My Emigrated Bird

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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 fragrant muscat grapes, they turn en route to raisins.
I send you, then, a tear of mine in a fine cotton kerchief;
my tear, alas, is searing hot and sears the cotton karchief. 

Translated by John Leatham

Ξενιτεμένο μου πουλί

Ξενιτεμένο μου πουλί και παραπονεμένο, μωρέ ξένε μου
και παραπονεμένο

η ξενιτιά σε χαίρεται κι εγώ ’χω τον καημό σου, μωρέ ξένε μου
κι εγώ ’χω τον καημό σου.

Τι να σου στείλω ξένε μου ν-αυτού στα ξένα που ’σαι
μωρέ ξένε μου, ν-αυτού στα ξένα που ’σαι;
Σου στέλνω μήλο, σέπεται, κυδώνι μαραγκιάζει,
σου στέλνω μοσχοστάφυλο, στο δρόμο σταφιδιάζει.
Σου στέλνω και το δάκρυ μου σ’ ένα φτενό μαντίλι,
το δάκρυ μου ’ναι καφτερό και καίει το μαντίλι.

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Notes

Characteristic dance from the Pogoni province of Epirus.

Recording information

Studio recording, 1989.

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