• 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 Digenes Is Dying

d13_cover
Digenes Is Dying
d13_cover
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google
  • Send with e-mail

The Death of Digenis

Ο Διγενής ψυχομαχάει

Listen

Lyrics

Digenes, Digenes is giving up the ghost,
my eyes, Digenes is dying
my eyes are black, Digenes is dying.

All the lords on learning of it, all hasten by.
with apples and with plums, with fresh grapes.
To his fair one he speaks, to his fair one he says:
– Take, my fair one, take sweet wine, give the lords to drink.
– Wine, wine, here it is, serve yourselves with drink.
– We have not come to eat or drink, to eat or drink.
We have come only for your fair one, for your betrothed.
– If you have come for my fair one, for my betrothed,
then go, go on your way, go and godspeed to you.

Translated by Derek Yeld

Original Lyrics

Ο Διγενής ψυχομαχάει

Ο θάνατος του Διγενή

Κι ο Διγενής, ντιλμπέριμ ιμάν, κι ο Διγενής ψυχομαχάει
τα δυο μου μάτια, κι ο Διγενής πιθαίνει
μαύρα είν’ τα μάτια, κι ο Διγενής πιθαίνει.

Όσοι άρχοντες κι αν τ’ άκουσαν όλοι τρέχουν και πάνε
με μήλα με δαμάσκηνα με δροσερό σταφύλι.
Στ'ν κάλ' στην καλή του λάλησι και στην καλή του λέει.
– Βγάλε καλή μ' γλυκό κρασί, κέρασε τσ' αρχοντάδες.
– Κι εγώ κρασί σας έβγαλα κεράστε μαναχοί σας.
– Δεν ήρθαμε για φάει, για πιεί, να φάμι και να πιούμι
μόν’ ήρθαμι για την καλή σ’ για τ’ν αρραβωνιαστ’κιά σου.
– Aν ήρθατι για την καλή μ’ για τ’ν αρραβωνιαστ’κιά μου
άιντε για να πααίνιτι να πάτε στο καλό σας.

Information

  • Region: Thrace
  • Categories: Acritic Song
  • Rhythm: 2 beats
  • Dance style: Xesyrtos
  • Duration: 04:36

Collaborators

  • Choir: Women's Group
  • Gaida (bagpipe): Theodoros Kekes
  • Goblet drum: Michalis Klapakis

Albums

  • Akritic Songs

Notes

Digenes Akritas is the hero of a long epic written in the 10th century which soon became very popular and thanks to which the name of this valiant Akritas is to be found over and over again in many of the songs from the Acritic cycle. The Western listener should not be surprised by the gay, dancing pace of this song which is about the death of Digenes: in Greece, since the greatest antiquity, the death of a hero has often given rise to festivities and dancing. Note in the second song the fantastic element of the dialogue between the tree and the soldier, an almost omnipresent element in Acritic songs. 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

d32_badge--3
Song
A Young Lad
A Soldier and a Tree A young man, a fine young lad went off in search of a castle, Greek lass of mine. And though he found no castles and no vil...
d13_badge
Song
A Young and Gallant Soldier
A young and gallant soldier Sought a citadel, a citadel. He sought a citadel, a village to stop at. He found none, no citade...
d32_badge--3
Song
Digenis Is Dying
The Death of Digenis Digenis is dying and the mountains are trembling, and all the lords that heard it set out to visit him, they set out, bring...
d32_badge--3
Song
Kostantis the Only Son
Kostantis the only son, young and cosseted, his mother's only son, her precious darling. She'd scrub him, comb his hair and...
d32_badge--3
Song
A Nun With Child
The Song of Porphyris A nun swelled up with child and bore a manly boy. Within a month he was carrying a sword, within a year a musket and at thr...
d32_badge--3
Song
An Eagle Soared
An eagle soared high in the sky, high in the heavens with its bloody red jaws and its soot black crown and clutching a brav...
d32_badge--3
Song
By Command of the King
The Song of Porphyris The king commanded every fair maid and every brave lad in every vilayet to gather before him. And when the fair maids and ...
d13_badge
Song
I Saw Some Black Smoke
I saw some black smoke rise up out of the reeds; The reeds are numberless and a monster hides in them. Three huntsmen have ...
d27_badge
Song
In Constantinople I Heard the News
I was in the City and heard my fairest was to wed, that she had exchanged vows with another. Mounting my horse, I set off h...
mo_badge_evros
Music program
Musical Travelogue with Domna Samiou - Thrace, Evros
1976 Television ERT
850_badge_rmp45_034_2
Song
Open the Door, Lenio
d13_badge
Song
The Four Palikari
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 ...
785_851_badge_rmp45_040_1
Song
The Sun Sets, the Day Ends
d18_badge
Song
What Am I, Poor Wretch, to Do
What am I, poor wretch, to do with the wife I’ve got? In Jan’ry month and Feb’ry too she leads me off to harvest. I reaped ...
d21_badge
Song
Zonaradiko - Here Upon the Grassy Meadow
Young men who’ve let their hair grow long and dress in black all over bring messages for one whom I did once love very dearl...
  • 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.