Lost in translation (Part 10)
Thanks for the comments from those who have read my previous post, Candy – Candice White l’orpheline. It was a pleasant surprise Nagita is going to Paris in March indeed. Those who live near Paris or can read French must be excited, right? 🙂
Not only that, the title of the second volume of Candy Candy Final Story (CCFS) is Candy – Le prince sur la colline (translated to Prince on the Hill), which is the same as the original Japanese title, 丘の上の王子さま . You can find his title at the bottom right corner of the image below, thanks to Candy Albert for providing the link to her Facebook page.
My point is, in Candy Candy, the appellation the little orphan girl gave the Scottish boy has always been Prince on the Hill, but in some languages it is translated to Prince of the Hill. For your interest, you can read how Candy in her letter addressed Albert as Prince on the Hill again and again in my earlier post, Lost in translation (Part 3).
丘の上の王子さま can be broken down as shown below:
丘 – hill
上 – on, above, up
王子 – prince
The -sama suffix さま by itself is considered the more polite form of a similar honorific, the -san suffix さん, and may be translated to “Mr.” or “Sir”. Yet, in some contexts you really don’t have to translate it. For example, in CCFS Candy and others often address their letters’ recipients with the -sama suffix. It’s a common practice, and many translated that to “Dear <someone>” instead of “Mr. / Mrs. <someone>” (click さま for examples if you like). 王子 almost always goes with さま. Other than the fact that “prince” 🤴 is a royal status, another reason is that -sama さま can also mean a charming / popular person. Therefore, I read it once that 王子さま was actually translated to “Prince Charming”. 😉
Just when I thought the French version had got it right this time, I realized that in chapter 2 p. 38 Candy actually named him le petit prince de la colline. I must say I was disappointed even though I guess I know why. They must be proud of the beloved story, Le Petit Prince (published in April 1943 by the French aristocrat, writer, poet, and pioneering aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry).
Nonetheless, I was told that some Terry fans are in denial. They said that the title Candy – Le prince sur la colline did not refer to Albert because he is prince of the hill, not on the hill. They even used a picture from the anime version as their proof, in which Terry was standing on top of Pony’s Hill. 😀 😆
Enough of that. 😉 As I have promised Myra, I will discuss the excerpts chosen for Candy Candy Final Story book sleeves. I think some of you know that my friend has bought me these as her presents. Every time I pick up the book(s) I will remember her kindness to me. ❤️
For Volume 1 (上) in pink:
On the front:
原作者・名木田恵子（水木杏子）が
大人のために書き下ろした
真実の 『キャンディ・キャンディ』愛の物語
The above, displayed in white, can be translated to
The original author, Keiko Nagita (Kyoko Mizuki), has written this book for adults. The real love story of Candy Candy.
あの日々、たくさん流した涙は、今はきらめくような美しい思い出になった
The above, displayed in black, is an excerpt found in CCFS Volume 2, p.199, about Candy shedding lots of tears when living with the Lagans. This particular excerpt actually inspired me to write a short story for mature readers, Reminiscence, where I have paraphrased to
Those many tears that I shed back then have become glittering, beautiful memories to me now.
On the back:
ーーーーキャンディ、
きみはきっと笑顔でいるよね。
夢の中でアンソニーはいつも生きていて、
わたしはほっとする。
…なのに、わたしの目は濡れている。
これは夢だと心のどこかが醒めている。
The above, displayed in black, is an excerpt found in CCFS Volume 1, p.232, about Candy’s dream of Anthony and his remark about her smiling face. This is my attempt:
— Candy,
You’re certainly smiling, aren’t you?
In my dream Anthony is always alive,
and I’m relieved.
… but my eyes become moist.
Somewhere in my heart I’m aware this is a dream.
For Volume 2 (下) in greenish blue:
On the front:
The above, displayed in white, can be translated to
Candy, in her thirties, looked back upon her painful and cherished memories.
わたしが求めているのは、ほんのささやかなこと愛する“あのひと”と生きていくことーーー
The above, displayed in black, is an excerpt found in CCFS Volume 1, p. 224, about her happiness with Anohito “あのひと”. Basically it can be translated to
My tiny wish is to go on living with “the person” I love—
or
I want nothing but to go on living with “the person” I love—
On the back:
「おかえりなさい！」
わたしはこの言葉が言える幸せに
声をつまらせながら
椅子から立ち上がると、
あのひとが広げた腕の中に飛びこんでいった。
The above, displayed in black, is an excerpt found in CCFS Volume 2, p. 331, about Anohito coming home to Candy. It’s not easy to translate, and I have to paraphrase somewhat:
“Welcome home!”
My voice was choked with happiness, being able to say these words. I got up from the chair and ran, diving into Anohito’s outstretched arms.
It might be odd to English speakers, but the phrase おかえり is very common, which may happen on a daily basis. Those who have watched animes might have heard of them:
「ただいま～」(I’m home～)
「おかえり～」(Welcome back～)
From parents to children, they would simply say おかえり. What Candy said was more polite. 🙂 Bye for now. Until next time.
Hello M’s Puddles
I loved you … combined with the past, it means a past feeling that no longer exists that is over.
Terry is Candy’s former boyfriend in her teenage years at College St Paul’s . Candy confirms this in her unsent letter to Terry in cfs. The Terryfans claim that he is Candy’s husband in cfs which is totally wrong because author Nagita will never reconcile Candy and Terry, or after Susana’s death and even after Terry’s short indecisive letter( letter or Terry is no longer even sure of Candy’s feelings towards him considering the number of years that have elapsed after their final break plus 10 years).Nagita leaves an ambiguous ending precisely because Terry is not and has never been the only suitor for Candy.
We know that the prince on the hill has always occupied a big place in Candy’s heart all his life. Candy always wanted to know who he was she confessed to Albert himself at Magnolia’s apartment that the hill prince is his first love. Candy made the promise on Anthony ‘s lifeless body to find him. What Nagita allowed by reuniting them again this time as an adult on Pony Hill as evidenced by the exchange of letters in Candy and Albert in cfs.
————————
French version
Je t’ ai aimé … conjugué au passé, cela signifie un sentiment passé qui n existe plus qui est terminée.
Terry est l’ancien petit ami de Candy dans sa période d’adolescente du Collège St Paul.Candy le confirme dans sa lettre non envoyée à Terry en cfs.
Les Terryfans prétendent qu il est le mari de Candy en cfs ce qui est totalement faux car l’auteur Nagita ne jamais réconcilier Candy et Terry de nouveau ni après la mort de Susana et ni après la courte lettre indécise écrit par Terry ( lettre ou Terry n’est même plus sûr des sentiments de Candy à son égard vu le nombre d’année qui s’est écoulées après leur rupture définitifive plus 10 ans) .
Nagita laisse une fin ambiguë justement parce que Terry n’est pas et n’a jamais été le seul prétendant pour Candy.
Nous savons que le prince sur la colline a toujours occupé une grande place dans le coeur de Candy toute sa vie. Candy a toujours voulu savoir qui il était elle a avouer elle même à Albert à l’appartement de Magnolia que le prince de colline est son premier amour. Candy a fait la promesse sur le corps sans vie d’ Anthony de le retrouver. Ce que Nagita a permis en les réunissant de nouveau cette fois à l’âge adulte sur la colline de Pony comme en témoigne les échanges de lettres en Candy et Albert en cfs .
Sorry if my message seems incomprehensible at times is due to the poor translation of Google unfortunately once posted I can not correct
No worries, Louna97. Thanks for sharing your thoughts 🤗
Bonjour Louna97,
I’ve discussed “P.S. I loved you.” in quite a few of my posts. I know Terry fans didn’t consider this statement as “final” because they believe Candy’s feelings for Terry could be easily revived, especially upon receiving his brief letter signed as T.G.
I totally agree with you that his letter was indecisive, not to mention nobody is certain about when the letter was sent. What exactly was “that incident” which he referred to? It’s ambiguous and I’ve already explained why it’s not necessarily Susanna’s death.
In CCFS Candy said she had shown Albert her precious badge or talked about Prince on the Hill countless times. That alone proved that the thoughts of the Scottish boy had occupied her mind from time to time. The memories from her childhood hadn’t faded. 💖
Thinking that Terry is the prince on the hill is just HILLarious!
Indeed, in the epilogue of the novel, in the PS of a letter from Albert to Candy, he asks her to no longer call him “prince of the hill”, not because he doesn’t like but because it gives him chills. ;-).
In the French version it makes more sense, because Candy calls him “LITTLE prince of the hill”. Once Candy and Albert became adults, he is no longer her “little” prince of the hill, but simply her prince. Besides, he’s the only one Candy has really met on the (true) Pony Hill she has always cheerful.
There are clues which could make us thinking about Terry as anohito, but he is just the false anohito, Candy meets him on the false hill.
Therefore, as the Artbook Deluxe, vol.1, signed by Kyoko Mizuki, says on the pages titled キャンディをめ ぐる人たち (which means the people close to Candy or Candy’s beloved people), he is “Candy’s prince forever/the eternity”. The closest person to Candy is the Prince on the Hill which picture is the first one next to Candy and bigger than the pictures of all the other characters.
My friend Silvia Galasso has translated the description:
“The boy playing the bagpipe on the Pony Hill when Candy was a child. Candy’s Prince for eternity. The Prince of Pony Hill.”.
Hola CandyAlbert! Thanks again for providing your post on your Facebook page and more details and translation from your friend Silvia Galasso. 🤗 Your information is greatly appreciated. 😘
Though I don’t agree with the translation of “little prince”, indeed Albert was the only man (out of her three loves) whom Candy met on Pony’s Hill, more than once!
About Terry’s being the false Anohito, I see your point. There might have been some clues in his favour but none of them readily forms convincing or indisputable arguments. 🙄
Letters: Cfs:
And then … I still seem to live a dream. How could he have imagined that the prince of the hill … was Mr. Albert? In other words, he, Great-uncle William, is the prince of the hill! I’m still shaking with surprise and excitement! Immediately after his confession, George came looking for him and, in an instant, disappeared again before my eyes.
It makes me think that everything is unreal and I almost feel that my body is floating in the air.
I never forgot the prince of the hill. I really do not think tonight I can sleep.
Note: There is no need to defend Albert in his role as Prince of the Hill. Albert himself recognizes himself through his response to Candy in Cfs.
However, I wanted to find the right time and, if possible, I wanted to talk to you during the same season, the one we met at Pony Hill.
In this way, I felt that I could be the same boy of yesteryear.
Dear Candy, you understood right away.
There is a famous French proverb that says there are only impbeciles who do not change their minds.😂😲😜
——————
Lettre de Candy cfs
Et puis..il me semble encore vivre un rêve. Comment aurais-je pu imaginer que le prince de la colline…Était M. Albert? En d’autres termes lui, le grand oncle William, est le prince de la colline! Je tremble encore de surprise et d’émotion! Immédiatement après votre aveu, Georges est venu vous chercher et en un instant, vous avez de nouveau disparu devant mes yeux.
Cela contribue encore davantage à me faire penser que tout est irréel et je me sens presque comme si mon corps flottait dans l’air.
Je n’ai jamais oublié le prince de la colline. Je ne crois pas vraiment que cette nuit je réussirai à trouver le sommeil
on a pas besoin de défendre Albert dans son rôle du prince de la colline. Car Albert lui-même a reconnu à travers sa réponse à Candy en Cfs
Réponse de Albert
Cependant, je voulais trouver le bon moment et si possible, je désirais vraiment te parler à la même saison, que celle où nous nous sommes rencontrés la première fois sur la colline de Pony.
De cette façon, j’ai eu l’impression d’être en mesure de pouvoir redevenir le garçon d’autrefois.
Chère Candy, tu as compris tout de suite.
Il existe un célèbre proverbe français qui dit qu’il y a que des imbéciles qui ne changent pas d’avis.😂😲😜
Merci Louna97! 🤗 Indeed Albert himself acknowledged in his letter that he was Candy’s Prince on the Hill.
Prince on the Hill was none other than Albert the teenage boy, whom Candy had never forgotten.
Louna97, are these CCFS passages from French spoilers? The official translation is not published yet, and I heard some fans have translated from the Italian version.
Hello M’s Puddles :
Yes, it comes from the French translation of the CCFS in Italian (not official) by the Terryfans themselves.
We will see how Pika Edition will transcribe it in my opinion, there will be very little difference will just turn phrases like the phrase: on and from the hill( who want to say exactly the same thing.)
The girls I found this link that I share with you. We can ask a question to Nagita directly by following these instructions is great for those who can not participate directly in Paris.
http://www.pika.fr/Annonce_KeikoNagitaLivreParis2019
Thank you, Ms Puddle, for providing all that fascinating information. That’s very kind and generous of you.
I’ll just add a couple of thoughts of mine. The first one has to do with the honorific “sir” or “madam” or Mr/Ms/Miss/Mrs. If you’ve read Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”, Liz Bennett’s parents address to one another as “Mr Bennett” or “Mrs Bennett” even though they’ve been married for years. As you’ve adeptly explained, the honorific “sir” doesn’t reduce any form of intimacy between a couple. There are tons of examples found in literature worldwide. I think this case is closed and some fans need to just let it go and accept that Candy didn’t address Albert as “sir” due to lack of intimacy. On the contrary, Candy felt tremendously intimate and close to Albert and there’s not an argument in the world which can disprove that.
My second thought involves that crazy belief that the POTH is Terry. What a load of rubbish. Some of those fans are humiliating themselves with such idiotic beliefs. Claiming that POTH is Terry is not only wishful thinking but utter nonsense. In all version of the Candy Candy story (anime, manga, and novels), Terry is the roguish guy behind his dad’s name and Albert is elegant Prince under the guise of a vagabond. Keiko Nagita is playing with these contrasts so as to reveal the discrepancy between appearance and reality. Candy clearly says in the novel that Terry’s a roguish drunkard and she can’t believe he was Granchester’s son. albeit out of wedlock. Candy also couldn’t believe how a vagabond like Albert was so soft-spoken and had such elegant manners.
These contrasts constitute one of the charms of the novel. If you’re gonna like Terry, it’s going to be because of his abrasive behaviour (if you’re into the violent drunken dudes-I’m definitely not) and acerbic and nasty humour. If you’re gonna like Albert, it’s because of his swan-like and elegant-Princely manners, respect for women, and intelligence.
The bottom line is that anohito may be either Terry or Albert but the POTH is no one else but Albert. Case closed.
P.S. Just because someone stands on a hill doesn’t mean that he or she is royalty.. Sister Lane and Ms Pony have stood on that hill so many times but that doesn’t make any of them the POTH, LOL.
Some of those fans worshipping Terry are so funny albeit unintentionally so.
Regards,
Myra
You’re welcome, Myra. I have thought of mentioning the excerpts but never got to doing it, so I should thank you for reminding me. 🙂
Have you noticed that none of them was about Candy’s time in London or St. Paul’s Academy?
Mr. Bennett and Mrs. Bennett are one example, even though I read in a commentary a long time ago that Jane Austen had written that intentionally. I don’t remember why now.
As for Albert-san, it’s completely different, and as you said, the case is closed. Candy and Albert were even more intimate in CCFS because they had lived together much longer than shown in the manga and never once had Candy left him (unlike the anime). After his disappearance, she missed him dreadfully. This fact alone indisputably conveyed that they had lived in harmony, better than many couples nowadays.
Well said, Myra, about the ironic contrasts between the two significant male characters in Candy’s life. Indeed, as much as some people want to deny it, POTH can only be Albert and no one else. LOL… Sister Lane and Miss Pony? 🤣 What about the orphans in Pony’s Home, like Slim?
Hello Ms Puddle,
I really wouldn’t bother nor take seriously anything some deranged Terry-fans say about POTH being Terry. Talk about idiotic and outlandish claims made in sheer desperation..
Instead, I enjoy making a mockery out of those silly claims and nothing more than that. Not worth our time. As Ariana Grande says: “Thank U, Next..”, LOL.
However, I am a bit concerned for Keiko Nagita and her decision to appear at the 2019 book festival in Paris. She’s most likely to get swamped by the crazed and hysterical Terry-fans begging and pestering her to say that anohito is Terry and not Albert. I’m almost 100% certain that this is going to occur. Those poor ladies need to get a life.. Most of them are over 40, FFS..
It’s so sad that some Terry-fans get so obsessed and psychotic over an anime or manga character. Albert may be my favourite character in the CCFS but I got far more important stuff going on in my life than to worry about whether he’s anohito or not. If he isn’t, I really don’t mind because what makes him awesome is not Candy but his beautiful character and physical appearance. Getting fixated with someone either real or fictitious is not healthy. Those poor old fans need to seek professional help.
Regards,
Myra
Well said, Myra 👏👍
Both male characters are fascinating without Candy. Those fans need to learn that the author has the absolute rights to decide what to do with her own characters. 😊
Hello Ms Puddle,
I would say that Albert is far more complex and profound than Terry but that’s my opinion and that’s all. I just think that he’s got more layers to his character than Terry does.
Yet, Candy also admits that she finds it much easier to figure out Terry’s character whereas Albert continues to confound her and thus find him insanely “exasperating” as she says herself in the second volume of the CCFS. Terry appears to be much more predictable and I would even say that he’s trite as his character type (roguish guy but with a kind heart) has been used over and over again in various forms of literature and visual arts. Albert’s character, however, is by far more unique and arguably far more obscure and controversial.
All the CCFS characters are fascinating but Albert continues to be enveloped in a shroud of mystery. This is what Keiko Nagita wants, I guess..
Regards,
Myra
Yes Myra I must admit Albert is by far the most fascinating character in the entire story. You’re right about Terry’s bad boy image or similar character type can be easily found in other stories or even movies. When i was a girl I was once a Terry fan but partly because my young mind did not understand Albert’s character at all and mainly because the anime version didn’t do him justice IMHO. 🙄
Are the Terry-fans now claiming that the Prince of or on the hill is Terry and not Albert? That’s hilarious. 😂😂😂
What’s next for the Terry-fans? Are they planning to argue that Terry is also the Grand Patriarch of the Ardlays? He could also be William Shakespeare resurrected or reincarnated. Terry is the universe with all the parallel universes included. Apparently, severe sarcasm is intended here and with unapologetic ease.
On a serious note though, your new post is insightful as always. Thanks, Ms Puddle.
See your around,
Sarah
Sarah, thanks for reading. Like you, I found it hilarious too when my friend told me how they had tried to “prove their point”. It’s a pathetic attempt. I chose not to see the aforementioned post that defended their favorite hero because I don’t want to know who were behind it.