Τέσσερα τζιαι τέσσερα

Listen

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.

Information

Collaborators

Albums

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.

Member Comments

0 Comments

Post a comment


up to 2000
Login to post a comment

See also

d27_badge
Song
Aroafnou
In the neighbourhood close by, up in Koilanin there are three beautiful maids and they are singing. One shrill, one deep of...
d40_badge
Song
Four and Four
Four and four makes eight, four young lads setting out to war. Feeling hungry on their way, they slopped to eat and drink....
d32_badge--3
Song
Marandon
The Evil Mother-In-Law Word came calling Marandon up to fight. He forged horseshoes out of silver and nails out of gold and shoed his horse in the...
d08_badge
Song
Marandon
Marandon has received the order to go to war. He forges horseshoes of silver and nails of gold, He shoes his black steed by...
d32_badge--3
Song
The Castle of the Beauty
I've never seen a castle as fair as the Castle of the Beauty. It has silver gates and silver keys, I've never seen another ...
d27_badge
Song
A Maid Bidding Farewell
A maid was seeing her husband off to foreign parts holding a candle out for him to see, tankards of wine for him to drink. ...
d32_badge--3
Song
Akritas Goes Hunting
The Death of Digenis Out hunting, on the way to the hunting grounds, Akritas met Charon at a crossroads. - Charon, what've you got against me th...
d27_badge
Song
As Long as the Shore
The Maid Slain by Her Brothers As long as the shore, as long as the shore and as wide as the sea, that’s the span of the yarn a maid had laid out in her ...
d27_badge
Song
No Father Had I
The Wine Bearer No father had I, my mother was a widow. My mother was a widow and sold me, sold me into service to a good master. My maste...
d20_badge
Song
The Lament of the Virgin (Cyprus)
Holy Week Lament O gentlefolk, pay heed to me, and hear the Mother’s dirge, hear how she mourns her only child upon the yonder Cross. Take n...