I based this song on the Japanese myth of the snow maiden. In the original legend, the snow maiden (or Yuki-Onna) is a rather frightening being who kills travelers with her icy breath. However, I found that a bit too simple. So in my song, the snow maiden is a sorrowful being, whose very touch freezes, and so can never know love. Her tears become the snowfall.
Eiko Seiber graciously translated and rewrote the English chanting lyrics, so that I could sing them in Japanese for the final recording."
Instruments Used: harp, panflute, violin, recorder
Winter Moon
Erutan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
there's a maiden weeping tonight.
Snow falls softly 'neath the winter moon
Forest bare and white, she dwells there by night
Listen to her cry sorrow's song.
Snow falls softly 'neath the winter moon
Oh, who do you cry for?
Keening softly 'neath the winter moon
Fuyu no tsuki, fuyu no tsuki, kanashimi utsusu fuyu no tsuki
Kogoeru fuyu no tsuki no yoru ni yuki no otome hana o mistuke ni
yuki ni umoreta sanrin no naka o tabi tsuzukena sai
Traveler passing through, feet all bare, his smile was true
His eyes shone with starlight
he waked softly 'neath the winter moon
Love made my heart soar, you're the one I've waited for
Stay with me forever
she cried softly 'neath the winter moon
In the snow he stayed, from my side he did not stray
My hands could not warm him
He died softly 'neath the winter moon
The song "Winter Moon" by the artist Erutan captures the mourning and longing of a mythical maiden who lives in the wintery woods. The song opens with a vividly painted image of a sorrowful maiden, "born of ice and snow," crying beneath the softly falling snow by the winter moon. The verses are rich with metaphors that describe the bleak, barren landscape, where the only sound that can be heard is the girl's mournful lament. The listener is invited to imagine her suffering and empathize with her deep sadness.
Despite the somber mood of the song, Erutan's voice carries a note of beauty and hope. The chorus features a memorable melody, sung in Japanese, that repeats the phrase "Fuyu no tsuki" - winter moon - as if to evoke the magic of the season. The ascending melody and the use of traditional Japanese instruments create a sense of melancholic beauty that fills the listener's heart.
The final verses of the song reveal the cause of the girl's sadness: a traveler who had awakened love in her heart and then departed from her side, dying in the cold snow. The lines "Stay with me forever/she cried softly 'neath the winter moon" transform the song into a haunting love ballad that speaks to the transience of human connections and the way love can be both painful and transcendent.
Overall, "Winter Moon" is a moving and poetic song that explores themes of grief, love, and the beauty of nature. Erutan's voice and lyrics are woven together in a way that creates a vivid and emotional soundscape for the listener to explore.
Line by Line Meaning
In the woodlands low, born of ice and snow,
There is a place in the cold forest where a woman has been born and made of ice and snow.
there's a maiden weeping tonight.
Tonight a maiden is crying in that forest of ice and snow.
Snow falls softly 'neath the winter moon
The snow falls quietly while the winter moon watches over.
Forest bare and white, she dwells there by night
She lives in the forest that is now bare and white, only coming out at night.
Listen to her cry sorrow's song.
Her cries are a song of sorrow that can be heard in the silence.
Breathless, icy, bright. Daughter of the night.
The woman in the forest is breathless, cold, and bright but is also known as the daughter of the night.
Oh, who do you cry for?
The question arises as to whom she is crying for in the lonely night.
Keening softly 'neath the winter moon
She mourns with a soft voice, under the watchful gaze of the winter moon.
Fuyu no tsuki, fuyu no tsuki, kanashimi utsusu fuyu no tsuki
Winter moon, winter moon, the winter moon reflects sadness.
Kogoeru fuyu no tsuki no yoru ni yuki no otome hana o mistuke ni
In the frozen winter moonlit night, the snow maiden appears.
yuki ni umoreta sanrin no naka o tabi tsuzukena sai
She continues her journey through the forest buried in snow.
Traveler passing through, feet all bare, his smile was true
A man, with cold and bare feet in the snow, passes through the forest.
His eyes shone with starlight he waked softly 'neath the winter moon
In the light of the stars, his eyes shone and he walked softly under the winter moon.
Love made my heart soar, you're the one I've waited for
She proclaims her love and that this person is the one she has been waiting for.
Stay with me forever she cried softly 'neath the winter moon
She begs him to stay with her forever, with her voice as soft as the winter moon.
In the snow he stayed, from my side he did not stray
He stays in the snow and never leaves her side.
My hands could not warm him He died softly 'neath the winter moon
Despite her efforts, she could not warm him and he passes away under the winter moon.
Contributed by Hannah K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.