Translation of 月がきれい


So, I was just about to start to see a new anime, called

> 「月がきれい」,

which I immediately translated to

> "The Moon is beautiful". (a)

Now, to my surprise, in the intro, the title is translated as

> "As the Moon, so beautiful". (b)

What I want to know is the following:

  1. Is translation (b) correct?

  2. If so, why would one translate it has (b) instead of (a)?




「月がきれい」 was first used by famous Japanese writer 夏目漱石 (Natsume Soseki) as a
metaphor used between lovers when they want to convey their love for each
other. Choosing this very interesting imaginary over a direct translation of
"I love you", 漱石 was apparently coy about expressing affection in his work.

> The phrase was translated by Meiji-era novelist and teacher Natsume Sōseki
> since he believed that two people in love do not need direct words to convey
> their feelings.
> ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsuki_ga_Kirei#cite_note-3))
>
> 小説家・夏目漱石が英語教師をしていたとき、生徒が " I love you "
> の一文を「我君を愛す」と訳したのを聞き、「日本人はそんなことを言わない。月が綺麗ですね、とでもしておきなさい」と言ったとされる逸話から。
> ([source](https://dic.pixiv.net/a/%E6%9C%88%E3%81%8C%E7%B6%BA%E9%BA%97%E3%81%A7%E3%81%99%E3%81%AD#:%7E:text=%E5%B0%8F%E8%AA%AC%E5%AE%B6%E3%83%BB%E5%A4%8F%E7%9B%AE%E6%BC%B1%E7%9F%B3%E3%81%8C,%E9%81%A0%E5%9B%9E%E3%81%97%E3%81%AA%E5%91%8A%E7%99%BD%E3%81%AE%E8%A8%80%E8%91%89%E3%80%82))

Having not seen the anime, I skimmed through its Japanese and English Wiki
pages. Apparently it is a teen romance story. Your (a) has "the Moon" as its
subject, and it is described as "beautiful". It is a simple statement of fact,
a declarative. In contrast, your (b) is not a complete sentence, missing the
subject, indicating that it is talking about something else. Something else is
beautiful. Therefore, the original translation, your version (b) is the more
apt option, as it keeps the subtlety of work: immature adolescent love, the
hesitance and shyness in a first love (初恋), the beauty of high school romance,
and so on and so forth. Without directly naming the subject, (b) invites you
to search for its subject.




「月がきれい」 was first used by famous Japanese writer 夏目漱石 (Natsume Soseki) as a
metaphor used between lovers when they want to convey their love for each
other. Choosing this very interesting imaginary over a direct translation of
"I love you", 漱石 was apparently coy about expressing affection in his work.

> The phrase was translated by Meiji-era novelist and teacher Natsume Sōseki
> since he believed that two people in love do not need direct words to convey
> their feelings.
> ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsuki_ga_Kirei#cite_note-3))
>
> 小説家・夏目漱石が英語教師をしていたとき、生徒が " I love you "
> の一文を「我君を愛す」と訳したのを聞き、「日本人はそんなことを言わない。月が綺麗ですね、とでもしておきなさい」と言ったとされる逸話から。
> ([source](https://dic.pixiv.net/a/%E6%9C%88%E3%81%8C%E7%B6%BA%E9%BA%97%E3%81%A7%E3%81%99%E3%81%AD#:%7E:text=%E5%B0%8F%E8%AA%AC%E5%AE%B6%E3%83%BB%E5%A4%8F%E7%9B%AE%E6%BC%B1%E7%9F%B3%E3%81%8C,%E9%81%A0%E5%9B%9E%E3%81%97%E3%81%AA%E5%91%8A%E7%99%BD%E3%81%AE%E8%A8%80%E8%91%89%E3%80%82))

Having not seen the anime, I skimmed through its Japanese and English Wiki
pages. Apparently it is a teen romance story. Your (a) has "the Moon" as its
subject, and it is described as "beautiful". It is a simple statement of fact,
a declarative. In contrast, your (b) is not a complete sentence, missing the
subject, indicating that it is talking about something else. Something else is
beautiful. Therefore, the original translation, your version (b) is the more
apt option, as it keeps the subtlety of work: immature adolescent love, the
hesitance and shyness in a first love (初恋), the beauty of high school romance,
and so on and so forth. Without directly naming the subject, (b) invites you
to search for its subject.

