00:00
Ξενιτεμένο μου πουλί
My love-bird far away from home, my love who’s broken-hearted,
— o, absent love of mine,
those foreign lands greet you with joy, while I am pining for you.
What should I send you, absent love, to you so far from home now?
I send an apple and it rots, a quince it simply shrivels;
I send you, then, a tear of mine in a fine cotton kerchief;
my tear, alas, is searing hot and sears the cotton kerchief.
Translated by John Leatham
Ξενιτεμένο μου πουλί και παραπονεμένο, μωρέ, ξένε μου,
και παραπονεμένο,
η ξενιτιά σε χαίρεται και γω ’χω τον καημό σου, μωρέ, ξένε μου,
και γω ’χω τον καημό σου.
Τι να σου στείλω, ξένε μου, αυτού στα ξένα πού ’σαι;
Να στείλω μήλο σέπεται, κυδώνι μαραγκιάζει,
να στείλω και τα δάκρυα μου σ’ ένα χρυσό μαντίλι,
τα δάκρυα μου είναι καυτερά και καίνε το μαντίλι.
The theme of the song is the sorrow and grief of a mother whose son is far away in foreign lands. Songs of exile can be found in many parts of Greece, as migration has a long history in the country. However, it is Epirus in particular that has been the most drained region, with most people emigrating to Sweden and Germany.
The pogonisios dance, from the Pogoni province of Epirus, is danced by both men and women and has six steps.
Studio recording (1960s). Released on an extended play 45 rpm disc (Fidelity 8054, 1966), supervised by Domna Samiou (Recordings on 45 RPM). In 2008, Yiorgos Tsambras included the track in the CD collection Mousiko Odiporiko 1959-1969 (Universal Music, 2008).
Singers
Clarinet
