Lyrics[]
“Tobira” (1) — a land of 3000 nautical miles seen in dreams
I kick the fertile earth and,
wearing a dagger at my side, dance a sacred dance
There in the primera (2) throne sits
the sunburned “King of Haze”
the sunburned “King of Haze”
I stab the goat in the back, dyeing it red
Flowers fall into that skillful performance,
and more than 300 pairs of eyes open wide
The sacrifice awakens
The voices of the people call to the flames
The voices of the people call to the flames
The blood burns, and in between the water and the rising flames,
the aeonian gears of Paranesia begin to turn (3)
A 3.3 second long drama
Within that origin’s arcanum,
beyond dreams, and absolutely everything ordinary,
is a spirit in the form of that shadow
The sunburned “King of Haze”
The voices of people call to the flames
Paranesian Circle Circle Circle… (4)
The gears turn Inevitably and abruptly
this nightmare (5) of ecstasy swells to a climax
Devouring depletion, spewing abundance,
it rains hopeful light (6) into the vessel of death
Is it the paradise (7) of the fire’s flame,
or the motordrive of a holy wheel?
Paranesian Circle Circle Circle
Paranesian Circle Circle Circle
Even smooth speech becomes grim sobbing
The sacrifice Beyond dreams
A quiet, nameless successor
Rising Falling Rising Falling
Is it the paradise of the fire’s flame,
or the motordrive of a holy wheel?
Paranesian Circle Circle Circle
Paranesian Circle Circle Circle
Paranesian Circle Circle Circle Circle
Paranesian Circle Circle Circle Circle
Circle Circle Circle
Notes[]
(1) The basic translation of tobira is “door”, but other possibilities could include “gate” and “portal”, depending on the context.
The most common title I’ve seen for this song is “Island Door”, but since tobira-jima could also translate to “Door Island”, I decided to give my translation the title as seen above.
(2) I think this may refer to the flower Aechmea ‘Primera’:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aechmea_fasciata
I originally thought it might be the flower primula, but that’s spelled プリムラ (purimura).
(And then there’s the Nissan Primera, but that’s spelled プリメーラ (purimeera)…Although the Nissan logo is a circle, now that I think about it.)
(3) During the live performance of this song, this verse is skipped, and an image of rotating circles appears on the screen instead:
(4) Shortly before the next verse begins during the live performance of this song, this image appears on the screen:
It then begins to transform, eventually becoming what appears to be a mandala:
“Mandala is a Sanskrit word that means “circle”. In the Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions their sacred art often takes a mandala form. The basic form of most Hindu and Buddhist mandalas is a square with four gates containing a circle with a center point…In common use, mandala has become a generic term for any plan, chart or geometric pattern that represents the cosmos metaphysically or symbolically, a microcosm of the Universe from the human perspective.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandala
(5) “Nightmare” is one translation of muma, but it can also mean “demon”, specifically one that appears in people’s dreams to cause them suffering.
(6) The word koumyou can mean:
(1) bright light
(2) hope; bright future
(3) light emanating from a buddha or bodhisattva, symbolizing their wisdom and compassion
(7) Tougenkyou, “The Peach Blossom Spring”, is the title of a Chinese fable that tells of a hidden paradise:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peach_Blossom_Spring