【GUMI/Miku】 Carroll in Wonderland 【Original】 (Notes)

* On July 4th, 1862, Lewis Carroll created the outline for Alice's Adventures Underground, which he wrote down and eventually turned into Alice in Wonderland.

* Lewis Carroll was a mathematician, which is why the profession is mentioned twice.

* I wasn't sure if it was wise to translate "煩悩" as "klesha", but since it's apparently a valid translation and it fits the subtitles better, I stuck with it. Klesha is a concept in Buddhism, on which Wikipedia writes: "The five principal kleshas, which are sometimes called poisons, are attachment, aversion, ignorance, pride, and jealousy."

* In July of 1862, Lewis Carroll was 30 years old. The lyrics make reference to him being 31, which either means that the song is set in 1863, or there was a mathematical error somewhere.

* I wanted to translate "チックタック" as "tick tock" since it's referencing the White Rabbit, but I decided to stick with the literal "tick tack". Perhaps that was a mistake.

* I translated "涙のこうずい" ("a flood of tears") as "The Pool of Tears", since even though the flood of tears is technically a plot element, it could also be a reference to the title of chapter 2 of Alice in Wonderland.

* "The Twins dancing to nonsense" is a nod to Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum.

* "The disappearing Cat that invites" is a nod to the Cheshire Cat.

* The Dodo is a character who appears in chapter 3 of Alice in Wonderland. He challenges Alice to a "Caucus race" or something like that. Honestly, I only skimmed the story, so I can't really say much more.

* The Mad Hatter says "The riddle has no answer", which is a nod to chapter 7, in which he and the March Hare ask Alice a riddle, only to admit that they don't know what the answer is, either.

* 「ほら、机とカラスはなぜ似てる？」 translates more to "Look, why are a desk and a crow similar?" but I decided to stick with the terms used in the original English version of the story; "raven" and "writing-desk".

* "Rag" also translates to "worn(/torn-up) clothes"

* When Lewis Carroll is asking to take a picture of Alice and asking her if she would like rags instead of clothes, it's a reference to the picture of Alice Liddell that Carroll took, in which the young girl is wearing ripped up rags. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Carroll#/media/File:Alice_Liddell_2.jpg

* "Let me give you this book" probably offering Alice a copy of Alice in Wonderland.

* "Do you want to ask him, the illustrator?" John Tenniel was the illustrator for Alice in Wonderland. Not sure if this is actually referencing him, though.

* Everyone probably knows this, but I'll note it anyway; Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm (the Brothers Grimm) wrote a shitload of fairy tales in the 19th century.

* "アヘアヘ" was for some reason incredibly difficult to find a translation for. I stuck with "In ecstasy" because of Weblio's definition: "力の抜けた状態で喘いでいる様子を示す表現。性的にみだらな行為により恍惚に浸っている様子など。" ("Representing a state of suffering due to lost power. For example, the state of ecstasy one is immersed in during a sexually lewd act." [or something like that])

* The whole "Do you like the [x]" part makes references to characters in Alice in Wonderland. The Rabbit is a reference to the White Rabbit, the tea to the March Hare [I say this only because he is involved in the tea party], the trump to the Card Soldiers, the Heart to the Queen of Hearts, the Hat to the Mad Hatter, and the Tart to... Well, honestly, I haven't the slightest. Again, I only skimmed Alice in Wonderland. Might have been smarter to read it in full, eh?

* "The result is the sequel!" This line may have been translated completely wrong, but if not, it's likely making a nod to Alice Through the Looking Glass, which I think is the sequel to Alice in Wonderland.

* "a waxy flying neck" because the Queen of Hearts' only solution to any problem is to behead all involved.

* Alice in Wonderland is a "middle-aged story" because it was written in the 19th century, I guess.

* Lewis Carroll is a performance because he's a writer with an alias, I guess. Or it's making a note about plays. Or maybe it's to reference that he's putting on a show by saying he's not sexually attracted to little girls. [If you don't know where that came from all of the sudden, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Carroll#Discussion_of_Dodgson.27s_sexuality ]

* "19th Century Schizoid Man" basically is saying that Lewis Carroll has schizoid personality disorder (either as a real claim or [more likely] just for the purpose of the song). Wikipedia's definition of SPD is: "Schizoid personality disorder (SPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a lack of interest in social relationships, a tendency towards a solitary lifestyle, secretiveness, emotional coldness, and apathy. Affected individuals may simultaneously demonstrate a rich, elaborate and exclusively internal fantasy world." This line could also be a reference to "21st Century Schizoid Man" by King Crimson, as this song sounds somewhat similar to it.