Three Birds in the Sky at Expo 2025 and Ravel’s Trois beaux oiseaux du paradis
2025/9/12, while photographing the night view at Expo 2025’s Grand Roof Ring, the author witnessed three mysterious birds suddenly appear and vanish. Alongside photo verification, the essay introduces the symbolic lyrics of Ravel’s Trois beaux oiseaux du paradis, capturing a moment where nature and art overlapped.
During a night view shoot at Expo 2025, three birds appeared in an unbelievable form. This miraculous experience resonated with the lyrics of Ravel’s choral piece, “Trois beaux oiseaux du paradis,” bringing about deep emotion. This entry reflects on the contrast between the beautiful scene and the tragic lyrics, and the mysterious light captured in a photo.
The Miracle of the Three Birds
Night View of Expo 2025
To take the perfect shot of the night view I entered Expo 2025 around 6:30 PM
It was so crowded I was planning to just take a quick shoot and leave
The shoot went wonderfully and quickly just as I had planned for a mere 30 minutes
But it was too beautiful
The beauty of the people gathered on the Great Roof Ring
I noticed that some time had passed and was rushing to leave that’s when it happened
While descending from the highest point of the Great Roof Ring I saw something white flash in the sky ahead
It didn’t sound like lightning while thinking that and coming down three birds, in an unbelievable form appeared right before my eyes and vanished
It was such an incredible experience I thought it might be some kind of trick at the Expo
Needless to say Ravel’s “Trois beaux oiseaux du paradis” came to mind
I could only think that extraordinary things happen to those who live like Kukai or Oda Nobunaga today
After returning home I checked the photos of the three birds
Since they appeared suddenly in the dark one was completely out of focus but I decided to include that one too
At the same time, I looked into Ravel’s “Trois beaux oiseaux du paradis”
Ravel’s “Trois beaux oiseaux du paradis” is a song with lyrics that depict the sorrowful yet beautiful feelings of a woman thinking of her lover who has gone to war
Stanza 1: A woman asks, “O three beautiful birds of paradise, my lover is at the front”
The three birds are described as “bluer than the sky,” “the color of snow,” and “vivid red” symbolizing the colors of the French flag
Stanza 2: The birds answer the question, “What do you bring?”
The blue bird replies that it brought “blue eyes (a gaze)” and the white bird, “a pure kiss” This is thought to symbolize memories of her lover and pure love
Stanza 3: The woman asks, “Red bird, what do you bring?”
The red bird answers that it brought “a beautiful scarlet heart”
Conclusion: The woman sings, “Ah! My heart seems to be freezing. Take that away as well”
This last line suggests that the lover’s “heart” is no longer beating meaning he has lost his life expressing deep sorrow
The lyrics contrast the depiction of a beautiful scene with the tragic reality of a loved one’s death due to war and strongly appeal to the listener’s heart
To be continued.