Upon the next stage, a spotlight is focused on a mammoth bronze sculpture of two snakes entwined. Their bodies are wrapped around each other in an intimate embrace, and their tongues touch suggestively. The deep, somber boom of a standing bass leads into a twelve-string guitar’s plaintive moan, and as the music swells, a stunning, statuesque woman steps out from behind the statue, her fierce and regal face in profile. The spotlight dims to a deep amber-red, and shines a dark, sanguine light onto her, tinting her long, wild hair the color of blood. She sings:
Sunday is gloomy, my hours are slumberless.
Dearest, the shadows I live with are numberless.
Little white flowers will never awaken you,
Not where the black coach of sorrow has taken you.
Angels have no thought of ever returning you.
Would they be angry if I thought of joining you?
Gloomy Sunday.
She turns, and abruptly faces left. Her features are coarser, more masculine, and you notice the rough, dusky shadow of an evening beard on the singer’s face. On this side, the hair is cropped short, and as s/he sighs and begins the next verse, you hear the voice deepen to a weathered, sorrowful baritone.
Gloomy is Sunday; with shadows I spend it all.
My heart and I have decided to end it all.
Soon there’ll be candles and prayers that are sad, I know.
Death is no dream, for in death I’m caressing you.
With the last breath of my soul I’ll be blessing you.
Gloomy Sunday.
The singer turns to face the audience, and your senses reel. On the left side, the features are sharp, but feminine. You can see the curve of her breast, the soft fullness of her hips, the arch of her fine brow. On the right, it is the body of an Adonis, muscular and commanding. You see that a thick seam runs down the center of the body, stitched roughly.
Though the vision is disconcerting, the warmth and passion in the singer’s voice swells inside your heart, and you are spellbound. Enraptured, you realize that though the gender is opposed on either side, one soul binds the whole.
Dark, moody, and bittersweet: black currant, patchouli, tobacco, cinnamon leaf, caramel, muguet, and red sandalwood.
sglonder –
I agree with other reviewers – it’s a lovely floral with something bright and sweet but a little sexy when first applied. On dry-down, though, I’m left with little more than a faint powder smell (only detectable when my nose is right up to my wrist)
kristydiez2 –
I think this was my favorite purchase out of this round, it’s bright and sweet with just a touch of woodsy citrus to balance it and a soft pungent undertone, probably the tea. It lasted all day and just thrilled me every time I caught a whiff of it. This is a perfect spring scent, taking me back to my annual cherry blossom picnic at the local botanical garden.
artimisia –
On me, this scent comes out of the bottle smelling bright and citrusy…just lovely…but with a sweet, almost candy-like undertone. I guess that’s the cherry blossom because as time passes the citrus smell fades away and I’m left with a straight up floral…cherry blossom and nothing else. It is still quite a pretty scent…but it’s a bit too sweet for my tastes. People who like florals, though, would probably really appreciate this one.
Note about my skin type: I’ve noticed my skin seems to eat citrus and green scents pretty quickly, so on other people the fresh scent might linger longer.
Danielle –
This is a really pretty citrus floral. It’s bright and a tad sharp in the first few minutes of application, but quickly mellows out. I agree that it makes a great summer scent and was loving it for the first hour, but after that it practically disappeared unless I held my wrist up to my nose for a sniff and even then it was very subtle. I think this is partly body chemistry and partly that the fragrance itself is very subtle and doesn’t have a lot of throw. Since, I prefer scents with a bit more heft, I won’t be purchasing a full bottle.
LieselElsa –
I got this as an imp, and I’m glad I did. In the bottle it has a citrus and floral scent that carries quite a bite. On the skin the sharp bite fades into a sweet and soft scent. I plan on getting a full sized bottle next time as it is a good summer scent.
Elizabeth –
This is one of my favorite scents–it’s my go-to spring/summer perfume. To me it has a fruity (almost like apples) scent with leafy undertones. Sweet without being cloying or overpowering.