Ugo
Group: Members
Posts: 5495
Joined: April 2000 |
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Posted: Jan. 17 2008, 17:13 |
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Thanks to a stroke of genius from my mom , who's a very attentive Bible reader, I've reconstructed the complete lyrics from Shabda. They are all in Latin, but they don't make any sense as a complete lyric, as the first 2 lines come from separate parts of the same sentence, the third comes from another source and the fourth is a variation of the first, with an invented ending.
Here are the four lines, with translations and explanations.
1. Terra autem erat inanis
"The earth was without form", from line 2 of the Book of Genesis. 'Autem', which is pronounced òtem in MotS, is a multi-purpose word [literally meaning 'by the way' or 'meanwhile'] used in classical Latin as a linking word.
2. Super faciem abyssi
"Upon the face of the deep". Also from line 2 of the Book of Genesis, but not linked to the previous line.
3. Lux æterna dona nobis
"Give unto us eternal light". A combination of the Requiem and Agnus Dei Catholic prayers, as I said above. This line has nothing to do with the two lines above.
4. Terra autem erat in cæli
"The earth was in the skies". This is a variation on line 1, but the ending is invented and it makes no real sense in Latin (it's even in the wrong case - it should be "cælorum"). I guess it was written that way just for sonic purposes.
The way the lines are sung in Shabda, they sound like this:
Te-rao-te-me-ra-ti-na-nis Su-per-fa-ci-em-a-bys-si Lu-xe-ter-na-do-na-no-bis Te-rao-te-me-ra-tin-ce-li
As a side note, I may add that it's the second time in Mike's career that he makes good use of quotes from the beginning of the Book of Genesis (the best known line from that beginning, "Let there be light", "Fiat lux" in Latin, is indirectly recalled here through the use of the word "lux", although it is in a different context). So, is this just a coincidence, or is Mike particularily fond of that Bible section?
-------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian
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