One-Winged Angel (theme)

"One-Winged Angel" (片翼の天使 "Katayoku no Tenshi", An Angel With a Wing on One Side) is the theme that plays during the final battle of Final Fantasy VII. The name of the song refers to Safer Sephiroth's single black wing. The track has since become Sephiroth's theme song, unseating what was originally his theme song "Those Chosen by the Planet". To that extent, the song and its title have become synonymous with Sephiroth, and in later appearances he has possessed a single wing to draw back to the song.

The song possesses a latin chorus sung primarily during the first half of the song, and is meant to give a sort of mystic and terroristic feel, as a sort of "Deus Celebri" ("praise to God"). "One-Winged Angel" was included as an orchestrated rearrangement in the album Final Fantasy VII: Reunion Tracks. It was later included in the soundtrack of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children as a symphonic metal rearrangement with the performance of The Black Mages.

Lyrics
The verses for the Reunion Tracks version were taken from the medieval poetry compilation Carmina Burana. {| border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="10" align="center" width="100%"
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Latin
CHORUS Estuans interius ira vehementi Estuans interius ira vehementi Sephiroth Sephiroth

REPEAT CHORUS Sors immanis Et inanis Sors immanis Et inanis

REPEAT CHORUS

Veni, veni, venias, Ne me mori facias Veni, veni, venias, Ne me mori facias

Veni, veni, venias, Gloriosa Ne me mori facias Generosa Veni, veni, venias, Gloriosa Ne me mori facias Generosa

Sephiroth Sephiroth


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English translation
CHORUS Burning inside with violent anger Burning inside with violent anger Sephiroth Sephiroth

REPEAT CHORUS

Fate - monstrous and empty Fate - monstrous and empty

REPEAT CHORUS

Come, come, O come, do not let me die Come, come, O come, do not let me die

Come, come, O come, Glorious do not let me die Noble Come, come, O come, Glorious do not let me die Noble

Sephiroth Sephiroth
 * }

"Advent: One Winged Angel"
One-Winged Angel was remixed in the film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children for the final battle between Cloud and Sephiroth. This remix is titled "Advent: One-Winged Angel", and was meant to be the main focus of the film's soundtrack. The original, orchestral version from the Final Fantasy VII soundtrack was loaded into a computer, with rock instruments playing over it, and the overall tempo increased, to give the song a more intense feel than the original.

In the commentary for Advent Children, Nobuo Uematsu comments that the previous orchestration never really quite felt right to him and, by contrast, the combination of orchestra and metal sounds seemed to be what the piece really required all along. Uematsu also noted various rock bands that had performed their songs with an orchestra, and failed, and stated that because "One-Winged Angel" was written for neither an orchestra or a rock band, the two styles ending up meshing together well for the song's remix.

The lyrics of the Advent Children version were completely different from those of the Reunion Tracks. There is a dispute concerning the official translation of the Latin lyrics and another, more literal translation of the first and last stanzas. Whether or not the official translation of the song conveys the same message as its literal translation is entirely a matter of opinion.

Lyrics
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Latin
Noli manere, manere in memoria Noli manere, manere in memoria Sephiroth, Sephiroth

Saevam iram, iram et dolorem Saevam iram, iram et dolorem Sephiroth, Sephiroth

Ferum terribile, terribile fatum

Noli manere, manare in memoria Noli manere, manare in memoria Sephiroth, Sephiroth

Veni, mi fili. Veni, mi fili Hic veni, da mihi mortem iterum Veni, mi fili. Veni, mi fili Hic veni, da mihi...

Noli manere in memoria Saevam iram et dolorem Ferum terribile fatum Ille iterum veniet

Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili

Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili (Qui mortem invitavis) Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili (Poena funesta natus) Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili (Noli nomen vocare) Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili (Ille iterum veniet)

Sephiroth, Sephiroth Sephiroth
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Official translation
Won't remain, remain in memory Won't remain, remain in memory Sephiroth, Sephiroth

Raging anger, anger and misery Raging anger, anger and misery Sephiroth, Sephiroth

Fierce terror, fierce fate

Won't remain, remain in memory Won't remain, remain in memory Sephiroth, Sephiroth

Come, my son. Come, my son Come here, give me death once more Come, my son. Come, my son Come here, give me...

Won't remain in memory Raging anger and misery Fierce, terrible fate The second advent

My son, come, come, come, my son My son, come, come, come, my son My son, come, come, come, my son My son, come, come, come, my son

My son, come, come, come, my son (By death's invitation) My son, come, come, come, my son (Painful tainted birth) My son, come, come, come, my son (Won't call the name) My son, come, come, come, my son (The second advent)

Sephiroth, Sephiroth Sephiroth
 * }

Literal Translation

 * Don't remain, remain in memory
 * Don't remain, remain in memory
 * Sephiroth, Sephiroth


 * Fierce anger, anger and pain
 * Fierce anger, anger and pain
 * Sephiroth, Sephiroth


 * Wild, terrible, terrible fate


 * Don't remain, remain in memory
 * Don't remain, remain in memory
 * Sephiroth, Sephiroth


 * Come, my son. Come my son
 * Come here, give me death once more
 * Come, my son. Come my son
 * Come here, give me...


 * Don't
 * Remain
 * In memory
 * Fierce
 * Anger
 * And pain
 * Wild
 * Terrible
 * Fate
 * That [Man]
 * Once again
 * Will come


 * My son, come, come, come, my son
 * My son, come, come, come, my son
 * My son, come, come, come, my son
 * My son, come, come, come, my son


 * My son, come, come, come, my son
 * He who invited death 
 * My son, come, come, come, my son
 * [Was] born with an ill-fated punishment
 * My son, come, come, come, my son
 * Don't call his name
 * My son, come, come, come, my son
 * That [Man] will come again
 * Sephiroth
 * Sephiroth

Other Appearances
An arranged version is heard in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, if the player wishes to fight in the optional battles against Sephiroth, where it plays in the background during the entire fight.

Yet another arrangement, called "The World's Enemy", plays during the end of Sephiroth's flashback FMV sequence and the Sephiroth Boss Battle in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- along with "Controlling the Iron Beast".

On Dissidia Final Fantasy, the orchestral version of the song originally released as part of the Final Fantasy VII: Reunion Tracks album can be chosen to be heard on any common battle, and may be heard whenever a story battle occurs in the Northern Crater, or be fought against Cloud or Sephiroth.

Trivia

 * The final form of Sephiroth, its name and the overall tone of its leitmotif bear notable elements that seem to make reference to Alexander Pushkin's poem The Prophet:


 * ''An angel with three pairs of wings
 * ''Arrived to me at cross of lands;
 * [...]
 * ''He touched my ears in movement, single,
 * ''And they were filled with noise and jingle:
 * ''I heard a shuddering of heavens,

Seraphs are sometimes depicted as angels with three pairs of wings, arranged in the same manner of Safer Sephiroth.