Τέσσερα τζιαι τέσσερα

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Four and four make eight, 
Four Palikari go to the wars.
On their way they are hungry
And they sit down to eat,
but they are thirsty too.
They look for a spring high up on the mountain,
and they find a ravine a hundred fathoms deep.
They draw lots to know who should go down it
and the lot falls to the youngest.
 – Tie me fast, my brothers, so that I may go down
Into the ravine to draw water.
Then his brothers tie him firmly
and let him down into the ravine.
– Pull me up, my brothers, for I have seen the water,
It is red and black, it is poisoned.
In the time it takes to draw him up
reptiles and snakes have half devoured him.
– When you go back home again,
eat and drink to my health,
an tell my mother to dress in black
for she will never see her son again.

Translated by Derek Yeld

Τέσσερα τζιαι τέσσερα

Τέσσερα τζιαι τέσσερα γίνουνται οκτώ
τέσσερα παλικάρκα πάσιν στον πόλεμον.
Στον δρόμον που πηγαίνασιν μα επεινάσασι
τσι εκάτσασιν να φάσιν τζιαι εδιψάσασιν.
Γυρεύκουν νά ’βρουν βρύσην απάνω στο βουνόν
τζ' ήβρασιν έναν λάκκον των εκατόν ορκών.
Eρίξαν το λαχνίν τους πκοιός έν' να κατεβεί
τζιαι έπεσεν η μοίρα πα στο μικρόν παιδί.
– Δέστε με αδέρφκια μου τζ' εγιώ να κατεβώ,
μες στο ερημολάτζιν να βκάλω το νερόν.
Tζιαι τότες τα αδέρφκια του τον σφικτοδέσασιν,
μες στο ερημολάτζιν τον κατεβάσασιν.
– Eβγάρτε με, αδέρφκια μου γιατ’ είδα το νερόν
έν' κότζινον τζιαι μαύρον μα τζιαι φαρματζιερόν.
Ώσπου να τον τραβήσουσιν τζιαι να τον βκάλουσιν
οι όφεις τζιαι τα φίδκια τον μισοφάασιν.
– Oπόταν θα επιστρέψετε εις την πατρίδα μου
να τρώτε τζιαι να πίνετε εις την υγείαν μου,
να πείτε τζιαι της μάνας μου στα μαύρα να ντυθεί 
γιατί τον γιον της τον μιτσήν δεν θα τον ξαναδεί.

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Notes

Certain researchers believe that the Cypriot Acritic songs, with those of Crete, have succeered in traversing the centuries with far fewer literary and musical changes than the songs of other regions of Greece. It should also be remarked that in Cyprus Acritic songs were often performed by itinerant poet-musicians who recall the aedes of Greek antiquity. Aris Fakinos (1982)

Recording information

Studio recording,1982.

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