Άρκοντες τρων και πίνουσι

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The nobles sit to eat and drink around a marble table,
a marble and a silver table, around a golden table,
and all do only drink and eat, no word by them is spoken.
Oh, let young Constantine just hum a melody that pleases
to his compeer Andronikos, so youthful and so lauded.

Black you are and black you wear, you’re mounted on a black steed,
you teach it how to walk or trot, you teach it how to gallop,
you teach it how to tolerate the tumult of a battle,
you teach it all it needs to know about the land and sea.
You think no more of your sweet love, the lissom one you yearned for.

Translated by John Leatham

Άρκοντες τρων και πίνουσι

Ο Ανδρόνικος κι ο μαύρος του

Άρκοντες τρων και πίνουσι σε μαρμαρένην τάβλαν,
σε μαρμαρένην, σ’ αργυρήν και σε μαλαματένην,
κι ούλοι τρώσι και πίνουσι κι αθιολή ’ε φέρνου1
κι ο Κωσταντίνος ο μικρός ας εψιλοτραούει,
τ’ ακράνη2 του τ’ Ανδρόνικου, του νιου του παινεμένου.
Μαύρος είσαι, μαύρα φορείς, μαύρον καβαλικεύγεις.
Μαθαίνεις τον να περπατεί, μαθαίνεις τον να δρέμει,3
μαθαίνεις τον να ’έχεται4 τον όχλ)ι)ον του πολέμου,
[μαθαίνεις τον και στεριάς ωσάν και του πελάου,
ξεχάνεις και της λυερής της γλυκοποθητής σου.]

1αθιολή ’ε φέρνου: δεν κουβεντιάζουν
2ακράνης: σύντροφος
3δρέμει: τρέχει
4’έχεται: δέχεται

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Live recording from the concert The known and unknown Domna at the Megaron, the Athens Concert Hall, in 29/10/1998.

Domna Samiou learned the song by her friend Manolis Philippakis, an icon-painter from Karpathos, in 1965.

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