The Death of Digenis

Ο Διγενής ψυχομαχάει

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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

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.

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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.

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