What's all this fuss about?

Latin lyrics in Heavy Metal music are a common phenomenon. The darker the music, the more evil the band wanna be. What's better than using an old, mysterious, hardly understandable, cryptic, medieval and therefore almost satanic language? Unfortunately bands seldom know how to use this language properly. So, instead of evoking the demons of the realm of evil, they just evoke a hop-frog. Clatu verata nicto! - The most of you know what happened after this wrongly spoken spell.

Normally, two questions are the result of the fact that you've just read a latin phrase:
- What does it mean? (almost everybody)
- Is it correct? (just a few latin aficionados)

This page doesn't want to make fun of mistakes in latin lyrics. I wanna answer the first question to everybody who is interested. The second question is just for myself or for the two or three weird guys out there or for bands which are thinking about using a latin phrase as well. You can contact me if you want.

Sonntag, 15. Juni 2008

Funeral Mist - In manus tuas

Funeral Mist - In manus tuas - Salvation (2003)

The lyrics are completely in latin. Here we go:

In manus tuas, Domine,
commendo spiritum meum
Redemisti me, Domine Deus veritatis
Dele iniquitatem meam

"In your hands, O Lord,
I commend my spirit
You have redeemed me, O Lord, God of truth
blot out my transgression"

The first three lines are part of the Compline, a night prayer in the Christian tradition of canonical hours. The fourth one is from Psalm 51. The psalm continues:

Amplius lava me ab iniquitate mea,
et a peccato meo munda me
Quoniam iniquitatem meam ego cognosco,
et peccatum meum contra me est semper
Tibi soli peccavi, et malum coram te feci
Ut justificeris in sermonibus tuis,
et vincas cum judicaris
Ecce enim in iniquitatibus conceptus sum,
et in peccatis concepit me mater mea
Ecce enim verita tem dilexisti;
incerta et occulta sapientiae tuae manifestasti mihi
Asperges me hyssopo, et mundabor;
lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor
Cor mundum crea in me, Satanas,
et spiritum rectum innova in visceribus meis
Ne proiicias me a facie tua,
et spiritum sanctum tuum ne auferas a me
Redde mihi laetitiam salutaris tui, et spiritu principali confirma me
Docebo iniquos vias tuas, et impii ad te convertentur
Libera me de sanguinibus, Deus salutis meae,
et exultabit lingua mea justitiam tuam, Domine,
labia mea aperies, et os meum annuntiabit laudem tuam.

"Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity.
Cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions.
My sin is constantly before me.
Against you, and you only, have I sinned,
and done that which is evil in your sight;
that you may be proved right when you speak,
and justified when you judge.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity.
In sin my mother conceived me.
Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts.
You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean.
Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Create in me a clean heart, O Satan.
Renew a right spirit within me.
Don’t throw me from your presence,
and don’t take your holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation.
Uphold me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways.
Sinners shall be converted to you.
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness,
O God, the God of my salvation.
My tongue shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
Lord, open my lips.
My mouth shall declare your praise."

Now it's your turn, reader: find the one word which is not originally part of the 51. Psalm...

no?...

...a hint: do the Christians pray to Jesus Christ or to Satan?

2 Kommentare:

333 hat gesagt…

Thank you very much as I have been trying to find a correct translation for In Manus Tuas forever.

It's appreciated.

JIMM hat gesagt…

Thanks a lot for your help with this song, I really wanted to know its meaning