て after volitional form?

[Sakide]

Hello.
I have been requested to translate the song Omega Rhythm by Uplift Spice, which begins like this:

今に摩尼珠に群がろうて
宴に笑う手弱女等と
愛のまま踊れや 腑は肥大や
愛のまま踊れや

I just copied the lyrics from somewhere, so given that they are correct:
Why is there a て after 群がろう? Does it mean something? Is it some kind of expression or form? Or maybe a particle thrown in to keep the rhythm, like や?

 

[Toritoribe]

"The volitional form + て" means ～だろう/だろうに when used at the end of a sentence, but this doesn't fit there. I googled 群がろうて and got 540 results, but almost all results are this lyrics. The exceptions are just two; 昔から女がスクアーロに群がろうてしても and そんな奴らがどれだけ群がろうて――無駄だ. The former one is obviously a typo of 群がろうとしても, and the latter is also a typo of 群がろうとて, i.e., 群がっても/群がったとしても (this ～う is for presumptive). I think it's meant 群がろうとて also in the lyrics (群がろうとして in modern Japanese in this case) from the context. Probably the writer misused it.

As you would realize, the lyrics is written in (pseudo)classical style. や in 踊れや is a sentence final particle (よ in modern Japanese), and や in 肥大や is for question, thus, か in modern Japanese, not just for keeping the rhythm with no meaning.

 

[Sakide]

Thank you!
Would you bother to listen to the first seconds of the song to clarify what exactly she's singing at that point? I still kinda understand 群がろうて (probably because it's stuck in my head now from earlier)...

 

[Toritoribe]

I already heard it and confirmed whether the given lyrics was correct or not before answering your question.

 

[Sakide]

So... Is it correct now or is it not? :dead:

"The volitional form + て" means ～だろう/だろうに when used at the end of a sentence

So is it that case then?
Or is it 群がろうとて? What is she saying exactly? I'm hearing 群がろうて.

Also, what is she saying after 手弱女? Is it 等? Or 等と as in the lyrics? How to translate 等と here then? Go dance with someone like that laughing girl?

 

[Toritoribe]

So... Is it correct now or is it not?

I already heard it and confirmed whether the given lyrics was correct or not before answering your question.

If the given lyrics was not correct, it's reasonable to point it out. Don't you think so?

"The volitional form + て" means ～だろう/だろうに when used at the end of a sentence, but this doesn't fit there.

I think it's meant 群がろうとて also in the lyrics (群がろうとして in modern Japanese in this case) from the context. Probably the writer misused it.

 

[Sakide]

Now I'm confused... Did you listen to the song or not? :dead:

If the given lyrics was not correct, it's reasonable to point it out. Don't you think so?

Actually, I can't seem to find any lyrics I can trust 100%... When there's kanji given, then the Rōma-ji text doesn't quite match with the kanji (and generally contains a few mistakes on first glance).

Either way, would you please be so kind to tell me how the real lyrics go on that first segment?

 

[Majestic]

I think the question was answered here

I think it's meant 群がろうとて also in the lyrics (群がろうとして in modern Japanese in this case) from the context. Probably the writer misused it.

 

[Sakide]

Right now it's not about the writer who wrote the faulty lyrics, but the actual text of the song the singer is singing.

 

[Majestic]

Toritoribe-san mentioned that

If the given lyrics was not correct, it's reasonable to point it out. Don't you think so?

I take this to mean that the lyrics you posted in your original post are indeed the correct lyrics to the song. It's just a case where the writer of the song misused some classical grammar, leading to some slight confusion.

 

[Sakide]

This... would make sense. Thanks for clarifying.