Black Swarm Aeternum album cover: Kat seated on a weathered stone throne at the edge of the sea

ACT IV · THE BALANCE

Aeternum: The Balance

The seasons turn for centuries. She learns that her winter took him, and meets Vengeance, who fed every step of her war and holds what is left of him. She will not forgive. She tells the story anyway. Night and light, ice and flame, end in harmony.

Act IV of Black Swarm’s Latin electronic opera, sung by Kat. Every Latin line is translated below.

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Tracklist

  1. 01Semper AeternumAlways, Eternal
  2. 02Regina DesolataThe Desolate Queen
  3. 03Ver Aestas Autumnus HiemsSpring, Summer, Autumn, WinterLyrics
  4. 04Eum TeneoI Hold HimLyrics
  5. 05Hiems MeaMy WinterLyrics
  6. 06Ager MeusMy FieldLyrics
  7. 07Semper SolaAlways Alone
  8. 08Mea EsYou Are MineLyrics
  9. 09Valete Opera MeaFarewell, My WorksLyrics
  10. 10Narro TamenI Tell It AnywayLyrics
  11. 11In ConcordiaIn HarmonyLyrics
  12. 12Regina FatiQueen of Fate
  13. 13Finis AeternusThe Eternal End
  14. 14Eum Teneo (Live)I Hold Him (Live)Lyrics as track 4

Lyrics & translation

TRACK 3

Ver Aestas Autumnus Hiems — Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter

LATINENGLISH

Sero
Servo
Servio
Sero… servo… servio

I sow
I keep
I serve
I sow… I keep… I serve

Ver
Aestas
Autumnus
Hiems —

Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter —

Ver

Spring

Saecula transeunt
Saecula transeunt
Servio
Servio…

The ages pass
The ages pass
I serve
I serve…

Ver — aestas — autumnus —
Hiems —

Spring — summer — autumn —
Winter —

Ver — aestas —

Spring — summer —

Hiems…
Hiems…

Winter…
Winter…

(Veni… vide…)
(Veni… vide…)

(Come… see…)
(Come… see…)

TRACK 4

Eum Teneo — I Hold Him

LATINENGLISH

Rogasti: quis est illa?
Ultio sum
Ultio… sum

You asked: who is she?
I am Vengeance
I am… Vengeance

Serui odium
Nutrivi famem tuam
Verti rotam
Feci fenestram tuam

I sowed hatred
I fed your hunger
I turned the wheel
I made your window

Numquam te coegi
Semper elegisti
Semper… elegisti
Libera messis — optima messis

I never forced you
You always chose
You always… chose
A free harvest — the best harvest

Eum teneo
Ex hieme tua — meus
Eum teneo
Ideo tacet

I hold him
From your winter — mine
I hold him
That is why he is silent

Redde eum

Give him back

TRACK 5

Hiems Mea — My Winter

LATINENGLISH

Ille discessit
Et ego gelavi mundum
Hiems mea eum sustulit
Hiems… mea

He left
And I froze the world
My winter took him
My… winter

Sciebam
Semper sciebam
Non flevi — numeravi
Ideo numeravi

I knew
I always knew
I did not weep — I counted
That is why I counted

Bellum meum — fuga mea
Punivi mundum pro me
Punivi mundum… pro me

My war — my escape
I punished the world instead of me
I punished the world… instead of me

Illa me sevit?
Fortasse
Sata sum — sed ego crevi
Sata sum, sed ego crevi

Did she sow me?
Perhaps
I was sown — but I did the growing
I was sown, but I did the growing

Ego sum hiems
Ego… sum… hiems

I am the winter
I… am… the winter

Hiems mea eum sustulit
Ego sum hiems
Sciebam… semper

My winter took him
I am the winter
I knew… always

TRACK 6

Ager Meus — My Field

LATINENGLISH

Ubique sero
Ubique meto
In omni corde — ager meus
In omni saeculo — messis mea

Everywhere I sow
Everywhere I reap
In every heart — my field
In every age — my harvest

Amor non redditus — optima seges
Se ipse rigat
Cotidie
Se ipse rigat… cotidie

Love unreturned — the richest crop
It waters itself
Every day
It waters itself… every day

Milia mundorum
Ante te — reginae mille
Non prima es
Non ultima eris

Thousands of worlds
Before you — a thousand queens
You are not the first
You will not be the last

Una res me non alit: venia
Sed venia… rara est

One thing does not feed me: forgiveness
But forgiveness… is rare

Fabula mea est
Fabula mea est
Etiam haec
Etiam… haec

It is my story
It is my story
This one too
This one… too

Sed unum opus… praestat omnibus

But one work… surpasses them all

TRACK 8

Mea Es — You Are Mine

LATINENGLISH

Opus meum es
Dedisti ei quod voluit — ut nihil teneret
Misericordia tua — vindicta perfecta

You are my work
You gave him what he wanted — so that he would hold nothing
Your mercy — the perfect vengeance

Fortasse

Perhaps

Sciebam quid facerem
Sed elegi
Elegi servare — non secare

I knew what I was doing
But I chose
I chose to keep — not to cut

Nullus gladius sic secat
Nullus… gladius
Mea es
Mea es

No sword cuts like that
No… sword
You are mine
You are mine

Orbis vivit
Vindicta non plantat
Orbis vivit — vindicta… non plantat

The world lives
Vengeance does not plant
The world lives — vengeance… does not plant

Ideo opus meum optimum es — quia nescis quid sis
Nescis… quid sis

That is why you are my finest work — because you do not know what you are
You do not know… what you are

(Mea es)
Elegi
(Mea es)
Elegi
(Mea…)
Elegi…

(You are mine)
I chose
(You are mine)
I chose
(Mine…)
I chose…

TRACK 9

Valete Opera Mea — Farewell, My Works

LATINENGLISH

Redde eum
Redde eum

Give him back
Give him back

Quid petis?
Nihil mihi restat
Iam non mea sum
Quid… petis?

What do you ask for?
I have nothing left
I am no longer my own
What… do you ask for?

Quid pro eo petam?
Nihil
Iam nihil valet
Renuntiavistis ambae
Nemo iam odit
Sine odio — sine usu

What should I ask for him?
Nothing
He is worth nothing now
You both gave him up
No one hates any more
Without hatred — he has no use

Vacuus est
Sume
Nihil perdo
Alii agri me exspectant

He is empty
Take him
I lose nothing
Other fields are waiting for me

Valete — opera mea
Valete… opera mea

Farewell — my works
Farewell… my works

TRACK 10

Narro Tamen — I Tell It Anyway

LATINENGLISH

Audite
Audite
Fabulam servavi
Fabulam narro

Listen
Listen
I have kept the story
I tell the story

Non ignosco
Non ignosco
Veniam non do — veritatem do

I do not forgive
I do not forgive
I do not give forgiveness — I give the truth

Quod factum est, narro
Ut sciant omnes
Veritatem do
Veritatem… do

What was done, I tell
So that everyone knows
I give the truth
I give… the truth

Scio quid nutrio
Scio… quid nutrio
Narro tamen
Narro tamen

I know what I am feeding
I know… what I am feeding
I tell it anyway
I tell it anyway

Si taceo — pereunt iterum
Memoria alit… et servat
Alit et servat

If I stay silent — they die again
Memory feeds… and it preserves
It feeds, and it preserves

Narro tamen

I tell it anyway

TRACK 11

In Concordia — In Harmony

LATINENGLISH

Nox et lux
(In concordia)
Umbra et sol
(In concordia)

Night and light
(In harmony)
Shadow and sun
(In harmony)

Glacies et flamma
(In concordia)
Silentium et vox
(In concordia)

Ice and flame
(In harmony)
Silence and voice
(In harmony)

Mors et semen
(In concordia)
Utrumque servo
Inter utrumque sto

Death and seed
(In harmony)
I keep them both
I stand between them

Nec nox vincit
Nec lux
Nec nox vincit, nec lux
(In concordia)

Night does not win
Nor light
Neither night wins, nor light
(In harmony)

Etiam ultio — in concordia
Etiam… illa

Even vengeance — in harmony
Even… her

Omnia — in concordia
Omnia
(In concordia)
(In concordia)

Everything — in harmony
Everything
(In harmony)
(In harmony)

Amor meus means both “my love” the feeling and “my love” the man; the opera uses both.