Swallow the Sun - Lumina Aurea (2018)
As you surely know, this EP contains a single song in which guitarist and band leader Juha Raivio comes to terms with the death of his girlfriend. She died of cancer in 2016. It's therefore a very dark and ambient track. Latin Gregorian chants and latin lyrics - spoken and sung by Marco Benevento (The Foreshadowing) - play an important role.
The song reminds me of old myths in which dead bodies can/ has to cross a river in order to reach the underworld or the promised land. In ancient Greece mythology this river was called Styx, the ferryman's name was Charon and the underworld was called Hades). But there are other legends as well, I think the great CD "Saivo" by Tenhi deals with this topic as well. The cover also shows a boat and mysterious figures.
*** edit ***
Recently, I've got some help from a cool guy who sent me the lyrics (as you can see in the comment section). So let's see what I've got and let's fill the gaps:
The motto which is shown at the end of the video is
mors fortior quam vita est, - death is more powerful than life,
amor fortior quam mors est. - love is more powerful than death.
Lumina aurea - golden lights ("lumen" is not only "light", but also the ability to see and the energy/light that shines as long as you live)
[2:02]
Gregorian chants start, which I don't understand
[2:24]
illic ubi olim meum cor erat - there, where once my heart was
in abysso lacrimarum
acrium- in the abyss of bitter tears
saxum iacet
illic - a stone lies there.
[2:40]
unde tenebrae
numquam possunt excedere - from where darkness never can leave
nec iam lux
penetrat. - and no light never penetrates.
omniaque requiro - (not sure) and I ask for/ demand everything
in me imprimuntur - (not sure) in me they are imprinted/ engraved
sidus argenteum
matutini - the silver star of the morning
omnia in me signata sunt - everything in me is sealed
omnia in me signata sunt - everything in me is sealed
[3:30]
Ferte mihi capita
daemonum omnium - Bring me the heads of all the demons,
Quae feram
ubi vere tenebris sunt- which I'll carry where really darkness is.
vos non
timeo, - I'm not afraid of you,
nam vos iam
persaepe vidi - for I have very often seen you
ac vos nihil eratis ad alam nigram et cor album - and you've been nothing to the black wing and the white heart -
(this construction I don't understand. If "eratis - you were, you've been" is correct, then the direction "ad alam - to(wards) the wing" doesn't fit well; if "erratis - you err, you've erred" is correct, then "nihil - nothing" doesn't fit well)
te procul ab pseudoprophetis - You, far away from false prophets
quorum
verba cava sunt - whose words are inane
per cor
meum per has portas nocte - through my heart, through these doors in the night
portavi te
donec lacerti vacui -You I've carried
donec lacerti vacui te requisiverunt - until the empty muscles required you (?)
te ademptus
et ereptus sum - I'm snatched and carried away from you
nunc
denique omnia templa combusta sunt - now finally all temples are burned down
incensa
procellis et noctis tenebris - set on fire by attacks an by the darkness of the night
[5:22]
de nebulis in terram
cecidimus - Out of the fog we fell to earth.
abiecti
longe Eva atque homo - Eve and the Man (are) put down far away
de illis
spei turribus ardentibus - from there burning towers of hope
qui portus erant usque ad spiritum extremum - which were the harbours until my last breath.
[6:01]
Gregorian chants which I again don't understand
[7:02]
Nunc et usque ad horam ultimam temporum te confidebam, - Now and until the last hour of times I've trust you
et te semper confidam. - and I'll always trust you.
et te semper confidam. - and I'll always trust you.
[8:10]
Te per
illud flumen nigrum secutus sum - Through this black river I followed you
Quod fluit usque ad
fines terrae - which flows to the end of the world
Sulcos aquae aureos sequens - following the golden furrows of water,
Qui e primis digitis tuis effundunt. - which rise from your finger tips.
[10:07]
canite mihi, daemones - Sing for me, deamons,
nam vos non
timeo. - because I don't fear you.
Gladios vestros cepi - I grabbed your swords
et vos mihi submittitis et luci eius - and you bowed to my will and to her light.
Etiam redis ad meos amores, sidus aureum - Also you, silver star, return to my love
[11:10]
Armor, deorsum
per flumen - The weapon, going down through the river,
ita puncto
tempore - so at one moment,
ut lux pulchritudinis tuae - like the light of your beauty
domum tristem illuminat. - illuminates the sad house.
Iam lacerti vacui mei te requirunt, - My empty muscles already require you,
donec iterum conveniemus - until we'll meet again
in insulam, meus amor, in insulam - to the island, my love, to the island.
Interim ut Eva et homo longe abicierum - Meanwhile, like Eve and the man, put down far away (the form "abicierum" isn't a correct one)
in itinerem aureum te sequor, meus amor - on the golden way I follow you, my love,
in itinerem aurem
per aquas nigras - on the golden way through black waters
vectus imagine
illarum avium noctivagarum - driven by the image of those night birds
in itinerem aurem, meus amor. - on the golden way, my love.
(last comment on the grammar: "in itinerem" is wrong, because "iter - the way" has a neutral gender, therefor the accusative is also "iter". Also, I would have build the sencence differently: "to follow" has two additional informations: "whom?" and "when/ where/ where to"? First, "te sequor - I follow you" is correct. "in iter aureum" indicates the destination: "towards the golden way/ path". To say "iter aureum sequor - I follow the golden path" would be correct as well. But here, the author combines two accusative objects - this is what I doubt. I would prefer the ablative "in itinere aureo" to express the way/ method on which or with which he follows her.)
In general, this is a beautiful and fine written text and also a very sad and personal one. All I wanna say is:
Cara Aleah, ubicumque requiescis, velim requiescas in pace. Terra tibi levis sit et levia sint cordia eorum qui te amaverunt et amabunt. Luctus et maestitia numquam cor amantium tam fortiter tenere possunt quam manus hominis qui vere sentit. Cara Aleah, montes et terrae et pratia et flumina tibi aurea sint! Serena diem exspectes in quo die tu et amor tuus coniuncti eritis!
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