EKSTASIS (Ancient Greek)

[Intro — Distant synth drones, heartbeat kick, metallic echoes. Low, solitary recitation.] Οὔτε θάλασσαν διέβην. Οὔτε ὄρος ὑπερέβην. Ἀλλ᾽ ἄγνωστός μοι πᾶς ὁ κόσμος ἐγένετο. Οἱ θεοὶ σιγῶσιν. Μόνον τὸ πῦρ μένει. [Verse I — The kick begins softly. Deep spoken chant over a rolling bass pulse.] Χαλκὸς ἔτι τοῖς ὤμοις. Τέφρα περὶ τοὺς πόδας. Πύργοι φωτὸς τέμνουσιν τὸν οὐρανὸν ὑψηλόν. Ἄστρα δ᾽ οὐκέτι φαίνεται. Ἅρματα σιδηρᾶ τρέχει, ἄνευ ἵππων, ἄνευ ἡνιόχων, οὐδέποτε παυόμενα. Αἱ ὁδοὶ ποταμοὶ λίθου. Ξένον πῦρ ἐν νυκτὶ λάμπει. Οὐδεὶς ναὸς τὴν ἕω δέχεται. Οὐδεὶς ὕμνος τὸν ἥλιον καλεῖ. [Pre-Chorus — Processed aulos enters. The voice becomes commanding.] Ὦ Ἀθηνᾶ... Ἴθυνον τὸ δόρυ μου. Ὦ Ἄπολλον... Δεῖξον τὴν ὁδόν. [Chorus — Full industrial techno impact. Massive male responses.] Νίκη! Νίκη! Πρόσω! Πρόσω! Μένε ἐν χώρᾳ! Ἀσπὶς πρὸς ἀσπίδα! Μὴ φεῦγε! Μὴ πίπτε! Νίκη! Νίκη! Πρόσω! Πρόσω! Ἡ φάλαγξ ζῇ! Ἡ φάλαγξ ζῇ! [Instrumental March — Heavy kick, metallic percussion and distorted aulos.] (Νίκη!) (Πρόσω!) (Ἀσπίς!) (Δόρυ!) (Νίκη!) (Πρόσω!) (Ἡ φάλαγξ ζῇ!) [Verse II — Bassline narrows. The Spartan observes the unfamiliar city.] Οἱ ἄνθρωποι κρύπτονται ὄπισθεν λαμπροῦ ὑάλου. Οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτῶν βλέπουσι πρὸς μικροὺς ἡλίους. Οὐ κῆρυξ φθέγγεται. Οὐ γέρων ἡγεῖται. Οὐδὲ παῖδες μανθάνουσι τὰ μέλη τῶν προγόνων. Τότε δ᾽ ἤκουσα κλαυθμόν... Μικρόν. Μόνον. Δεδιότα. Σκύλαξ μικρὸς ὑπὸ τῷ ὑετῷ, ἐν κιβωτίῳ κατακείμενος. [Break — The kick stops. Rain, low drone and a single distant pulse.] Οὐ χρησμὸς ἐφθέγξατο. Οὐκ ἀετὸς ἐφάνη. Οὐ σημεῖον ἐκ Διὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν διῆλθεν. Ἀλλ᾽ οἱ ὅρκοι... Οἱ πάλαι δεδομένοι... Πάντες ἐπανῆλθον. [Bridge — Close-miked recitation. Gradual percussive build.] Παῖς. Ξένος. Ζῷον ἄφωνον. Ὀνόματος οὐ δεῖ τῷ βοηθείας δεομένῳ. Οὐδὲ πατρίδος. Οὐδὲ γένους. Τιμῆς μόνον. [Build-Up — The Spartan lifts his shield over the dog. Drums accelerate.] Ὁ μόνος οὐ μόνος ἔσται. Ὁ ἀσθενὴς οὐ λειφθήσεται. Ἕως ἂν ἡ ἀσπὶς μένῃ... Ἕως ἂν τὸ δόρυ ὀρθὸν ᾖ... Οὐδεὶς ἐγκαταλειφθήσεται! [Final Chorus — Largest section. Full techno, chanting crowd and processed aulos.] ΝΙΚΗ! ΝΙΚΗ! ΑἾΡΕ ΤΗΝ ΑΣΠΙΔΑ! ΑἾΡΕ ΤΟ ΔΟΡΥ! ΣΤΗΤΕ ΟΜΟΥ! ΜΗ ΔΙΑΛΥΕΣΘΕ! ΠΡΟΣΩ! ΠΡΟΣΩ! Η ΣΠΑΡΤΗ ΖΗ! Η ΤΙΜΗ ΖΗ! ΝΙΚΗ! ΝΙΚΗ! ΜΗ ΦΕΥΓΕ! ΜΗ ΠΙΠΤΕ! ΕΙΣ ΑΝΗΡ! ΜΙΑ ΑΣΠΙΣ! Η ΦΑΛΑΓΞ ΖΗ! Η ΦΑΛΑΓΞ ΖΗ! [Techno Break — Only kick and bass. The Spartan speaks slowly.] Νῦν γιγνώσκω τόνδε τὸν τόπον. Οὐχ ὁ Ἅιδης ἐστίν. Οὐδ᾽ ὁ Ὄλυμπος. Ἀλλ᾽... ὁ μέλλων χρόνος. [Final Rise — The melody returns, solemn rather than triumphant.] Ἡ πόλις ξένη. Ὁ οὐρανὸς ξένος. Οἱ θεοὶ σιωπῶσιν. Ἀλλ᾽ ὁ νόμος μένει. Ἀλλ᾽ ἡ τιμὴ μένει. Ἀλλ᾽ ἡ ἀσπὶς μένει. [Outro — The kick becomes a distant heartbeat. Rain gradually fades.] Ἔνθα εἷς μόνος ἕστηκεν... Ἐκεῖ φάλαγξ ἄρχεται. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἔτι ἀδικία μένει... Ἔτι ἔργον τῇ Σπάρτῃ μένει. [Silence.] ———————— English translation ———————— [Intro] I crossed no sea. I crossed no mountain. Yet all the world became unknown. The gods were silent. Only the fire endured. [Verse I] Bronze still rested upon my shoulders. Ash still clung to my sandals. Towers of light divided the heavens. No stars remained above them. Iron chariots raced without horses. They never wearied. Stone rivers carried countless souls. No temple welcomed the dawn. No hymn greeted the rising sun. [Pre-Chorus] Athena... Guide my spear. Apollo... Reveal the path. [Chorus] Victory! Victory! Forward! Forward! Stand your ground. Shield against shield. Do not flee. Do not fall. Victory! Victory! Forward! Forward! The phalanx lives! The phalanx lives! [Instrumental March] Victory. Forward. Shield. Spear. Victory. Forward. The phalanx endures. [Verse II] The people hid behind shining glass. Their eyes gazed upon little suns. No herald called. No elder led. No child remembered the songs of the ancestors. Then... I heard weeping. Small. Alone. Afraid. A little hound beneath the rain. Forgotten by all. [Bridge] No oracle spoke. No eagle crossed the sky. No sign came from Zeus. Yet every oath returned to my heart. A child. A stranger. A helpless creature. None require a name to deserve protection. Only honor. [Build-Up] The one who stands alone shall stand alone no longer. The weak shall not be abandoned. While my shield remains. While my spear still stands. None shall be left behind. [Final Chorus] Victory! Victory! Raise the shield! Raise the spear! Stand together! Do not break! Forward! Forward! Sparta lives! Honor lives! Victory! Victory! Do not flee! Do not fall! One warrior! One shield! The phalanx lives! The phalanx lives! [Final Recitation] Now... I know this place. It is not Hades. It is not Olympus. It is... the world yet to come. [Final Verse] The city is strange. The heavens are strange. The gods remain silent. Yet the law endures. Honor endures. The shield endures. [Outro] Where one warrior stands alone... There begins the phalanx. As long as injustice remains... Sparta still has work to do.