Creation of Sentient Beings
Philip Glass Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto stood on the floating bridge of Heaven and held counsel together, saying,

"Is there not a country below?"

Thereupon they thrust down the jewel-spear of Heaven,
and groping about found the ocean.
The brine which dripped from the point of the spear came together
and became an island. This island was named
Ono-goro-jima,
and they made Ono-goro-jima the pillar of the center of the land.

Now the male god circled to the left,
and the female god circled to the right,
they went round the pillar separately.
When they met
they united as husband and wife.
They gave birth to the islands, the sea, the rivers, the mountains,
the ancestor of the trees, the ancestor of the herbs.

- The Nihongi

In the lead the whales proceed,
Mingling beneath the sea;
The 'opule fish advance in the distance;
They fill the deep ocean;
Like kumimi crabs clustered on the reef;
the youngest is carried by the current into darkness.
Black as night the opaque sea.

- The Kumulipo

Zambe, the son of the One Who Bears the World,
dipped his hands in the water, and sprinkled hair all over the body of the chimpanzee and said to him, moreover, "You will always live in the forests."

- Bulu Creation Story

Still Bumba our Creator was in pain.
He strained once again and from his mouth
nine living creatures came forth:
the leopard named Koy Bumba,
and Pongo Bumba the crested eagle,
the crocodile, Ganda Bumba,
and one little fish named Yo;
next, old Kono Bumba, the tortoise,
and Tsetse, the lightning, swift, deadly, beautiful like the leopard,
then the white heron, Nyanyi Bumba,
also one beetle,
and the goat named Budi.

The creatures themselves then created all the creatures.
The heron created the birds of the air,
The crocodile made the serpents and the iguana,
The goat produced every beast with horns.
Yo, the small fish, brought forth all the fish of all the seas and waters.
The beetle created insects.
Then the serpents in their turn made grasshoppers
and the iguana made the creatures without horns.





- Boshongo Creation Story

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Philip Glass's song "Creation of Sentient Beings" tell different stories of creation from various cultures. The first paragraph is a retelling of the Japanese creation story from the Nihongi, where the gods Izanagi and Izanami created the islands and all living things on earth. The second paragraph is from the Kumulipo, a Hawaiian creation chant that describes the creatures that inhabit the ocean. The third paragraph is from the Bulu creation story of the Fang people of Gabon, where Zambe the Creator created the chimpanzee and sent it to live in the forest. The final paragraph is from the Boshongo creation story of the Bantu people of central Africa, where Bumba the Creator created the first living creatures, and they in turn created more animals and insects.


The song uses a repetitive and minimalist style that is characteristic of Philip Glass's music. The slow and steady rhythm emphasizes the weight and significance of the stories being told, while the simple and sparse melody allows the listener to focus on the words and their meaning. The use of different cultural creation stories highlights the universality of the human experience of wondering about the origins of the world and our place in it.


Line by Line Meaning

Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto stood on the floating bridge of Heaven and held counsel together, saying,
The gods Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto were on the bridge of heaven discussing among themselves


"Is there not a country below?"
They were curious whether a country existed below them


Thereupon they thrust down the jewel-spear of Heaven, and groping about found the ocean. The brine which dripped from the point of the spear came together and became an island. This island was named Ono-goro-jima, and they made Ono-goro-jima the pillar of the center of the land.
After probing with the jewel-spear, they found the ocean and from the brine that dripped from the spear, they created an island named Ono-goro-jima and made it the center of the land with the title of a pillar.


Now the male god circled to the left, and the female god circled to the right, they went round the pillar separately. When they met they united as husband and wife.
The male god circled to the left and the female god to the right around the pillar, then united to become husband and wife.


They gave birth to the islands, the sea, the rivers, the mountains, the ancestor of the trees, the ancestor of the herbs.
The couple gave birth to various landforms like islands, seas, rivers, mountains, ancestor trees, and herb ancestors.


In the lead the whales proceed, Mingling beneath the sea; The 'opule fish advance in the distance; They fill the deep ocean; Like kumimi crabs clustered on the reef; the youngest is carried by the current into darkness. Black as night the opaque sea.
This poem describes the sea and how sea creatures like whales, fish, kumimi crabs, and others live and move around in it.


Zambe, the son of the One Who Bears the World, dipped his hands in the water, and sprinkled hair all over the body of the chimpanzee and said to him, moreover, "You will always live in the forests."
Zambe, the son of the creator, put hair on the body of the chimpanzee and told him to live forever in the forests.


Still Bumba our Creator was in pain.
The creator Bumba was still in agony.


He strained once again and from his mouth nine living creatures came forth: the leopard named Koy Bumba, and Pongo Bumba the crested eagle, the crocodile, Ganda Bumba, and one little fish named Yo; next, old Kono Bumba, the tortoise, and Tsetse, the lightning, swift, deadly, beautiful like the leopard, then the white heron, Nyanyi Bumba, also one beetle, and the goat named Budi.
The creator Bumba gave birth to nine living creatures, such as leopard, eagle, crocodile, fish, turtle, heron, beetle, and goat.


The creatures themselves then created all the creatures. The heron created the birds of the air, The crocodile made the serpents and the iguana, The goat produced every beast with horns. Yo, the small fish, brought forth all the fish of all the seas and waters. The beetle created insects. Then the serpents in their turn made grasshoppers and the iguana made the creatures without horns.
Each of the nine creatures gave birth to another set of creatures; for example, Heron-to-birds, Crocodile-to-igguna, Goat-to-horned creatures, and so on.




Contributed by Eva K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

Michael Scribe

Even more beautiful than remembered when Glass champion Dennis Russell Davies and his Bruckner Orchester Linz performed it in a semi-staged version at BAM --


which I wrote up -- Michael McDonagh on Philip Glass Symphony 5.

Victor Hugo

Here in México I listened Another version of the principal singers on radio UNAM but i've never been able to buy the full CD, where can I buy it!!! WHERE!!!????