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The son of the Armenian boasted, my beautiful blue eyes,
to a pasha, his master, sing my lovely nightingale.

– My master, I shall cross the sea, on foot I shall cross it.
– And if you cross the sea that way, you’ll be my son-in-law.
Do you want my cousin’s hand, or my sister’s hand,
do you want to wed my daughter, who sheds a light like sunlight?
When she was born in the dead of night, the alley-ways lit up.
On hearing this, the young man stripped and lay down all his arms,
he stripped and lay down all his arms and dived into the sea.
For forty days he skimmed the water, he laughed and sang for joy
but since those days have lapsed, he weeps and sings laments.

Translated by John Leatham

Τ’ Αρμένου γιός πινέθηκε

Τ’ Αρμένου γιος πινέθηκε, γαλανά ματάκια μ’ κι έμορφα
σ’ ένα, σ’ ένα πασά κι αφέντη, λάλει, λάλει καλό μ’ αηδόνι.

– Αφέντη μου τη θάλασσα, πεζός θα την αδιάβω.
– Κι αν την αδιάβ’ς τη θάλασσα, γαμπρό θε να σε κάνω
θέλεις την αξαδέρφη μου, θέλεις την αδερφή μου,
θέλεις τη θυγατέρα μου, που λάμπει σαν τον ήλιο,
όπου γεννήθ’κι σκοτεινά και φέξαν τα σοκάκια.
Τ’ Αρμένου γιος σαν τ’ άκουσε, ξεντύθ’κι, ξαρματώθ’κι
ξεντύθ’κι, ξαρματώθηκι, μες στη θάλασσα ρίχτ’κι,
σαράντα μέρις έπλεγε, γελώντας τραγουδιώντας,
κι απ’ τις σαράντα κι ύστερα, κλαίει μοιρολογάει.

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Studio recording, 2001.

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