Hymn V: Of Wolf and the Moon

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a picture of a profound, almost cosmic connection between a figure and the night, culminating in a passionate embrace. The narrator observes a scene where the night, described with a "besættende Glød" (possessive glow) and "dimme stars," is hailed with a "hymne of Passion." This isn't just admiration; it's a recognition of a deep, binding force that merges the observer with the darkness. The language suggests an almost spiritual or ritualistic reverence for this union. The central tension arises from the duality of this connection. The night is both a source of solace and a potentially overwhelming force, as indicated by the phrase "Ustyrlig er da hans Sind!" (Ecstatick, then, his Mind!). This ecstatic state, brought on by the approaching dawn and the rising sun, highlights the volatile nature of the narrator's inner world. The "Sunne of Satan" is invoked not as an evil entity, but as a catalyst for a reign of "colde, inconceivable Majestie." The most striking craft element is the juxtaposition of celestial imagery with a dark, almost infernal reverence. The sun, typically a symbol of purity, is here described as rising "Lig een Flamme, skiær & reen / Som fra Faedres Offerbaal" (Like a flame, bright & pure / From the bonfires of heretics). This recontextualization of light and fire, linking it to heresy and a "Sunne of Satan," elevates the night's dominion and suggests a power found outside conventional light. The lyrics suggest that true, "inconceivable Majestie" is found not in the conventional, but in this fierce, untamed union with the night. This writing is effective because it taps into a primal fascination with the liminal spaces between light and dark, ecstasy and control. The specific, evocative imagery – stars in her lap, bonfires of heretics – grounds the abstract concept of a spiritual bond in visceral, almost dangerous terms. It's this potent blend of the sacred and the transgressive that makes the narrator's desire to "reigne" through "infinite" darkness so compelling.