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You are at: Home page Her Work List of Songs Aroafnou

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Aroafnou
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Η Αροαφνού

Listen

Lyrics

In the neighbourhood close by, up in Koilanin
there are three beautiful maids and they are singing.
One shrill, one deep of voice,
the chambers echoing with their song,
the third and fairest outside planting peppers.
Our lord happened by one day, and visits daily now.
When the queen heard, she flew into a rage.
She took a parchment, wrote on it in ink,
folded it, sealed it and despatched it to Koilanin.
And all the village women went around to Aroafnou’s home.
– Come on with us, Aroafnou, the queen has summoned you.
– What does the queen want with me?
What would she have me do?
If it’s to war she’d send me, then let me take my arms,
and if it’s to a dance, then let me take my kerchiefs.
– Come, Aroafnou, do what you will, but be upon your way!
She went into her chamber and dressed in clothes
neither too long nor too short, just right for her years.
On the inside she wore gold, and on the outside crystal,
and draped a cloak in cloth of gold over her flawless form.
Taking an apple in her hand, she played with it as she went.
As she approached the queen’s palace,
she stood thinking how best to greet her.
– I could call her a slender bough, but a slender bough bends,
so I shall greet her appropriately, just as she deserves.
‘Hail, May rose, oh purest white regal violet!’
The moment the queen laid eyes on her, she flew into a rage,
grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the ground.
– Oh, my good queen, my good lady,
let me let out one low cry and one loud cry.
– Cry once, cry twice, cry till your lungs burst if you will,
for the king’s not here to set you free.
So she screamed low and she screamed high,
then screamed louder still, as loud as lungs can yell,
and the king’s throne quaked and shook.
– Somewhere lightning strikes and thunder peals,
somewhere the hail is raining down.
– ’Tis neither lightning, thunder nor hail,
it’s the queen killing Aroafnou with her bare hands.
– Then bring me my fleet black stallion
that feeds on iron and drinks the Euphrates!
So they brought him his fleet black stallion
that feeds on iron and drinks the Euphrates.
He had no need of spurs, for the horse was trained
to scud off like a storm cloud as soon as he was mounted
and was a thousand leagues yonder,
close by the palace of the queen
before he’d bid his grooms farewell.
– Open the gates, my Lady, the Saracens are at my heels.
– You must needs be patient an hour or so.
I have a woman here in labour, let her deliver first.
– If it’s a woman giving birth, then so be it.
But if it’s Aroafnou in there, it’s off with your head.
He entered in, searched high and low,
and found Aroafnou dead and murdered.
He bent down and kissed her ruby lips
and kissed the hands crossed on her breast.
And the man who made this wrote it like a poet,
so to Aroafnou your respects and to me your compliments.

Translated by Michael Eleftheriou


Verses based on Ξενοφών Φαρμακίδης, Κύπρια Έπη [Cypriot Epics], Nicosia 1926, pp. 93-96.

Original Lyrics

Η Αροαφνού

’Πού την ’πού πάνω γειτονιάν, ’πού την ’πού πάνω τέλεια
έσει τρεις κόρες όμορφες τζαι ψιλοτραουδούσιν,
η μια ψιλά, η μια χοντρά τζ’ οι τσάμπρες1 αδονούσιν2.
Η τρίτη η καλλύττερη εφύτεψεν πιπέριν.
Ετέρκασεν αφέντης μας τζαι πάει καθημέρη.
Που τ’ άκουσεν η ρήαινα αρκώθην3 τζ’ εθυμώθην.
Ευτύς εμπόγραψεν χαρτίν με χωριστό μελάνιν4,
σάζει5 το, συνορκιάζει6 το, πέμπει το στο Τζοιλάνιν7.
Πκιάννουν τ’ οι Τζοιλανιώτισσες στην Ροδαμνούν τζαι πάσιν.
– Άνου να πάμεν, Ροδαμνού, τζ’ η ρήαινα σε θέλει.
– Ίντα με θέλ’ η ρήαινα, ίντα ντο θέλημά ντης;
Αν με ζητά για πόλεμον να πκιάσω τ’ άρματά μου,
αν με ζητά για τον χορόν να πκιάσω τα μαντίλια.
– Άνου να πάμεν, Ροδαμνού, τζαι γοιόν τζ’ αν θέλεις λάμνε8.
Έμπην έσσω τζ’ εφόρησεν ρούχα της φορησιάς της,
μηδέ κοντά μηδέ μακριά, ίσια της ελιτζιάς της.
’Π’ αππέσσω φόρησεν γρουσά, ’π’ αππέξω κρυσταλλένια
τζαι καζακκάν ολόγρυσον τζ’ εσσέπασέν τα τέλεια,
τζαι μήλον εις το σέριν της, τζαι παίζει το, τζαι πάει.
Όσον τζ’ εκοντοέφτασεν στης ρήαινας τα σπίθκια,
στέκεται δκιαλοΐζεται πώς να την σαιρετήσει.
– Τζαι να της πω βέρκα λεγνή, βέρκα λεγνή λυΐζει,
άτ’ ας την σαιρετήσουμεν γοιόν πρέπει, γοιόν αξίζει.
Γεια σου τραντάφυλλον του Μά’ τζ’ άσπρον μου βουρτουλλίσιν9.
Που την θωρεί η ρήαινα αρκώθην τζ’ εθυμώθην,
τζ’ αρπάσσει την ’πού τα μαλλιά, χαμαί την σαρουππίζει10.
– Τζ’ άησ’ με ρήαινα χρυσή, τζυρά καλωσυνάτη,
να βάλω μιαν φωνή μιτσιάν τζαι μιαν φωνή μεάλην.
– Τζαι βάλε μιαν τζαι βάλε δκυό τζαι βάλε ώσπου να σπάσεις,
ο ρήας μόν’ τζ’ εν ’δά χαμαί νά ’ρτει να σε ’ποσπάσει11.
Τζαι βάλλει μια φωνήν μιτσιά τζαι μιαν φωνή μεάλην,
βάλλει τζαι μιαν μιαλλύττερην όσον τζ’ αν εδυνάστην,
τζαι το θρονίν του βασιλιά εσείστην τζ’ ελυΐστην.
– Κάπου αστράφτει τζαι βροντά, κάπου χαλάζιν ρίφκει.
– Μηδέ στράφτει μηδέ βροντά μηδέ χαλάζιν ρίφκει,
μόνον τα σέρν’ η ρήαινα, την Ροδαμνούν σκοτώννει.
– Τζαι φέρτε μου τον μαύρον μου, τον πετροκαταλύτην,
απού μασά τα σίερα τζαι πίνει τον Αφρίτην12.
Τζαι φέρνουν του τον μαύρον του, τον πετροκαταλύτην,
απού μασά τα σίερα τζαι πίνει τον Αφρίτην.
Περούνιν ’εν εγύρεψεν σαν ήτουν μαθημένος,
ππηά13 καβαλλιτζεύκει του σαν νέφος αρκωμένον.
Ώστη να πει έσετε γειαν έκοψεν σίλλια μίλλια,
τωρά ξαναδιπλάζει τον στης ρήαινας τα σπίθκια.
– Έλ’ άννοιξέ μου ρήαινα, Σαρατζηνοί με τρέχουν.
– Έπαρ’ μου λλίην ’πομονήν, όσσον πολλήν μιαν ώραν,
έχω γεναίκαν στο σελλίν14 να την ’πολευτερώσω.
– Αν εν γεναίκα στο σελλίν τζαι γεια σου τζαι χαρά σου,
ειδεμή τζ’ εν η Ροδαμνού, να πα’ η τζεφαλιά σου.
Έμπην έσσω τζ’ εγύρισεν τα πάνω τζαι τα κάτω
τζαι ηύρεν την Αροαμνούν σφαμένην σκοτωμένην.
Έσσυψεν τζαι εφίλησεν δκυο σείλη κουρελλένα
τζαι κατωθκιόν τα σέρκα της απού ’τουν σταυρωμένα.
Τζαι τζείνος που το έφκαλεν σαν ποιητής λοάται,
τζείνης πρέπει μακάριση τζ’ εμένεν το σπολλάτιν15.


1τσάμπρες: αίθουσες
2αδονούσιν: δονούνται, αντηχούν
3αρκώθην: εξαγριώθηκε
4με χωριστό μελάνιν: στις περισσότερες παραλλαγές, «γλήορις το βουλλώνει»
5σάζει το: το διπλώνει
6συνορκιάζει: σφραγίζει
7Τζοιλάνιν: κωμόπολη της επαρχίας Λεμεσού, το Κοιλάνι
8λάμνε: πήγαινε
9βουρτουλλίσιν: μενεξές
10σαρουππίζει: σέρνει κατά γης
11να σε ’ποσπάσει: να σε ελευθερώσει
12Αφρίτης: ο Ευφράτης ποταμός
13ππηά: πηδάει
14σελλίν: ξύλινο κάθισμα, όπου γεννούσαν οι επίτοκες
15σπολλάτιν: μπράβο, ευχαριστώ (εις πολλά έτη)


Η απόδοση βασίζεται σε τραγούδι δημοσιευμένο στο Ξενοφών Φαρμακίδης, Κύπρια Έπη, Λευκωσία 1926, σ. 93-96.

Information

  • Region: Cyprus
  • Categories: Fable Song (Ballad)
  • Rhythm: 5 beats
  • Duration: 05:55

Collaborators

  • Singer: Michalis Tterlikkas

Albums

  • Folk Fables in Song

Notes

Many folklorists hold that the Arodafnousa, a much-loved song in Cyprus, relates actual events referred to in the Chronicle of Leontios Machairas, and that its heroes are historical figures: the prince the glorious and impetuous Petros I de Lusignan, king of Cyprus, (1358-1369), the queen his dynamic and ruthless bride, Eleonor of Aragon. And of all the royal couple’s lovers, it is Jeanne d’Alema, the mistress who most excited the queen’s lust for revenge and was tortured and imprisoned on Eleonor’s orders, that is believed to have passed into the realm of legend and from there – the aristocratic mistress having first been transformed into Arodafnousa, a symbol in the collective imagination for the peasantry languishing under the feudal yoke – into song. Miranda Terzopoulou (2008)

Recording information

Studio recording, 2006.

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