00:00
Home / Her Work / Song Catalogue / Health to You, O Holy One
Έχε γεια Παναγιά
In Galata a shower falls, a downpour in Tatavla.
The loveliest of all the girls is she who’s dressed in black.
It was nothing but a dream and we’ve forgotten it.
Health to you, o Holy One, we two have talked at length.
In Galata I’ll drink some wine, in Pera I’ll get tight.
Yedi Koule is home to her with whom I’ll fall in love.
Yedi Koule and Tharapia, Tatavla and Nichori —
it’s these four villages alone adorn the ancient City.
Translated by John Leatham
Στο Γαλατά ψιλή βροχή και στα Ταταύλα μπόρα,
βασίλισσα των κοριτσιών είναι η Μαυροφόρα.
Έχε γεια, Παναγιά, τα μιλήσαμε·
όνειρο ήτανε, τα λησμονήσαμε.
Στο Γαλατά θα πιω κρασί, στο Πέρα θα μεθύσω,
και μέσ’ απ’ το Γεντί Κουλέ κοπέλα θ’ αγαπήσω.
Γεντί Κουλέ και Θαραπιά, Ταταύλα και Νιχώρι —
αυτά τα τέσσερα χωριά ’μορφαίνουνε την Πόλη.
Studio recording (1973). Domna Samiou learned it in Athens in 1970, sung by the Constantinopolitan Achilles Zaphiropoulos.
Watch the 1977 performance of the song by Domna Samiou, with Yehudi Menuhin on violin
Watch Domna Samiou perform the song at a 1984 concert in Sydney
Singers
Violin
Kanun
Lute
Goblet drum