[AoT English Lyrics] Tasogare no Rakuen - Linked Horizon

Twilight Paradise
"When we were at each other's throats, what was it that made us friends?"

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Disclaimer - The meaning of the lyrics is open to interpretation, my perspective may or may not be entirely accurate, and even subject to decisions made for this translation.

"Tasogare" in "Tasogare no Rakuen" should be understood as dusk in particular rather than simply twilight which can be either dawn or dusk. Not a trivial distinction, as the album cover that features this song places it in the dusk section while the other two songs of the album "Night of Revolution" and "Requiem at Dawn" are both at the night and dawn sections respectively.

The song starts presenting an idyllic view of the world within the walls, a vision of Fritz and his descendants' paradise that they never managed to successfully create. Friends can resolve their conflicts, mothers care for their children, titans are kept at bay, and the cruel truth that lies beyond the walls is concealed. This in intercut by an ironic absurdity of flowers not being scattered or fallen birds being able to fly. These statements can be taken to mean that death, misery and the reality of the cruelty of the world are not present within the walls, which is far from the truth.

"What did the boy know?", "What did the girl not know?", "What did the boy dream?", "What did the girl give up?". This is certainly a hard part to interpret. I feel like the boy is fairly certainly Eren, while the girl could be Mikasa, Historia, or Ymir. For the purposes of actually referring to someone I decided on Historia, as the scene of Eren revealing his plan to her seems to fit fairly well into the meaning of the lyrics, even if unintended.

The plan of the rumbling and its fate was revealed to Eren at the medal ceremony by touching Historia's hand. This can be taken to mean his "dream" and also that which he does know but she does not know (yet). As for what she gives up, it could be taken to mean her memories, as Eren does state that with the power of the founder he could make her believe she had no idea the rumbling would take place. Keep in mind that this very scene where Eren reveals his plan to Historia takes place at the same location where Freida wiped away Historia's memories before, so there is most certainly precedent in several senses. Even Historia's own name means "History" or "Story" in spanish, possibly an ironic comment on not just the Reiss family using the founder to wipe memories, but also her own memories being wiped too.

Past the segment previously mentioned, the song ceases to be ironic and becomes realistic. It mentions the setting of the sun, as paradise much like dusk is only temporary and eventually leads into the darkness of the night. The seeming impossibility of reaching paradise is also brought up, truly encompassing the meaning of the world "utopic"- that even within the small controllable confines of walls under the watchful eye of a powerful ruler such an idyllic state is unreachable and its imitation only momentary and terribly flawed. The word "paradise" comes from the greek "paradeisos" meaning walled garden. Paradis is the french version of this word.

The idea of a walled paradise is very reminiscent of the story of Siddhartha Gautama, otherwise known as the Buddha (Awakened one). He was kept at Kapilavastu by his father to keep suffering away from him but he did eventually get the chance to see the reality of the world through four sights beyond the walls (an old man, a sick man, a dead man, and an ascetic man). He eventually decided to leave his palace permanently during the night in what is called the "Great Renunciation" leaving even his wife and child. Following the middle way, he cut his hair and began to meditate under a sacred fig tree where he eventually attained enlightenment. In short Buddhahood is gaining insight regarding past lives, karma, reincarnation, and an understanding the four noble truths. This may sound familiar, or may eventually do so.

This is an excellent summary of Buddha's life.    • The Buddha: The Spiritual Journey tha...  

Then it cryptically brings up flowers for dawn, a vow in darkness, and a dream in twilight (probably dawn). Might be a mistake with my translation, but the "flowers for dawn" could very well be for dusk. Frankly I wouldn't be able to give a complete interpretation in either case, so feel free to interpret this part however you feel is reasonable and look into it yourself just to be sure.

The song ends with a line that leads into another linked horizon song which I will link here. Note they lead into each other in their respective final parts.    • 『Attack on Titan』If inside these wall...  
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Song used is Tasogare no Rakuen by Linked Horizon.

Copyright to the Shingeki No Kyojin manga panels, anime clips and the musical track Tasogare no Rakuen belong to their respective authors. Fair use.