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
Under War-broken Trees
Elend Lyrics
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Under the seaside shadows
By the city, by the gates
Streets of sands/sadness strays
The war is over now
The pain is over now
Fair eyes still can't see
The healing time provides
Warless I could not see
Sous des cieux fades promesses
Des horizons hallucinés
La terre nous était désormais étrangère
Patris
Pontos
Les flots brisés
Le sillage... un enclair
Terre, mer, cieux mélangés ...
Seuls les vents hurlent a nos oreilles
Nos yeux francasses que le sang aveugle...
Sur une mer démontée, machine de colère
"watch over me"
Beyond the velvet veil of fear
A firmament of grieves
A century of burning
We were tempted by a shade...
In war times, only
The shell loneliness is safe
But under war-broken trees,
Dreams come fast...
Dreams come when you are weary of the sun.
The lyrics to Elend's song "Under War-broken Trees" appear to be a commentary on the aftermath of war and the toll it takes on those who survive. The first stanza, "Skies visible under the seaside shadows, by the city, by the gates. Streets of sadness/strays," paints a somber picture of a post-war landscape. The next stanza provides a glimmer of hope: "The war is over now. The pain is over now. Fair eyes still can't see, the healing time provides." It seems that while the physical violence has ended, the psychological wounds still linger.
The next lines, "Warless I could not see," suggest that the singer has grown accustomed to living in a state of war and that peace is perhaps disorienting. The lyrics take a surreal turn in the third stanza, with phrases like "beyond the velvet veil of fear" and "a firmament of grieves." These abstract images contribute to a sense of dislocation and unease.
The final lines, "But under war-broken trees, dreams come fast...Dreams come when you are weary of the sun," offer a glimpse of something potentially restorative. Perhaps in the ruined landscape, there is room for hope and for new beginnings.
Line by Line Meaning
Skies visible
The skies are visible, not obscured by the destruction and smoke of war.
Under the seaside shadows
Amidst the shadows cast by the buildings and structures of the seaside.
By the city, by the gates
Near the city gates.
Streets of sands/sadness strays
The streets are filled with sand, a product of the war, and the people wandering through them are sad and lost.
The war is over now
The war has finally ended.
The pain is over now
The pain and suffering caused by the war has finally ended.
Fair eyes still can't see
Despite the end of the war, the destruction it caused is still visible and affecting the people's ability to see beauty.
The healing time provides
With time and healing, beauty and hope will once again become visible.
Warless I could not see
The end of the war brings clarity and allows the artist to see things he couldn't see before.
Sous des cieux fades promesses
Under faded skies of broken promises.
Des horizons hallucinés
Hallucinated horizons that seem impossible to reach.
La terre nous était désormais étrangère
The land is now foreign to us because of the destruction caused by war.
Patris
Homeland.
Pontos
The sea.
Les flots brisés
The broken waves.
Le sillage... un enclair
The wake of a ship is like a flash of lightning.
Terre, mer, cieux mélangés ...
The land, sea, and sky are merged together.
Seuls les vents hurlent a nos oreilles
Only the winds are heard amidst the destruction.
Nos yeux francasses que le sang aveugle...
Our French eyes blinded by the bloodshed.
Sur une mer démontée, machine de colère
On a stormy sea, a machine of anger.
"watch over me"
A plea for protection and guidance in the tumultuous aftermath of war.
Beyond the velvet veil of fear
In the midst of great fear and uncertainty.
A firmament of grieves
An overwhelming sense of grief and sadness.
A century of burning
A hundred years of pain and destruction.
We were tempted by a shade...
We were led astray by an illusory sense of security.
In war times, only
The shell loneliness is safe
During times of war, remaining isolated and detached is the only way to feel safe.
But under war-broken trees,
Dreams come fast...
Despite the destruction of war, dreams and new beginnings can emerge.
Dreams come when you are weary of the sun.
Dreams and hope can emerge when you feel exhausted and hopeless.
Contributed by Elliot J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
jose mestre
The level of Elend! wow! in doesnt get old, so many time from the last time i hear this, and doesnt old at all!
Joni Lähdesmäki
I do not really speak french, but I thought I'd try translating the french-part anyway; "Under the skys faded of promises, of hallucinative horizons, the terrain is unknown for us from here on, Father - The Sea, The broken tides, the slipstream .. a lightning flash, Earth, sea, skies mixed together.., only the wind hurls in our ears, our eyes destroyed like the blind blood..., over a sea taken apart, a machine of hatred"
XdarkprimeX
@Elferien thanks for translate to English ^^