• Increase font size
  • Decrease font size
  • Ελληνικά
  • English

Καλλιτεχνικός Σύλλογος Δημοτικής Μουσικής Δόμνα Σαμίου

Menu
  • Domna Samiou
    • Domna Samiou
    • Contents
      • Domna Samiou
      • Biography
      • A Tale of a Life
      • Others on Domna
    • richmenu_01
      A tale of a life
      Homeless During the Civil War
      richmenu
      richmenu_02
      A tale of a life
      Next to Her Mentor Simon Karas
      richmenu_03
      Socrates Sinopoulos
      A Teacher-Student Relationship
  • Her Work
    • Her Work
    • Contents
      • Her Work
      • Discography
      • List of Songs
      • Concerts
      • "Musical Travelogue"
      • Press Clippings and Interviews
      • Collaborators
      • Domna Samiou Archives
      • Selections
    • richmenu_kalanta
      Musical Selections
      Christmas, New Year & Epiphany Carols
      richmenu
      richmenu_ton_akriton--3
      New release
      Epic Songs of Warriors and Heroes
      richmenu
      richmenu_nikos_papavramidis
      Collaborators
      Nikos Papavramidis
      pa623_main_nikos_stefanidis--2
      Collaborators
      Nikos Stefanidis (1890-1983)
      richmenu
  • The Association
    • The Association
    • Contents
      • The Association
      • About Us
      • Activities
      • The Association's Releases
      • Events
      • Sponsors and Donors
      • Web Links
    • association_richmenu_en_v3
      Activities
      Domna Samiou Archives
      richmenu
      association_richmenu_en_v3
      The Association
      The Board and the Members
      richmenu
  • The Choir
    • The Choir
    • The Lessons
    • The Teachers
    • Contact the Choir
  • Translator's Notes
    • Translator's Notes
    • Musical Instruments
    • Pronunciation Notes
  • Contact
Sign in Show/Hide Search Form

You are at: Home page Her Work List of Songs Whoever Saw a Tree of Green

d24_cover
Listen to Spotify Listen to Google Play Listen toiTunes Listen toAmazon
Whoever Saw a Tree of Green
d24_cover
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google
  • Send with e-mail

Ποιος είδε πράσινο δεντρί

Listen

Lyrics

Whoever saw a tree of green,
with eyes of black and a blond sheen
and royal blue leaves to boot,
eyes black, eyebrows dark as soot?

In the treetops all is golden,
young girls yonder eyes all swollen
down at its roots the coolest spring,
who will drink or clay pot bring?
And when I knelt to drink my fill,
I saw the eyes I love quite still.
And now I’ve come to drink ‘tis bliss,
on those black eyes to plant a kiss.
My kerchief to the ground did fall,
my lip did tremble, quite appalled.
The gold-embroidered one so pretty,
good as new, oh what a pity!
The one three maids embroidered me,
fresh as cherries straight off the tree,
singing as they worked, fine refrains;
the one from Galatà had lots of brains,
from Nichόri came the second girl,
Hadjiyannakis’ eldest pearl.
The third of the maids and youngest,
was also by far the fairest;
from Pàros she hailed and fine,
by the Virgin, I’ll make her mine!

Translated by Michael Eleftheriou

Original Lyrics

Ποιος είδε πράσινο δεντρί

Ποιος είδε πράσινο δεντρί, μαυροματούσα και ξανθή
να ’χει και- να ’χει και γεράνια φύλλα1
μαύρα μά- μαύρα μάτια, μαύρα φρύδια.

Και στην κορφή μαλάματα, κορίτσια με τα κλάματα
και στη ρίζα κρύα βρύση, ποιος να πιει και να γεμίσει.
Κει πόσκυψα να πιω νερό, βλέπω τα μάτια π’ αγαπώ
να πιω και να γεμίσω, μαύρα μάτια να φιλήσω.
Μου ’πεσε το μαντίλι μου, καημό πόχει τ’ αχείλι μου
το χρυσοκεντησμένο, μια χαρά ήταν το καημένο.
Όπου μου το κεντούσανε και μου το τραγουδούσανε
τρία πάρθενα κοράσια, σαν του Μάη τα κεράσια.
Η μια ήταν απ’ το Γαλατά, βαστάει το νου της δυνατά
και η άλλη απ’ το Νιχώρι, του Χατζηγιαννάκη η κόρη.
Η τρίτη, η μικρότερη, απ’ όλες εμορφότερη
ήτανε από την Πάρο, Παναγιά μου, να την πάρω.


1γεράνια φύλλα: φύλλα σε χρώμα βαθυγάλαζο

Information

  • Region: Sporades
  • Area: Skiathos
  • Categories: Love Song
  • Rhythm: 2 beats
  • Dance style: Local dance
  • Duration: 03:47

Collaborators

  • Singer: Domna Samiou
  • Choir: Domna Samiou Greek Folk Music Association Choir
  • Violin: Nikos Oikonomidis
  • Small tambouras: Evgenios Voulgaris
  • Lute: Kostas Papaprokopiou
  • Informant (source of the song): Yannis Parisis

Albums

  • Of Nature and of Love

Notes

Local dance, danced during the Carnival period called “apokriatikos”.

Recording information

Studio recording, 2005.

Domna Samiou taped the song in Skiathos, sung by Yannis and Syraino Parisis, in 1975.


Whoever Saw a Tree of Green (1975)
Yannis and Syraino Parisis. Recorded in Skiathos © Domna Samiou Archive

Member Comments

0 Comments

Post a comment


up to 2000
Login to post a comment

See also

d24_badge
Song
All the Birds, Two by Two
All the birds, amàn amàn, the birds nest two by two, all the birds two by two, the swallow with his mate. The lonesome ni...
d27_badge
Song
Arta’s Bridge
Down on the shore where land meets sea, where the world ends, they set to building a bridge, but the bridge would not stan...
d12_badge
Song
Arta’s Βridge
A team of forty stonemasons and sixty prentice workers were putting up a bridge across the river close by Arta. The whole d...
d24_badge
Song
Beam, Dear Moon
– Come on beam, dear moon, shine, moon dear, and light the way to my love. Beam high and low, for it’s muddy and wet; beam...
d12_badge
Song
I See Some Ships Approaching Port
I see some ships approaching port, how beautiful they seem to me, ships that sail across the waters, rending my faint heart...
d24_badge
Song
January Violet
January violet, January violet, my winter violet in bloom. Who will drift off and sleep in your shade trialalalalala, who...
d11_badge
Song
May
May's come, May's come and spring, summer’s come when the perfumed roses bloom. I’ve a white rose I want to dye and if I...
808_811_badge_rmp45_091_2
Song
May Day
820_badge_rmp45_022_1
Song
My Blooming Violet
d24_badge
Album
Of Nature and of Love
CD
d24_badge
Song
River, Dear River of Mine
River, dear river of mine, river, my river, when you fill. River, my river, when you fill and crash, and crash and swell. ...
d24_badge
Song
The Apple Trees Complaint
In Konstantinos’ gardens a brook welled up, because of which I planted an orchard with apples and quinces, with laurels and...
d24_badge
Song
The Maid Climbed up to the Summer Pasture
The maid climbed up to the summer pasture, my little bird, to become a shepherdess, come, come I say! to become a shepherde...
d24_badge
Song
Up Upon the Rose
The partridge built her nest amàn amàn, high up upon the rose-bush And the startled partridge started, and the roses to th...
d23_badge
Song
We Kissed Each Other in the Night
We kissed each other in the night, and who could see us then? I’ll tell you, dear, the star saw us, and dawn saw us as well....
  • Home page
  • Disclaimer
  • Contact
  • Sitemap
Follow us
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
Subscribe to Newsletter
To Top
© 2010-2014 Domna Samiou Greek Folk Music Association
Stavros Niarchos Foundation
Powered by TOOLIP Web Content Management Designed & developed by EWORX S.A.