Elend is a neoclassical darkwave band from France formed in 1993 by compose… Read Full Bio ↴Elend is a neoclassical darkwave band from France formed in 1993 by composers and multi-instrumentalists Iskandar Hasnawi and Renaud Tschirner. The band's name is German for "misery", however "im Elende sein" is also an Old German expression for "to be far away". The music can be described as gothic and orchestral music with post-romanticism undertones, or simply violent neoclassical. They are often classed as a metal act due to the fact that in their earlier days, they were signed to a label that released metal music almost exclusively. In actuality, though their sound has sometimes been very violent, they have never been metal of any form.

In an interview with a French magazine posted in June 2007 on their website, Iskander Hasnawi indicated that the costs and difficulties of recording the orchestral music associated with Elend have made it impossible to continue with the Elend project. Both composers will be continuing with personal projects, including L'Ensemble Orphique.

Official website: www.elend-music.org

Le Fleuve Infini Des Morts
Elend Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

— et la terre se mit à trembler des échos de sa colère ;
ses anneaux résonnèrent de mille voix.

Et le serpent de discorde s’élança,
et il dévora le soleil pour installer le règne de la mort.

Toi qui es destin,
ardeur et fureur,

oublie la cendre qui coule de ta poitrine,
ne la mélange pas au venin du serpent
et, sans t’approcher de la source,
dévêts-toi
et descends dans l’Hadès de la guerre.

Descends dans l’Hadès de la guerre.

Et si tu vois Celui qu’on ne voit pas, ne t’arrête pas
car tu n’es pas entre les doigts de l’Inflexible.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Elend's song Le Fleuve Infini Des Morts speak of a chaotic world in which the earth trembles with the echoes of its fury. The serpent of discord wreaks havoc, devouring the sun and establishing the reign of death. The singer urges the listener, who is destined for ardor and fury, to forget the ashes that flow from their chest and to avoid mixing them with the venom of the serpent. Rather, they should undress themselves and descend into the underworld of war. The singer cautions the listener not to stop, even if they see "Celui qu'on ne voit pas" (literally, "he who is not seen"), because they are not in the grasp of the inflexible.

The lyrics paint a picture of a world in turmoil and the internal struggle of a person who is destined for greatness but must resist the temptation of the serpent of discord. The reference to Hades and the unseen figure add a mythical element to the song's theme of conflict and struggle.

Line by Line Meaning

et la terre se mit à trembler des échos de sa colère ;
The earth trembled as a result of the echoes of the serpent's rage;

ses anneaux résonnèrent de mille voix.
The serpent's rings echoed with a thousand voices.

Et le serpent de discorde s’élança,
The serpent of discord leaped forth,

et il dévora le soleil pour installer le règne de la mort.
And it devoured the sun to establish the reign of death.

Toi qui es destin,
You who are fated,

ardeur et fureur,
Passion and fury,

oublie la cendre qui coule de ta poitrine,
Forget the ashes that flow from your chest,

ne la mélange pas au venin du serpent
Do not mix it with the serpent's venom

et, sans t’approcher de la source,
And without approaching the source,

dévêts-toi
Undress yourself

et descends dans l’Hadès de la guerre.
And descend into the underworld of war.