00:00
Ο αϊτός
On a high mountain, on a sharp, steep rock,
an eagle was standing and he was gazing,
an eagle soaked and freezing.
He yearns to fly again — the sun to rise he is pleading:
“Oh Sun, please rise, please shine and give me warmth
and melt the snow from my wings
and melt the ice from my claws”, the proud eagle sings.
An eagle never pity, flying amidst the thunderstorm,
pity a bird that has no wings, a helpless prey of every storm.
Translated by Olia Petidou
Σε ψηλό βουνό, σε ριζιμιό χαράκι,
κάθεται αϊτός βρεμένος ο καημένος
και παρακαλεί τον ήλιο ν’ ανατείλει.
«Ήλιε, ανάτειλε, ήλιε, λάμψε και δώσε,
για να λιώσουνε χιόνια ’πού τα φτερά μου
και τα κρούσταλλα απού τ’ ακρανυχά μου».
Μη τονε κλαις τον αετό, όντε βροντά και βρέχει,
μόνο να κλαις ένα πουλί όπου φτερό δεν έχει.
This is a Cretan rizitiko song, recorded with Antonis Peristeris on the lyre and Nikos Geroulakis on vocals. Nikos, also from Crete, had been recommended to me by Antonis. The rizitika were among the first forms of traditional music I came to know back in 1941, when I began studying with my teacher Simon Karas, who was deeply involved both in the study of traditional music and in collecting material for the musical accompaniment of his radio broadcasts.
Domna Samou (1972)
Studio recording (1972).
Singers
Cretan lyra
