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Όνειρο το ’δα η λυγερή
“What I saw in my dream, my reed, explain it to me:
that evening, I was ruling over lands and gathering leeks,
and I was cracking hazelnuts, my little one, in your apron”.
“Don’t you understand on your own, poor soul?
The lands are separations, the leeks are misfortunes;
the hazelnuts are lead bullets — eternal separations”.
«Όνειρο το ’δα, λυγερή, να μου το ξεδυλιάνεις:
απόψε χώρες όριζα και πράσα επρασολόγου,
και λευκοκάρυα ετσάκιζα, μικρό μου, στην ποδιά σου».
«Δεν το θωρείς, βαριόμοιρε, μόνος και μοναχός σου;
Οι χώρες είναι χωρισμοί, τα πράσα είναι πίκρες·
τα λευκοκάρυα οι μπαλωθιές — ξεχωρισμοί για πάντα».
In Crete, there are basically two types of songs: the rizitika, sung in the mountainous villages of the Chania region, and the mandinades, 15-syllable couplets whose content is most often romantic. The latter are sung to lively dance tunes and accompanied by the lyra and the lute, whereas the rizitika are performed by men to kathistiko melodies, usually slow and without instrumental accompaniment.
Singers generally divide into two groups, the lead singer and the chorus, or, as is the case in the song presented here, soloist and choir. The song I Dreamed of It was recorded in the mountainous village of Asi-Gonia, in the Chania region.
Unlike mandinades sung for specific occasions, the rizitika are very ancient songs that recount the heroic deeds of brave ancient warriors.
Based on Domna Samiou’s 1965 field recording of the song in Asi-Gonia, Chania.
