Gondola no Uta

Gondola no Uta (ゴンドラの唄) is a 1915 romantic ballad that was popular in Taishō period Japan. Lyrics were written by Isamu Yoshii, melody by Shinpei Nakayama. The lyrics of the song are presented as the advice of an experienced individual to younger souls regarding the fleeting nature of youth and the caution against missing the opportunities of youth when they are available and before they have passed with growing age.

Lyrics
Lyrics in Kanji and Hiragana:

いのち短し 恋せよ少女

朱き唇 褪せぬ間に

熱き血潮の 冷えぬ間に

明日の月日の ないものを

いのち短し 恋せよ少女

いざ手をとりて 彼の舟に

いざ燃ゆる頬を 君が頬に

ここには誰れも 来ぬものを

いのち短し 恋せよ少女

波に漂う 舟の様に

君が柔手を 我が肩に

ここには人目も 無いものを

いのち短し 恋せよ少女

黒髪の色 褪せぬ間に

心のほのお 消えぬ間に

今日はふたたび 来ぬものを

In rōmaji:

inochi mijikashi

koi seyo otome

akaki kuchibiru

asenu ma ni

atsuki chishio no

hienu ma ni

asu no tsukihi no

nai mono wo

inochi mijikashi

koi seyo otome

iza te wo torite

ka no fune ni

iza moyuru ho wo

kimiga ho ni

koko ni wa dare mo

konu mono wo

inochi mijikashi

koi seyo otome

nami ni tadayou 

fune no yo ni

kimiga yawate wo 

waga kata ni

koko niwa hitome mo 

nai mono wo

inochi mijikashi

koi seyo otome

kurokami no iro 

asenu ma ni

kokoro no honoo

kienu ma ni

kyou wa futatabi

konu mono wo

In English:

life is brief

fall in love, maidens

before the crimson bloom

fades from your lips

before the tides of passion 

cool within you,

for there is no such thing 

as tomorrow, after all

life is brief

fall in love, maidens

before his hands

take up his boat

before the flush of

his cheeks fades

for there is not a person

who comes hither

life is brief

fall in love, maidens

before the boat drifts away

on the waves

before the hand resting on your shoulder

becomes frail

for there is no reach here

for the sight of others

life is brief

fall in love, maidens

before the raven tresses

begin to fade

before the flames in your hearts

flicker and die

for today, once passed,

is never to come again

Music
The music is written in three quarter time as a melancholy waltz in a major key played to a slow meter. Its structure is written to accompany four poetic stanzas where the first two verses of each stanza serve as a refrain throughout the entire song.

In popular culture
It was used as a theme song in Akira Kurosawa's 1952 film Ikiru. The terminally ill protagonist, played by Takashi Shimura, initially sings this romantic ballad as an expression of loss, and at the end with great contentment. His final performance of the song has been described as "iconic."

The song is also referenced in the Japanese manga titled Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden.

This music is also used in a Japanese drama titled Haikei, Chichiue-sama.

The song is sung in Clemens Klopfenstein's film Macao (1988).

The song was also used in the Japanese TV show titled Otomen.

The line "fall in love maidens" (Koi seyo otome) is used as the subtitle of the video game Sakura Wars 4.

From the song, the phrase "Life is short, fall in love, maidens..." (Inochi mijikashi, koi seyo otome...) gained some popularity during the 1990s in Japan. Especially the phrase "Koi Seyo Otome" has been used as the title for several songs and a Japanese television drama.

In the anime series Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Episode 42, King Dedede sings a version of the famous phrase "Life is short, fall in love, maidens..." (Inochi mijikashi, koi seyo otome...) but replaces "otome" with his own name, "Dedede". He sings this song on a swing set he built similar to the one in the film. However, this was only in the original version and was not translated into English.

The lyrics of the song were used in the novel Boogiepop and Others, as the leitmotif of Kamikishiro Naoko, one of the characters.

In the anime Kitsutsuki Tanteidokoro (Woodpecker Detective's Office), the song was recreated by the group "Now On Air" with mostly similar lyrics.

In the game Bungō to Alchemist (Bungo and Alchemist), character Yoshii Isamu (based on the real-life poet who wrote the lyrics of the song) recites the famous phrase, "Life is short, fall in love, maidens..." (Inochi mijikashi, koi seyo otome...) as one of the log in lines that plays when a player logs into the game.