I just put out how to add a neat feature to my blog: an audio streamer. The website it comes from has this one nice Greek CD so I put two songs from it, one very famous traditional song from Macedonia (which has a 12 step dance that goes along with it that I learned here at dance class) and a Syrtos, which is a type of dance found all over Greece, but mainly in the northern parts such as Macedonia and Thrace. At some point, Roderick we must go to Thrace! Here are the lyrics to song called My Red Apple.
Μήλο μου κόκκινο, ρόιδο βαμμένο (x2)
Γιατί με μάρανες το πικραμένο
Παένω κ’ έρχομαι μα δεν βρίσκω (x2)
Βρίσκω την πόρτα σου μανταλομένη
Τα παραθυρούδια σου φεγγοβολούνε (x2)
Ρωτάω την πόρτα σου, που πάει η κυρά σου
Κυρά μ’ δεν είναι ‘δώ, πάησε στην βρύση (x2)
Πάησε να βρει νερό και να γεμίσει
See my poor translation in the comments, Pondu, can you do a better job of this?
Also this is where I'm totally taking dance classes next year.
4 σχόλια:
My red apple, my painted pomegranate
Why have you spoiled bitter me?
I come and go but I don't find (you)
I find your door bolted
Your windows (not sure) shimmer
I ask your door, where does your lady go
My lady is not here, she goes to the spring,
She goes to find water and to fill up
Apple of scarlet thou,
Punic apple painted,
Apple of scarlet thou,
Punic apple painted,
Why hast thou wither'd me,
Bitter fruit and tainted?
I go and come again,
And cannot find thee.
I go and come again,
And cannot find thee.
In despair I leave thy door,
Bolted behind me.
Forth from thy window shines,
Light like the soft mοon-glow.
Forth from thy window shines,
Light like the soft moon-glow.
I turn and ask thy door,
"Whither doth thy lady go?"
"My mistress is not here;
She is gone unto the spring.
My mistress is not here;
She is gone unto the spring.
She goes to fill her jar
And water here to bring."
Φιλολογικό Σημείωμα:
Great song, Saskia! That's a fantastic old one, a real classic. An island-song, I believe, though a quick google search gives such forms as πάησι for πάησε (=πήγε), a northern form in other words; or γιομίσει for γεμίσει, common in demotic speech (like απόγιομα), though from the regions of Thessaly and Στερεά Ελλάδα if I'm not mistaken. The loss of the intervocalic gamma in παένω (πααίνω) is especially typical of Cyprus, Crete and the Dodecanese, though certainly not exclusively and is also found in the North, in Constantinopolitan dialect for instance.
Apparently wide-grinning "Alcestis Protopsalter" has sung this, as have of course the Κονιτόπουλοι. Your instrumental though is really nice. (So is the other song, and yes we definitely have to go to Thrace, land of Orpheus and some of the emperors as well.)
Your translation is pretty accurate, and more literal than mine. On your second line, I believe το πικραμένο is in apposition to the apple itself (the woman being addressed, otherwise you would want τον πικραμένο). "Spoil" is fine for μαραίνω, lit. "wither" (vti). (By the way, amaranth, αμάραντος, is literally the unwitherable grain.)
Φεγγοβολώ means to glow, to emit (-βολώ) light, shining (φέγγος). Cf. μοσκοβολώ. It's reminiscent though of the moon (φεγγάρι meaning "the glowing thing"), so I've added that to my version.
This song is usually sung by women, but the voice is that of a man. This is very typical. (I've heard the opposite done in Irish music.)
In my translation I initially made "pomegranate" (ρόϊδι) into "apple of Phoenicia". A pomegranate, as you yourself have mentioned, is an apple (=fruit in general) that's seeded, granata. But the word has also been taken as from malum punicum (cf. peach from malum persicum). I like that and so took it; I made the change to accommodate the "painted" or, perhaps better, "dyed" (βαμμένο).
My biggest change is to have the singer go to the house, turn away, and then turn back. I like the image, but really did it for meter and rhyme.
The meter of my version isn't strict as far as a spoken poem (though I don't think it works too badly that way), but I made it so you can sing it along with the original tune.
At any rate, fantastic song.
Hey, I just saw that website you link to, το Λύκειο των Ελληνίδων. Yeah, you'll have a great time dancing there.
I must see if I can learn some steps in Columbus too, so I can keep up with you when we're together.
(Together again in the Epirus.)
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