Kept Waiting For A Respone (Machi tsudzuketa tegami; 待ち続けた手紙)

Chiisai koro oya ni suterare
Umi no mieru koji-in de sodatta
Yashinatte kureta no wa
Toshioita shuudoujo

(Abandoned by my parents when I was little
Raised in an orphanage overlooking the sea
Was given support
By an old nun)

Kanojo wa totemo yasashikute
Itsumo NIKONIKO waratteta
Tatoe mazushii seikatsu demo
Bokura wa mina shiawase datta

(She was very kind to me
She always had a smiling face.
Even if living in poverty,
We were all happy)

Yagate kanojo wa yamai ni fushi
Ten ni mesareru hi ga chikadzuita
Kanojo no makuramoto de
Bokura wa kou itta

(Before long, she had a disease
The day to ascend to heaven was drawing near
At her bed side,
We said this:)

Koko made sodatete kureta
Anata ni ongaeshi ga shitai
Donna mucha demo kamawanai
Nanika negai wa nai desu ka?

(“You've raised us to this much"
We want to repay you.
It doesn't matter how absurd it is.
What do you wish for?”)

Kanojo wa nikori to hohoemi
Konna fuu ni kotaete kita
Watashi wa zutto matte iru
Tegami no henji wo matte iru
Wakakatta ano hi ni dashita
Todoita ka douka mo wakaranai tegami wo

(The woman smiled at us
And answered in response:
“I have been waiting for so long.
Waiting for a response to my letter.
That letter I sent when I was young.
I really want to know if it ever arrived or not.)

Moshimo negai ga kanau nara
Moshimo tsumi ga yurusareru nara
Ano tegami no henji ga hoshii
Sore wo matte iru

(If my wish really dose come true,
If my sins have really been forgiven,
I want the response to my letter.
And will keep waiting for it.”)

Kanaerareru hazu mo nai negai
Douka wasurete to kanojo wa warau
Kanojo no dashita tegami
Dare ni okutta mono na no ka?

(“If my wish didn't come true,
Then just forget it”, she laughed.
The letter that she sent
Who is it supposed to be for?)

Bokura wa minna de tewake shite
Kunijuu wo sagashite mawatta
Soshite kanojo no kako wo shiru
Gaka no roujin wo mitsuketa

(Everyone of us parted ways
We looked all over the country
And found an old painter
Who know about her past.)

Roujin ga kataru shinjitsu
Kanojo wa katsute hito wo koroshita
Ooku no hito ga fukou ni nari
Ooku no hito ga namida wo nagashita

(The old man told us the truth:
“She once killed many people.
Many people became unhappy.
Many people were shedding tears.)

Tegami wo okutta aite wa
Mou kono yo ni wa inai hito
Henji ga kuru koto wa nai

(That person that her sent a letter
Isn't in this world anymore.”
So the response will never ever come.)

Sore demo kanojo wa matsu no darou
Sono mi ga kuchihateta ato demo
Kitto kanojo wa matsu no darou
Henji ga kuru made

(Even so, she'll keep waiting for a response.
Even if her body will almost rot away,
Certainly, she'll keep waiting for a response.
Until that response comes.)

Tsui ni sono toki wa yatte kita
Kanojo no shougai wa maku wo tojiru
Boku wa kanojo no te no naka
Ichimai no youhishi wo watasu

(Finally, the time has come.
Her life is about to come to an end.
I passed over to her hand:
A piece of parchment.)

Sore wa boku ga kinou kaita
Itsuwari no tegami no henji
Kanojo wa sore wo hitome miru to
Saigo ni "arigatou" to itta

(I wrote that one just yesterday.
A fake response to the letter.
She looked at it with a glance.
And in the end, said “Thank you.”)

Kiete iku kanashiki negai
Itsumodoori no ano egao
Tsumi ni kidzuku no wa itsudatte
Subete owatta ato

(The sorrowful wish gradually disappeared.
Her face was smiling as usual.
We only knew about what her sin was
When everything already ended.)