ACT II, SCENE 4: MIZU NI SHIZUMU (Burial At Sea)

[Instrumental - Shakuhachi breath, Sho holds, Koto like falling sand] [Baritone - Kuribayashi - whisper, reading] Umi yukaba Mizu ni shizumu Yama yukaba Kusa ni umoreru [Low Bass Chorus - mantra] Ookimi no tame ni dewa naku Tomo no tame ni shinde yuku [Tegami - The Letters] Nokosareta tegami, suna no naka Ani no ji, haha no koe Kaerenai to wakatte ita Soredemo kaita, saigo no kotoba [Death Poem - Kuribayashi jisei, your direct quote concept] Omoni o hatasezu Ya mo tsuki, tama mo tsukite Kanashiku mo taorenu Kuni no tame to iinagara Kokoro wa furusato ni ari [Honor as suffering - core thesis - this is the mantra for all soldiers] Senshi wa oni dewa nai Senshi wa musuko de ari Chichi de ari, ani de ari Subete no heishi no tame ni Inoru kokoro o wasurenaide [Tenor - off-stage, American letter reader, in Japanese to keep unity] Umi no mukou no heishi mo Onaji umi ni shizunda [All - Unison, gripping, final mantra - 4x, slower each time] Yasuraka ni nemure Yasuraka ni nemure Mizu no soko de Hikari no naka de Yasuraka ni [Instrumental outro - Koto single note fades like a letter sinking]