We owe a debt of thanks to two dedicated Comus fans, Dwars and Leo S, for this interpretation of the lyrics for Malgaard. Before the lyrics themselves, we thought it would also be useful to give Dwar’s introduction to the interpretation in his own words. We also felt that some readers might enjoy seeing how Dwars and Leo collaborated on creating the interpretation, so their collaborative document with their commentaries is available to view as a Google document here.
Dwar’s Preamble:
‘This is my latest interpretation of the lyrics from the sole extant recording of the first section of the Malgaard Suite. It was put together using interpretations from Bobbie, Leo, and my own listening using the digital restoration of the recording (which I used to also attempt to split the instrumental and vocals with AI) I put together. While the lyrics may not be entirely accurate, I believe most of them are consistent with Roger Wootton’s description of the story in the introduction to this track on Out of the Coma.
From what I could gather from the lyrics – in detail the story is essentially a love triangle between the fair maiden, Malgaard the Ogre Warlock, and another aspiring lover who is the narrator of most of the first person lyrics.
The protagonist along with his colleagues desperately attempts to hide the maiden away from Malgaard, who finds her anyway due to her spirit being detected by both the protagonist and the warlock. He attempts to beguile her spirit to make her love him. She does not take it well and attempts to escape. However, it is in vain, and Malgaard, who is quite upset, imprisons her body within an ice shell in a lake.
The protagonist attempts to rescue her, and although he breaks the cursed ice shell that contained her body, the warlock may have wisped her spirit away and still has it in his possession by the end of the first part. The protagonist wishes for Malgaard to pay for what he has done and likely goes after him in the second part.
Some comments and annotations have been made about the lyrics. Of course, this is still open to interpretations’.
The lyrics:
Serene, she shimmers, shine sheen, and a shimmer, bright light, he sighs
‘neath your gleam, I’m a glimmer, me a dream, I’m much grimmer a sight
Warm shafts of her glory radiated towards me and she goes
With a sigh (Don’t worry or fear)
Went too high (Our parting is near)
And when, with her foot upon its prey, bore her life away
Weak she lay, spirit ebbed each day (x2) (Cherish our meeting, don’t mourn the past,)
Weak she lay, spirit ebbed each day (x2) (Lonely we may be, yet dream a love)
We buried her deep ‘neath the chill of the ice-frozen ground! (Cherish our meeting, don’t mourn the past,)
After we’re torn away, strangle me through the dark clouds! (Cherish our meeting, don’t mourn the past,)
Grave decay in our hearts were made,
She shrouds my blazing memory blank
She flies, in the presence of the dark,
Her voice weaves pulsing patterns behind my eyes
Her voice weaves pulsing patterns behind my eyes
Distorts the twisting torture in disguise
Warps the contoured vortex out of sight
The carving bolts asunder through the skies
Hovering her phantom spirit visible to him and me
She’d ring all the bells for life tonight, she’d keep up her love, she’d surely die
Malgaard the magician in his ogre dominion of Ebon,
For he will be covered in jealousy, with her passion’s coming destiny
Straight from the mountain
From playing with luck in the fountain
Chatting and gloating and leering we lo
Dominion of Malgaard from Ebon
Chilled blue is our peace,
The murky swampland reeks, (Who could hear a sound, from the marshy ground x2)
Alight the mire to see (With heart aglow, with heart aglow x2)
Through the mist the sharp blue sea heralding the barren lair
I wake to find ropes that tightly bind
He lead a horse on a crooked course
Past dale and farm with all alarm
No sorrow when, tomorrow then
Praying more things grow
Reach heaven snow
Leave more aglow
Praying more things grow
Reach heaven snow
Leave more aglow
Praying more things grow
Reach heaven snow
Leave more aglow (x7)
Black gates, lock the secret of ages,
Hold thy fate, the electric sky rages
Still we wait, as the door gapes asunder
Through the work of the ancient gods
She steps from the rocky cliffs, a danger spot with the grey cliffs over her, a distant overhang
The Earth regardless starts shuddering, the feeling from a daze meets Malgaard’s sudden gaze
His voice, like thunder ‘cross the everglades
He rises from the gate, a chill wind generates
Naïve to think you could betray the king
Her love the wicked take, she lies beneath the lake
She lies beneath the lake, she lies beneath the lake
She lies beneath the lake!
Condition my captivity
Lady claims my date now and it’s tonight
Aware to liven her ‘fore it’s too late
So I might head to her domain
Her enveloped in white winter’s throes,
I come upon the lake, clearly she’s not dead
Her image fades, an ambiguous fate
And I might head to her domain
Ice incarcerate, surface impregnate, shine or desecrate
Splintering the shell,
Conjurer create, surface radiate, form disintegrate
Shattering the shell
Ice incarcerate, surface impregnate, shine or desecrate
Splintering the shell,
Conjurer create, surface radiate, form disintegrate
Shattering the shell
Can you hear, all that fire
In my heart, and need
Gathering
Oh I know nothing that’s quite undying
She grace her tomb, ice carnal womb
I break the surface, shatter the curse, her body exhumed
The spell disperses with a conjured ripple, hope consumed
And all the birds have flown
From the skies, to my eyes
Flying far away
He cannot wait, Malgaard must date
Depravity, suffer to me
Or I know, I know I must die, alone
Straight from the mountain
From playing with luck in the fountain
Chatting and gloating and leering we ‘lo
Dominion of Malgaard from Ebon
Who could hear a sound, from the marshy ground x2
With heart aglow, with heart aglow x2
Who could hear a sound, from the marshy ground x2
With heart aglow, with heart aglow x2
There stood before us a jewel from a time old
Long before the age of the ancient gods
The carving bolts asunder through a splay
Grim gates foreboding wonder, take me away
Comus 