Verb+koto+mo soshite Verb+koto+mo nai. Should both words with mo particles be affected by nai at the end?


Ok, here are the lyrics from the idolmaster song called Nation Blue. You can
see full lyrics on the imas wiki here: <http://www.project-
imas.com/wiki/Nation_Blue>

The song is pretty hard for a novice like me, but the part I have a question
about is this:

> 佇むことも そして振り返ることも無く
>
> キミの近く そう 付いていきたいんだ

And the way I see it, the first line should be pretty much the same as

> 佇むことの無く そして振り返ることの無く

And my translation is:

[code]

    Without loitering/standing still and without looking back,
    I want to go after you and be very close to you.
    
[/code]

As far as I know that is how "~mo ~mo verb" should work. The verb at the end
should be applied to all words with mo before it, isn't it?

But the translation on the wiki says otherwise:

[code]

    Stopping for a moment and then not looking back,
    
[/code]

To be honest I'd write it off as a mistake on wiki's part, but my acquaintance
with N2 claims wiki's version as well, therefore I'm really confused now. Do I
misunderstand the basics of ~mo usage? Or is there anything else I'm missing?
No matter how I look at it, the sentence becomes extremely strange if you go
with the wiki's translation. I mean 無く is in adverb form, so it should be a
description of how she wants to go after him (or am I wrong here as well?).

So I repeat the question. Should 無く here affect both 佇むことも and 振り返ることも or only
振り返ることも?




You are right and the wiki is wrong.

It's most natural to assume multiple ～も repeated on the same level to be
parallel construction, and they all connect to what comes after the last one.

See [the translation of
雨ニモマケズ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ame_ni_mo_Makezu) below:

> 雨ニモマケズ _not losing to the rain_  
>  風ニモマケズ _not losing to the wind_  
>  雪ニ **モ** 夏ノ暑サニ **モ** マケヌ _not losing to the snow **nor** to summer's heat_

There is chance, however, to interpret the two も in the lyrics don't belong to
the same level, thus they aren't parallel. But it doesn't make sense in this
line if you take this reading.

If 佇むことも isn't parallel with 振り返ることも, then it must find another predicate to
connect. Consequently, it should be an argument of 付いていきたいんだ. But since the
noun phrase has nothing before も, it's assumed that the underlying case of the
phrase is either が (subject) or を (object), and neither could have a decent
meaning.

* * *

**PS**

> 佇むことの無く そして振り返ることの無く

～ことのなく is not a natural phrasing. Usually this expression is fixed in the form
～ことなく to mean "without doing", with no intervening particle.

> Without loitering/standing still and without looking back,

佇む has no meaning "loiter". I mean, it [apparently has in
dictionaries](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/jn/136779/meaning/m0u/), but the
usage became obsolete centuries ago. Today the word only has the definition
"stay at the same place for a while (standing)".




You are right and the wiki is wrong.

It's most natural to assume multiple ～も repeated on the same level to be
parallel construction, and they all connect to what comes after the last one.

See [the translation of
雨ニモマケズ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ame_ni_mo_Makezu) below:

> 雨ニモマケズ _not losing to the rain_  
>  風ニモマケズ _not losing to the wind_  
>  雪ニ **モ** 夏ノ暑サニ **モ** マケヌ _not losing to the snow **nor** to summer's heat_

There is chance, however, to interpret the two も in the lyrics don't belong to
the same level, thus they aren't parallel. But it doesn't make sense in this
line if you take this reading.

If 佇むことも isn't parallel with 振り返ることも, then it must find another predicate to
connect. Consequently, it should be an argument of 付いていきたいんだ. But since the
noun phrase has nothing before も, it's assumed that the underlying case of the
phrase is either が (subject) or を (object), and neither could have a decent
meaning.

* * *

**PS**

> 佇むことの無く そして振り返ることの無く

～ことのなく is not a natural phrasing. Usually this expression is fixed in the form
～ことなく to mean "without doing", with no intervening particle.

> Without loitering/standing still and without looking back,

佇む has no meaning "loiter". I mean, it [apparently has in
dictionaries](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/jn/136779/meaning/m0u/), but the
usage became obsolete centuries ago. Today the word only has the definition
"stay at the same place for a while (standing)".

