You are at: Home page Her Work List of Songs Three Cretan Monks
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Lyrics
Three Cretan monks and three from Mount Athos
prepared a ship to sail, prepared a ship to sail.
They prepared a ship to sail and made it all shipshape.
Up in the bow they put the cross and in the stern the Gospels,
they fixed the icon of the Virgin on the mast amidships,
and chanted the cherubic hymn and the Axion Eastin.
A voice was heard from heaven above, from an angel’s mouth:
– Cease the cherubic hymn and the Axion Estin ;
the Turks have taken Saint Sophia, the Great Monastery,
and the Constantinople, too.
Translated by John Leatham
Original Lyrics
Τρεις καλογέροι Κρητικοί
Τρεις καλογέροι Κρητικοί και τρεις απ’ τ’ Άγιον Όρος
καράβιν αρματώνανε, καράβιν αρματώνανε
καράβιν αρματώνανε και καλοσυγυρίζουν,
στην πλώρη βάζουν το σταυρό, στην πρύμη το βαγγέλιο
την Παναγία Δέσποινα στο μεσινό κατάρτι
και ψάλλουν το χερουβικό και τ’ άξιον εστίν ως.
Φωνή ηκούστ’ εξ ουρανού, εκ στόματος αγγέλου.
– Ας πάψει το χερουβικό και τ’ άξιον εστίν ως,
οι Τούρκοι επήραν τη Σοφιά, το Μέγα Μοναστήρι,
και την Κωνσταντινούπολη.
Information
- Region: Central Greece
- Area: Fthiotida, Ypati
- Categories: Sea and Sailors Song, Historical Song
- Rhythm: 4 beats
- Duration: 07:16
Collaborators
- Singer: Domna Samiou
- Constantinopolitan lyra: Socrates Sinopoulos
- Kanun: Panos Dimitrakopoulos
- Bowed tambouras: Socrates Sinopoulos
- Constantinopolitan lute: Socrates Sinopoulos
- Bendir (frame drum): Yiorgos Ε. Papadakis
Albums
Recording information
Studio recording, 2001.
Based on Simon Karas' recording which belongs to the Association for the Dissemination of Greek National Music.