Scelera Malorum from Burnt Offerings by Vudu Sister
Scelera Malorum (the Crimes of Wicked Men)
The Furies. The Kindly Ones. Scelera Malorum is told from the perspective of the Furies based on several mythic sources but most prominently as they appear in Eumenides from Aeschylus’ Oresteia. The theme of the song, and of the work at large, centers on the crimes of wicked men and the anguish, rage, and fear wrought unto women. I used the Furies as vehicles of vengeance, as they are often depicted, but more broadly as arbiters of vengeance in the service of wronged women and their “hidden wounds” they bear in silence. Typically, they are associated with bloodguilt such as matricide, which is the case in Oresteia as they torment Orestes for the murder of his mother Clytemnestra. I wanted to create a duality between what is justice, or righteous wrath, and what happens when that pursuit is reduced to bloodthirsty vengeance. Is it no longer just, or does the offender suffer more than what is deserved for the crime committed? The line “nostrae irae odia aequa” (trans. our wraths are just hatreds) provides a smooth elision that puns “Odi aequa” (trans. I hate just things). This summarizes the core theme of the song and of Burnt Offerings; the dichotomy of the desire for justice and the wrath necessary to inspire such a pursuit.
Main sources: Eumenides from Oresteia of Aeschylus
Tracklist
| 5. | Scelera Malorum | 3:51 |
Lyrics
(Latin):
I
Matri inultae, aeturnum lacrimanti,
Raptae virginīque,
Sororēs tres nos divinae et Εὐμενῐ́δες
Servire pollicemur,
Cum scelera malorum
Perseverent impoenita.
II
Qui amicti estis et culpa irrigati,
Luere infamiarum,
Qui, homines, scitis de vestrīs peccatīs,
(Num Lata animo onerosa?)
Tremore, sanguine,
Debetis. Nostrae irae odia aequa.
III
Cruor merces, exlegni igne ,
Extorta, tetrica mulcta est.
Odio insomni, inquietā irā,
Nostra violentia
Excita. Demissa.
Furia iure lībera.
Crudelitate Damnata.
IV
Dolores graves Mulieris,
In pectore sepultī alte
Vulnera cēlāta cognovimus.
Lata animo onerosa,
Cum scelera malorum
Remaneant impoenita.
Crudelitate damnatae.
(English):I
To the mother unrevenged, ever weeping,
To the maiden taken,
We sisters three divine and Eumenides
Promise to serve,
Since the crimes of evil men
Continue unpunished
II
You who are clothed and bathed in blame,
Atone of your disgraces,
You, men, who know your own crimes
(Are these things not born heavy on your mind?)
In a tremble, with blood,
You must. Our wraths are hatreds just.
III
Blood the price, from lawless fire,
Having been extorted, is a harsh payment.
Out of sleepless hate, from reckless rage,
Our violence
Having been awoken. Having been released.
Fury free from law
Having been damned by cruelty.
IV
Grave griefs of Woman,
Buried deep within her breast,
We know her hidden wounds;
Borne heavy on our mind,
While the crimes of the wicked men
Remain unpunished.
We are damned by our own cruelty.
