Recap wrote:Actually, the meaning also implies "dance in circles", so the dualism is actually there.
It's likely correct as a secondary meaning (reference) but incorrect if you're doing an accurate transliteration.
We're talking, like you wrote, of three meanings:
1. Circle, round object. Also figurative for circle of life.
2.
Rondo, the Italian term for a musical genre created between XVIII and XIX century (the period Dracula X takes place).
3.
Ronde, French for dancing in circle hands in hands (our
"girotondo", I guess).
You wrote: "the former [Ronde] fits better the kanji's meaning they used for this gikun: ?? ("endless cycle of rebirth").
But Raiden wrote:
in french, circle="cercle";
"rond" is not a circle but an adjective for the shape of a circle or sphere or whatever. "rond" = round
"ronde" is either the feminine form of the "rond" adjective, or a dance where people hold their hands in a circle and dance around a point.
Therefore Ronde doesn't fit any better than Rondo, and doesn't make a more accurate transliteration.
So, if you want to do accurate transliteration of the meaning
(edit: translation of the meaning, as twe rightly points out), "Blood Rond" (Sang Rond, Round of Blood,
Circle of Blood) would be better (closer to circle), but it would lose both the music and dance references.
The point is, you still have to show evidence that Japanese referred to the way less known French term for dance than to the internationally used in music Rondo term. Also, since the Italian Rondò comes from the French "rondeau" (the music is especially suited for ballets you know), of course the etimology is the same: therefore using Rondo recalls the idea of circle just as much as using Ronde (Try to search Google images for ronde and rondo and you'll see pretty much the same amount of circular random items). But since the ronde, from what I understand, doesn't have a direct musical meaning, the important musical theme would be lost in your transliteration.