Setsugekka -The end of silence-

Setsugekka -The end of silence- (雪月花 -The end of silence-) is one of the songs created and performed by Japanese vocalist, Gackt. It is available on his thirty-sixth single, Setsugekka -The end of silence-/ZAN, which was partially made to celebrate ten successful years of his solo career, and his eighth album LAST MOON.

A literal translation of the Japanese in the song's title is "Snow, Moon, Flower", or the three iconic symbols of traditional Japanese aesthetics. The characters form an artistic saying for imagery often found in literature and poetry. Contemporary mediums may prefer to replace the ambiguous flower with cherry blossoms. It was first used in archaic writings to simultaneously convey the literal beauty of a seasonal landscape and eternal admiration or longing for someone or something. The translucent, ephemeral descriptions generally suggest that the subject of the poem has been lost or has passed away. Manyoushu uses the phrase for playful effect while the Makura no Soushi insists it has tragic connotations.

Hisashi Koinuma personally approached Gackt to create the image songs for Samurai Warriors 3. He wanted someone who had experience working with the Warring States setting and remembered the musician for his acting in Fuurin Kazan as Kenshin Uesugi. Koinuma believes the artist's personal interest for the time era makes him a perfect match for Samurai Warriors. The producer hopes players feel a deep emotional impact when they hear the songs for the characters' endings. Gackt commented that the songs have an upbeat, theatrical feel to them to naturally fit the game's action and tone. He said that the intense yet sorrowful lyrics found in both songs embodies the setting's drama.

Gackt performed the songs live at Koei and Fuji TV's stage event, Sengoku Bushou Matsuri. His performance and reprisal of his Kenshin attire was one of the most covered celebrity appearances with the Japanese mass media.

Credits

 * Lyrics, Composition, Arrangement, Vocals: Gackt C
 * Arrangement: chachamaru
 * Dears label

Lyrics
Kanji=
 * 三日月を抱いた君に呟いた
 * 「粉雪と踊る君に逢いたい…」
 * たった一つだけの想いを乗せて
 * 紅く染まる雪を宙に散りだめた


 * 君を抱きしめる花となれ
 * 募る想いめぐらせ咲き乱れ
 * 心奪われるほど君を愛せたことを
 * 何度も…何度も…夜空に叫んだ


 * 吐息紅く染めて詠い続けてた
 * 「今宵の夢にぞ君が姿を…」
 * 君の消えた季節がもうすぐ終わる
 * 最後の涙　重ね、
 * 粉雪に変えて見せよう


 * 君を抱きしめる雪となれ
 * 募る想い散りばめ舞い踊れ
 * 傷を隠そうとするほど
 * 何故か涙が溢れて
 * 君の微笑みが今、霞んで見えないよ


 * 君を照らし出す月になれるなら
 * 夜空に星　散りばめて
 * 君を捜そう


 * 躰　朽ち果てても…


 * 君を抱きしめる雪となれ
 * 夜空の君を彩る花になれ
 * 君に触れようとするほど
 * 掴んでは消える…“雪の華”
 * 何度も…何度も…夜空に
 * 叫び続けた


 * 君に届きますように…


 * -|Romaji=
 * mikazuki wo daita kimi ni tsubuaita
 * "konayuki to odoru kimi ni aitai..."
 * tatta-hitotsu dake no omoi o nosete
 * akaku somaru yuki wo sora ni chiridameta


 * kimi wo dakishimeru hana to nare
 * tsunoru omoi megurase sakimidare
 * kokoro ubawareru hodo kimi o aisetakoto wo
 * nandomo... nandomo.. yozora ni sakenda


 * toi-iki akaku somete utai tsuzuketeta
 * "koyoi no yume ni zo kimi ga sugata wo..."
 * kimi no kieta kisetsu ga mousugu owaru
 * saigo no namida kasane,
 * konayuki ni kaete miseyou


 * kimi wo dakishimeru yuki to nare
 * tsunoru omoi chiribame maiodore
 * kizu wo kakusou to suruhodo
 * nazeka namida ga afurete
 * kimi no hohoemi ga ima, kasunde mienaiyo


 * kimi o terashidasu tsuki ni narerunara
 * yozora ni hoshi chiribamete
 * kimi wo sagasou


 * karada kuchi hattetemo...


 * kimi wo dakishimeru yuki to nare
 * yozara no kimi wo irodoru hana ni nare
 * kimi ni fureyou to suruhodo
 * tsukande wa kieru... "yuki no hana"
 * nandomo... nandomo... yozara ni
 * sakebi tsuzuketa


 * kimi ni todokimasuyouni...


 * -|English Translation=
 * As I embrace the new moon, I utter to you
 * "I want to see you dancing in the new snow..."
 * With this lone thought in my mind
 * I scatter crimson stained snow into the sky


 * But when I embrace you, you turn into a flower
 * My raised hopes are prevented from blooming with you
 * My heart is deprived of everything I loved about you
 * Again... again... I cry to the night sky


 * Drenched in crimson and breathless, I continue to sing
 * "I will see you in tonight's dream..."
 * The season in which you disappeared from me will soon end
 * As the final tear is shed,
 * I will change this fresh blanket of snow


 * When I embrace you, you turn into snow
 * My raised hopes scatter and dance above me
 * When I try to hide my wounds
 * for some reason I can't stop my tears
 * The heavy downpour blurs my view of your smile


 * If your shining light became the moon
 * I would scatter the stars in the night sky
 * to find you


 * Until my body were to rot away...


 * As I embrace you, you turn into snow
 * into the night sky, your colors form a flower
 * I try to touch you
 * and grab you, but you vanish... like a "snow flower"
 * Over and over... many times more... I cry endlessly
 * to the night sky


 * Hoping that I will reach you...