Theatre of Tragedy is mostly in Old/Middle English, the following is my non-scholarly translation of the text of the song, with interpretative notations. Though there is another translation available I have made mine available as well in the hope of furthering conversation about this song. <3
"![Thou dawdl'd not] bringing me fro %[Aether] to ^[Nether],"
~![You did not hesitate] to bring me from %[clear upper air, can refer to heaven]
~to ^[under the earth's surface, can refer to hell, hel, or similar location]
"Still, duringly cling I on to this $[heather] -"
~Even now, with endurance I hang on to this $[heather normally refers to small
~pink-purple flowers common on heathes in England and Scotland, though it
~can also refer to a a color which is flecked or mottled that seems out of place
~here. It may be worth noting that white heather refers to protection in some
~versions of Floriography.]
"Dew-scented blossom; thou wast pristine,"
~Flower smelling of dew; you were pure/untainted,
"The sweven of thee ne'er will I cede, my colleen."
~The dream of you I will never give up, my Irish girl.
"Drat this creature of memories ill,"
~Damn/Confound this animal/created being/beast of bad memories,
"Foolhardy and @fey I may be, yet #[him I shall quell]."
~Foolish and @fey has several meanings, the one that seems to me to fit best
~here is "fated to die" since it implies the speaker is aware the fight he
~contemplates is deadly dangerous, it could also mean 'under a spell'
~(Angelique's maybe?) or supernatural in the way of elves or fairies (which
~seems out of place here, to me.) I may be, but #[I will defeat him]
Chorus:
*'Vaunt! - Devil ![tyne] -
~Go away!(abbreviated from Avaunt) - Devil ![tyne can mean a sharp pointy
~part, prickle, or as a verb "to lose", I lean to the second meaning in
~command, similar to. "Just lose already, Devil!"]
*Wadst thou ^[wane] fore'ermae;
~Were you ^[wane can mean "diminishing" in modern english, but means
~"thinking, judging" in mid-English, either makes a certain amount of sense, I
~do think I lean towards diminishing though, because of the following line]
~forever more;
*Daunt - $[sinsyne] #[thence],
~Overcome with fear - $[from that time] #[from that time/place, I lean towards ~place for this one]
*Ta'en as a dint, Angelique?
~Taken (here abbreviated) as a blow (or injury, maybe as insult), Angelique?
"Perforce and grinningly shall I maim in the vie -"
~Necessarily and happily I will do physical injury [to him] in the fight -
"^[Alas] &[dastard!] - hanging by the noose die."
~^[expression of dismay] &[sneaking coward] - perish from being hung .
Chorus
" 'Come not wont to this uncouth Devil!,"
~ Become (abbv.) not [do not become] accustomed to this unrefined Devil.
"Lest to a Devil thou wilt translate...my Angel."
~Unless to a Devil you will change into ... my Angel.
Theatre of Tragedy is mostly in Old/Middle English, the following is my non-scholarly translation of the text of the song, with interpretative notations. Though there is another translation available I have made mine available as well in the hope of furthering conversation about this song. <3
"![Thou dawdl'd not] bringing me fro %[Aether] to ^[Nether]," ~![You did not hesitate] to bring me from %[clear upper air, can refer to heaven] ~to ^[under the earth's surface, can refer to hell, hel, or similar location]
"Still, duringly cling I on to this $[heather] -" ~Even now, with endurance I hang on to this $[heather normally refers to small ~pink-purple flowers common on heathes in England and Scotland, though it ~can also refer to a a color which is flecked or mottled that seems out of place ~here. It may be worth noting that white heather refers to protection in some ~versions of Floriography.]
"Dew-scented blossom; thou wast pristine," ~Flower smelling of dew; you were pure/untainted,
"The sweven of thee ne'er will I cede, my colleen." ~The dream of you I will never give up, my Irish girl.
"Drat this creature of memories ill," ~Damn/Confound this animal/created being/beast of bad memories,
"Foolhardy and @fey I may be, yet #[him I shall quell]." ~Foolish and @fey has several meanings, the one that seems to me to fit best ~here is "fated to die" since it implies the speaker is aware the fight he ~contemplates is deadly dangerous, it could also mean 'under a spell' ~(Angelique's maybe?) or supernatural in the way of elves or fairies (which ~seems out of place here, to me.) I may be, but #[I will defeat him]
Chorus: *'Vaunt! - Devil ![tyne] - ~Go away!(abbreviated from Avaunt) - Devil ![tyne can mean a sharp pointy ~part, prickle, or as a verb "to lose", I lean to the second meaning in ~command, similar to. "Just lose already, Devil!"]
*Wadst thou ^[wane] fore'ermae; ~Were you ^[wane can mean "diminishing" in modern english, but means ~"thinking, judging" in mid-English, either makes a certain amount of sense, I ~do think I lean towards diminishing though, because of the following line] ~forever more;
*Daunt - $[sinsyne] #[thence], ~Overcome with fear - $[from that time] #[from that time/place, I lean towards ~place for this one]
*Ta'en as a dint, Angelique? ~Taken (here abbreviated) as a blow (or injury, maybe as insult), Angelique?
"Perforce and grinningly shall I maim in the vie -" ~Necessarily and happily I will do physical injury [to him] in the fight -
"^[Alas] &[dastard!] - hanging by the noose die." ~^[expression of dismay] &[sneaking coward] - perish from being hung .
Chorus
" 'Come not wont to this uncouth Devil!," ~ Become (abbv.) not [do not become] accustomed to this unrefined Devil.
"Lest to a Devil thou wilt translate...my Angel." ~Unless to a Devil you will change into ... my Angel.
Chorus