
Shuurei: Kouyuu-sama, can I request something? If that person sits alone somewhere somehow, please remain by his side until he can stand again. Please grasp his hand and pull him up. If you do that, I’m sure he’ll be fine.
Kouyuu: Yes…even though I said I don’t like that guy, I’ll stay by his side till the day I die. I’ll live a long life. If I can win over Yuushun-dono in some area, it is perhaps there.
Shuurei: Kouyuu-sama...
Kouyuu: You also live long and then the two of us will rile him a lot.
Shuurei [laughing]: Yes!
Winter
[Sound of a snow storm. Brrrr! A door closes]
Shuuei: The snow has piled up heavily, ne?
Shuurei: Ran-shougun! I’m afraid it’s so…but inside the room it’s considerably warmer. Ryuuki is very fussy about keeping it warm.
Shuuei: That’s natural. The cold is the arch enemy of pregnant women. That too, when the child can be born any minute.
Shuurei: Yes, she's planning to come out soon, I think. Even I want to meet this child soon. I want to show her to Ryuuki.
Shuuei: Shuurei-dono, you have said ‘it’s alright’ to shujou, didn’t you?
Shuurei: Yes.
Shuuei: This is no circumstance for things to be ‘alright’. Shujou can’t go on after losing Shuurei-dono. Under that circumstance, I don't know if us being here is ‘alright’ or the child inside you will eventually support shujou, that's why it’s ‘alright’.
Shuurei: Why cast such a burden on a child that hasn’t even been born yet?
Shuuei: Then why? Why are you saying ‘it’s alright’? I don’t understand at all. If you see the Emperor you’ll understand.
Shuurei [laughing]: Ran-shougun, you really love Ryuuki, don’t you?
Shuuei: This is no laughing matter.
Shuurei: I’m sorry…but I’m glad. There is a scope for things to be alright one day. Having decided to become his wife, I know him better than anybody that’s why I am saying so.
Shuuei: I’m not sure. More than welcoming a new life, shujou is more strongly afraid of losing you.
Shuurei: But I won’t die or anything.
Shuuei: Do you really believe~
Shuurei: It’s alright. Really. Besides, Ryuuki is not someone to ignore a crying child for long. Because he, more than anybody, understands the feelings of a child who can’t stop crying. That’s the man I love.
Shuuei: Shuurei-dono…
Shuurei: Can I ask something? If Ryuuki becomes absentminded please look after him quietly. Perhaps he doesn't understand well when it's okay to cry.
Shuuei: Yes, I know.
Shuurei: That's why I entrust him to you, Ran-shougun. If it seems like he’s about to cry, please stay by him. If you do that, I’m sure he’ll be fine.
Shuuei: I promise, Shuurei-dono. If the Emperor looks like he’s about to crumble I’ll support him from the back. If he loses his way and stands still, I’ll press my back and walk forth with him. if he becomes tired and wants to rest, I’ll lend my back. If he wants to cry, I’ll stand in front of him and lend my chest.
Shuurei: Ah, that’s a relief!
Shuuei: Then…in case…shujou decides to turn back and not walk any further, I’ll hold his hand and accompany him.
Shuurei: Where?
Shuuei: If required, to the place were you will be.
Shuurei: That’s fine…for the final destination, Ran-shougun.
******
[The sound of a child crying]
Shuurei: Here, here…look, the child was crying just now and now she’s laughing!
Ryuuki: Hmm.
Shuurei: Isn’t she cute?
Ryuuki: Hmm.
Shuurei: Ryuuki, please give me your hand.
[Ryuuki places his hand in Shuurei’s]
Shuurei: Your hand is so warm…really warm…
[Ryuuki makes a sound between laughter and a sob]
Shuurei: Nee, what should I wish for this child? That she lives happily? That she travels a long, long road and reaches her destination?
Ryuuki: Shuurei…
Shuurei: That she is blessed with good health? You too take care of yourself. Always smile a lot. Because I love you a lot.
Ryuuki: Shuurei…
Shuurei: Don’t make that face…I’m not dying or anything.
[Ryuuki starts sobbing now…awww]
Shuurei: Don’t cry…I’ll get better. I promised you everything will be fine, didn’t I? I’ve decided to live a long life…by your side.
Ryuuki: Shuurei…Shuurei…
Shuurei: Nee, Ryuuki, look out of the window. The snow hasn’t stopped yet?
Ryuuki: Hmm? No, spring is still far away.
Shuurei: No…it’s close…very soon the snow will stop. My beloved season when the cherry blossoms bloom, the season when I met you for the first time…it’s coming again…