어찌어찌 걸어 바다에 왔네

I walked and somehow managed to reach the sea

이 바다에서 나는 해변을 봐

At this sea, I see the beach

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무수한 모래알과 매섭고 거친 바람

Countless grains of sand and fierce, harsh winds–

여전히 나는 사막을 봐

I still see the desert

바달 갖고 싶어 널 온통 들이켰어

I drank you up, wanting to have the sea,

Sea here is synonymous with hope.

근데 그 전보다 더 목이 말라

But I get even thirstier than before

It is extremely dangerous to drink seawater because the saltiness will eventually lead to
dehydration. My interpretation/takeaway from the above two lines is: being obsessed
and greedy about “hope” and taking it all in as soon as you find it will make you drown
in it eventually.
내가 닿은 이 곳이 진정 바다인가

Is this place that I‘ve reached really the sea,

아니면 푸른 사막인가

Or is it a blue desert?

I don‘t know I don’t know

내가 지금 파도를 느끼고 있는지 yeah

If I‘m feeling the waves at this moment yeah

I don‘t know I don’t know

아직도 모래바람에 쫓기고 있는지 yeah

If I‘m still being chased by the sandstorm yeah

I don‘t know I don’t know

바다인지 사막인지

Whether it‘s the sea or a desert

희망인지 절망인지

Whether it‘s hope or despair

진짜인지 가짜인지 shit

Whether it‘s real or fake shit

I know I know

지금 내 시련을

That this trial given to me now

I know I know

이겨낼 것을

That I will overcome

I know I know

나야 말로 네가 의지할 곳이란 것을 yeah

That it‘s me who is the place where you can rely on yeah

좋게 생각해 마른 침 삼켜

I think positively, swallowing drily,

불안하더라도

That even if I get anxious,

사막일지라도

Even if it‘s a desert,

아름다운 나미브 사막이라고

It‘s the beautiful Namib Desert

The Namib is a coastal desert bounded by the Atlantic. A desert by the sea.
희망이 있는 곳엔 반드시 시련이 있네

Wherever there‘s hope, there’s a trial

This is a quote from 1Q84, a book written by Haruki Murakami.

희망이 있는 곳엔 반드시 시련이 있네

Wherever there‘s hope, there’s a trial

희망이 있는 곳엔 반드시 시련이 있네

Wherever there‘s hope, there’s a trial

희망이 있는 곳엔 반드시 시련이 있네

Wherever there‘s hope, there’s a trial

희망이 있는 곳엔

Where there‘s hope

You know you know you know you know yeah yeah

희망이 있는 곳엔

Where there‘s hope

You know you know you know you know yeah yeah

바다인 줄 알았던 여기는 되려 사막이었고

This place that I thought was the sea was actually a desert,

빽이 없는 중소아이돌이 두번째 이름이었어

And our second name was “idols from a small agency with no connections”

방송에 짤리기는 뭐 부지기수

We were cut from broadcast countless times

누구의 땜빵이 우리의 꿈

To fill in for someone was our dream

어떤 이들은 회사가 작아서 제대로 못 뜰 거래

Some said we won‘t be able to make it big because we’re from a small company

I know I know 나도 알아

I know I know I know as well

한 방에서 일곱이 잠을 청하던 시절도

The days when seven of us tried to sleep in one room

잠이 들기 전 내일은 다를 거라는 믿음도

The faith we had before falling asleep that tomorrow would be different

사막의 신기루

The mirage of a desert

형태는 보이지만 잡히지는 않았고

Though I could see its form, I couldn‘t grasp it

끝이 없던 이 사막에서 살아남기를 빌어

I prayed that we would survive in this desert that felt endless

현실이 아니기를 빌어

I prayed that it wasn‘t reality

결국 신기룬 잡히고 현실이 됐고

Eventually the mirage was caught by us and became reality,

두렵던 사막은 우리의 피 땀 눈물로 채워 바다가 됐어

And the desert we feared got filled with our blood, sweat, and tears to become the sea

근데 이 행복들 사이에 이 두려움들은 뭘까

But what are these fears among all this happiness?

원래 이 곳은 사막이란 걸 우린 너무 잘 알아

We know too well that this place was originally a desert

울고 싶지 않아 쉬고 싶지 않아 (Suga)

I don‘t want to cry, I don’t want to rest

(아니 조금만 쉬면 어때; J-Hope)

(No, how about resting just for a bit; J-Hope)

(아니 아니 아니; RM)

(No no no; RM)

지고 싶지 않아 원래 사막이잖아 (Suga)
I don‘t want to lose, this was originally a desert

(그럼 달려야지 뭐; RM)

(Well, then we have to run; RM)

Interpretation: to shed more blood and sweat to fill the desert

(더 울어야지 뭐; J-Hope)

(Well, we have to cry more; J-Hope)

Interpretation: to shed more tears to fill the desert

희망이 있는 곳엔 반드시 시련이 있네

Wherever there‘s hope, there’s a trial

희망이 있는 곳엔 반드시 시련이 있네

Wherever there‘s hope, there’s a trial

희망이 있는 곳엔 반드시 시련이 있네

Wherever there‘s hope, there’s a trial

희망이 있는 곳엔 반드시 시련이 있네

Wherever there‘s hope, there’s a trial

희망이 있는 곳엔

Where there‘s hope

You know you know you know you know yeah yeah

희망이 있는 곳엔

Where there‘s hope

You know you know you know you know yeah yeah

Ocean, desert, the world, everything is the same thing

Different name

I see ocean I see desert I see the world

Everything is the same thing but with different name

It‘s life again

희망이 있는 곳엔

Where there‘s hope

You know you know you know you know yeah yeah

희망이 있는 곳엔

Where there‘s hope

You know you know you know you know yeah yeah

희망이 있는 곳엔 반드시 절망이 있네

Wherever there‘s hope, there’s a despair

희망이 있는 곳엔 반드시 절망이 있네

Wherever there‘s hope, there’s a despair

희망이 있는 곳엔 반드시 절망이 있네

Wherever there‘s hope, there’s a despair

희망이 있는 곳엔 반드시 절망이 있네

Wherever there‘s hope, there’s a despair

우린 절망해야 해 그 모든 시련을 위해

We have to despair for all those trials

우린 절망해야 해 그 모든 시련을 위해

We have to despair for all those trials

Ramblings:
“Wherever there‘s hope, there’s a trial. Wherever there‘s hope, there’s a despair. We have
to despair for all those trials.” Knowing that this is about their own story (past and
present), I also connect this development to the plot of LOVE YOURSELF era (and maybe
that of the whole Bangtan Universe as well).

起 (Euphoria – Wonder): You build a hope, which is not something you can physically
grasp– it‘s there but it’s also not there. This ideal world that your hope presents (sea)
looking from where you are (desert) is so powerful that you wish you‘d stay in the ideal
world (dream) forever. “Dream is a blue mirage in a desert. … Please don’t ever wake up
from the dream.” (Euphoria)

承 (Serendipity – Her): You get obsessed with the concept of hope and blindly try to
possess it, thinking that once you reach it, “the perfect happiness” is guaranteed. “I can
never take off the mask because behind the mask I‘m not that guy you know. … Your
smile and happiness are what determine my happiness.” (Outro: Her) You drink up the
sea as soon as you reach there only to get thirstier; your hope (or the mirage of it) alone
cannot fulfill you.

轉 (Singularity – Tear): Realizing that there‘s no perfect happiness that your hope
promised, you despair. You think you’ve reached the sea, but you‘re still thirsty and
anxious. You cannot rest because of the fears. “I thought we dreamed the same dream,
but now the dream truly became just a dream.” (Outro: Tear) You learn that blindly
following the hope and faking yourself to fit you into the hope won’t bring you the true
happiness because, in reality, nothing can be perfectly perfect.

結 (Epiphany – Answer): You face yourself, learn to accept and embrace your
imperfection, and appreciate the coexistence of things that contrast each other (good
and evil, hope and despair, love and hatred, light and darkness, etc.) because “everything
is the same thing with different names.” You find the imperfect but true happiness along
the journey rather than from the goal. You despair FOR the trials. (I will obviously have
to come back to this after the album is released.)