Κόρη ξανθή τραγούδησε ⬥ A fair maid did sing upon a rope bridge, but the bridge collapsed, and the river stood still. And the river spirit came to her and asked: – Girl, if you are still a maid, may you never know a man, and if you’ve children and [...]
Μια λυγερή τραγούδησε ⬥ A fair maid did sing out in the moonlight, but the gentle wind took her song and swept it out to sea and every boat that heard it reefed its sails save a boat from Sfakiá with its Cretan crew that could neither reef sails nor [...]
Μια κόρη Τρικεριώτισσα ⬥ A fair Trikeriotissa, a comely Trikeri girl, is mistress of a silver loom that has an ivory heddle. As she spooled threads on reels of reed and softly sang a ballad, her goodman rode up to her door astride a coal-black stallion. – A greeting to [...]
Πανηγυράκι γίνεται (Local Dance of Saint George) ⬥ A festival is being held, high up around Saint George’s. – Salutations, Frankish lord! A multitude was at the feast and there was little water, – Coming ! Out of there! Show me! A ribbon and a maypole, a ribbon loosely woven, [...]
Ένας κοντός κοντούτσικος (Mελί Eρυθραίας) ⬥ A little shorty, a short little man, aides pouli mou aides, had a beautiful wife and the whole neighbourhood, aman aman, was jealous, the whole country was jealous of him and none more than his own mother. A pasha, too, was jealous of his beautiful wife [...]
Ένας κοντός κοντούτσικος (Σκιάθος) ⬥ A short little man had a beautiful wife. The whole neighbourhood was jealous, and all the land and a pasha, a pasha envied him, too. He taxed him hard, imposed a load too heavy to bear. He sold vineyards heavy with grapes and fields swaying [...]
Μια κόρη συναπόβγανε ⬥ A maid was seeing her husband off to foreign parts holding a candle out for him to see, tankards of wine for him to drink. And as the wine poured forth, the words did too: – You’re leaving, Konstantinos my love, what would you have me [...]
Μια κόρη από την Εύριπου ⬥ A maid from Evripo sought to set sail, she sought to make passage. She sought to make the passage to the far shore and paid a hundred Venetian sequins, a hundred gold pieces to be taken to her homeland and four hundred and four [...]
Μια κόρη Βρονταδούσαινα ⬥ A maid from Vrontados sat weaving, her loom in full song to the shuttle’s beat when a bird flew down and perched on it. Its song was like no other bird’s, not like the swallow’s, for when it sang it sang in human voice. – Christ, [...]
Κοράσιν ετραγούδαγε ⬥ A maid was singing in a high-walled palace. The wind swept her voice out to sea and every ship that heard it reefed its sails. Save one love-lorn ship that knows what friendship means that neither gathering its sheets nor lowering them trimmed its sails and set [...]
Κοράσιν ετραγούδαγε ⬥ A maid was singing longingly inside a high-walled palace, her voice was caught up on the breeze and carried off to seaward, and all the ships that heard that voice at once let go their halyards. [Save one that holds friendship most dear and knows a love-lorn [...]
Κουράσιν εβουλήθηκε ⬥ A maid would go would go a-strolling and then go back again. She called her neighbours together yes, by Saint George and the young girls, too. And she went down to the shore save me, Saint George, save me they went down to the sea. They saw [...]
Μια μάνα έχει ένα γιο ⬥ A mother has a son, the apple of her eye, and the neighbourhood would have him, ’tis a wonder the very mountains do not crumble, and Roula, a priest’s daughter, desired him, too. His mother would have him, the bitch that nursed him would [...]
Αρχοντογιός παντρεύεται ⬥ A prince is to be wed to a dark-eyed bride whose folk sought refuge here. His bride-to-be’s from uprooted stock, little refugee I weep for thee. When his mother heard the news she uprooted trees, dearest dark-eyed maid, she uprooted trees, uprooted maid I weep for thee. [...]
Πραματευτής κατέβαινε ⬥ A trader made his way from Bulgar lands. He led his trains of twelve and fifteen mules and sang and spoke the while he trekked along: – A pity brigands don’t frequent these hills. No sooner said and three confronted him, and cut the ropes and started [...]
Πραματευτής κατέβαινε ⬥ A trader made his way from Bulgar lands. He led his trains of twelve and fifteen mules and sang and spoke the while he trekked along: – A pity brigands don’t frequent these hills. No sooner said and three confronted him, and cut the ropes and started [...]
Όλα τα κάστρα τα είδα ⬥ All the castles I have seen, not one have I not visited vr' amán amán, not one have I not visited, oh maid Frankish, maiden Greek. But like Beauty's Castle I have seen no other, frankish maid in the Frankish gown. With silver doors [...]
Ο Μάραντον ⬥ Amarandos has received the order to go to war. He forges horseshoes of silver and nails of gold, He shoes his black steed by the light of the moon. His beloved beside him holds the nails in her kerchief: – Where are you going, where are you [...]
Η Αροαφνού ⬥ In the neighbourhood close by, up in Koilanin there are three beautiful maids and they are singing. One shrill, one deep of voice, the chambers echoing with their song, the third and fairest outside planting peppers. Our lord happened by one day, and visits daily now. When [...]
Της Άρτας το γεφύρι ⬥ Down on the shore where land meets sea, where the world ends, they set to building a bridge, but the bridge would not stand firm. They’d build it through till evening and find it fallen every morn. In the dead of night, they’d quake as [...]
Της Άρτας το γεφύρι ⬥ A team of forty stonemasons and sixty prentice workers were putting up a bridge across the river close by Arta. The whole day long they built the bridge, at night it was dismantled. A bird, a kindly bird, chirped up and counselled them as follows: [...]
Όσο ’ναι μάκρος του γιαλού ⬥ As long as the shore, as long as the shore and as wide as the sea, that’s the span of the yarn a maid had laid out in her yard for weaving. The king’s son passed by and bade her good morning: – A [...]
Σην γέφυραν, σην γέφυραν (Της Τρίχας το γεφύρι) ⬥ At the bridge, at the bridge, at Trichas’ bridge. A thousand builders hard at work, and ten thousand apprentices. They’d build all day long and find it undone in the morning. – What will you give me, master builder to make [...]
Ξημέρωσε η ανατολή ⬥ The sun rose in the East and day broke in the West, the young man led his black mount to water. All along the way, he called on God, – Lord, if I could only find the girl, Lord, if I could only find the girl [...]
