ThinkBlog

[ERRATUM: Thanks to sataran’s comment, I and this post have been corrected in my hearing. See this comment for more.]

I’d just like to point out that, in Kamelot’s 2003 album Epica, during Interlude I (Opiate Soul), what is being chanted means, translated, “Thou sweetest Fortune, come to me I come/come/have come unto God.”

In Ariel’s fever dream, right after he bids us (in essence, Helena, and the world of common man) “Farewell,” he is expressing his desire that whatever must happen would come to pass. Thus, “dolcissimae, oh Fortuna, venit meos” begins with the superlative degree of the feminine form of “sweet,” so as to agree with the gender of Fortune, whom Ariel addresses. “Venit Veni” is a form of the Latin “to come,” as in, “Quis venit?—Who comes?” Meos is simply, “to me.” Sweetest, thou Fortune, come to me! I came to God!

Frankly, I’m impressed with the big K’s command of Latin—this construction is, AFAIK, not found in any ancient literature.

From The Black Halo (2005):

Track 1, “March of Mephisto”:

ASPIRAT PRIMO FORTUNA LABORI
ME DUCE TUTUS ERIS
VOX POPULI VOX DEI
AD MAIOREM DEI GLORIAM—
AD INFINITUM

All these phrases are strung together from external sources to make a chilling introductory speech by the character of Mephisto (whose voice is controversial guest vocalist Shagrath from Dimmu Borgir) to Ariel at the opening of this powerful album.

“Aspirat primo fortuna labori” is taken directly from the Roman poet Virgil (70-19 BC) and means, “Fortune smiles upon our first effort.” This is found in Book II of the Aeneid; in most free English translations that can be found online, it appears as “Thus Fortune on our first endeavor smil’d.” The idea is that the stage was properly set in the previous album/act: Ariel’s soul has been traded for carnal pleasures, and there’s no going back now—Fortune herself foreordained that it should be so, and all is falling into place.

“Me duce tutus eris” comes from Ovid’s Art of Love (Ars Amatoria), Book II, 58. It means, “Under my leadership, you will be safe.” Naturally ironic words for a fallen angel!

“Vox populi, vox Dei” is a Latin phrase coined by twelfth-century English monk William [Somerset] of Malmesbury which means, “The voice of the people is the voice of God.” In other words, the public mandate rules over all. William may have been using this ironically, or he may have been expressing a view that would later be called the Divine Right of Kings, in that the Normans under William [the Conqueror, of Normandy] had in the previous century conquered the Anglo-Saxon English isle in 1066. I believe the phrase is used in a slightly different context in this song, however; Mephisto tempts Ariel by telling him what he wishes is in line with what God wishes—or that Ariel’s pact with him is as strong as the very word of God.

“Ad maiorem Dei gloriam,” often abbreviated AMDG, means “For the greater glory of God.” It is the motto of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and is believed to have been coined by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the sect’s founder, in the sixteenth century. Mephisto could be speaking this either ironically, believing that it will actually bring him glory; or he could be assenting even amidst his perceived victory in deceiving Ariel that all things will work toward the glory of God regardless of whatever else incidental happens. Following this second interpretation, then even at the point of revelation of his wickedness, Mephisto is forced by his very nature to glorify God.

“Ad infinitum” is a simple phrase meaning “unto infinity.”

[ERRATUM: Thanks to sataran’s comment, I and this post have been corrected in my hearing. See this comment for more.]

I’d just like to point out that, in Kamelot’s 2003 album Epica, during Interlude I (Opiate Soul), what is being chanted means, translated, “Thou sweetest Fortune, come to me I come/come/have come unto God.”

In Ariel’s fever dream, right after he bids us (in essence, Helena, and the world of common man) “Farewell,” he is expressing his desire that whatever must happen would come to pass. Thus, “dolcissimae, oh Fortuna, venit meos” begins with the superlative degree of the feminine form of “sweet,” so as to agree with the gender of Fortune, whom Ariel addresses. “Venit Veni” is a form of the Latin “to come,” as in, “Quis venit?—Who comes?” Meos is simply, “to me.” Sweetest, thou Fortune, come to me! I came to God!

Frankly, I’m impressed with the big K’s command of Latin—this construction is, AFAIK, not found in any ancient literature.

From The Black Halo (2005):

Track 1, “March of Mephisto”:

ASPIRAT PRIMO FORTUNA LABORI
ME DUCE TUTUS ERIS
VOX POPULI VOX DEI
AD MAIOREM DEI GLORIAM—
AD INFINITUM

All these phrases are strung together from external sources to make a chilling introductory speech by the character of Mephisto (whose voice is controversial guest vocalist Shagrath from Dimmu Borgir) to Ariel at the opening of this powerful album.

“Aspirat primo fortuna labori” is taken directly from the Roman poet Virgil (70-19 BC) and means, “Fortune smiles upon our first effort.” This is found in Book II of the Aeneid; in most free English translations that can be found online, it appears as “Thus Fortune on our first endeavor smil’d.” The idea is that the stage was properly set in the previous album/act: Ariel’s soul has been traded for carnal pleasures, and there’s no going back now—Fortune herself foreordained that it should be so, and all is falling into place.

“Me duce tutus eris” comes from Ovid’s Art of Love (Ars Amatoria), Book II, 58. It means, “Under my leadership, you will be safe.” Naturally ironic words for a fallen angel!

“Vox populi, vox Dei” is a Latin phrase coined by twelfth-century English monk William [Somerset] of Malmesbury which means, “The voice of the people is the voice of God.” In other words, the public mandate rules over all. William may have been using this ironically, or he may have been expressing a view that would later be called the Divine Right of Kings, in that the Normans under William [the Conqueror, of Normandy] had in the previous century conquered the Anglo-Saxon English isle in 1066. I believe the phrase is used in a slightly different context in this song, however; Mephisto tempts Ariel by telling him what he wishes is in line with what God wishes—or that Ariel’s pact with him is as strong as the very word of God.

“Ad maiorem Dei gloriam,” often abbreviated AMDG, means “For the greater glory of God.” It is the motto of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and is believed to have been coined by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the sect’s founder, in the sixteenth century. Mephisto could be speaking this either ironically, believing that it will actually bring him glory; or he could be assenting even amidst his perceived victory in deceiving Ariel that all things will work toward the glory of God regardless of whatever else incidental happens. Following this second interpretation, then even at the point of revelation of his wickedness, Mephisto is forced by his very nature to glorify God.

“Ad infinitum” is a simple phrase meaning “unto infinity.”