Ακρίτας όνταν έλαμνεν

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Akritas laboured down by the river,
Coming and going he laboured, tracing five furrows,
Coming and going he sowed nine measures of grain.
A bird came and perched on the end of the yoke,
And suddenly rose and settled right in the middle of the yoke.
– Go away bird, go away if you do not want to get a blow from the spi. Then the bird began singing in a human voice:
– Akritas, what are you doing here? Why are you waiting here? They have destroyed your house, they have taken your beloved away, And they are dragging your children across the fields!
They whip your black horse to gather speed.
– Open to me, gatekeepers, open to me that I may come in. The gatekeepers opened, Akritas went in.
Some gave him a stool, others held out a glass to him.
He sat on the stool and he took the glass.
Then he drew his sword from its golden scabbard.
He killed a thousand men from the front and ten thousand from behind. He took his beloved and fled, riding nine days and nine nights.

Translated by Derek Yeld

Ακρίτας όνταν έλαμνεν

Aκρίτας όνταν έλαμνεν1 αφκά σην ποταμέαν,
επέγνεν κι έρτουν κι έλαμνεν την μέραν πέντ’ αυλάκια,
επέγνεν κι έρτουν κι έσπερνεν εννέα κότια2 σπόρον.
Και ν-έρθεν πουλίν κι εκόνεψεν ση ζυγονί'3 την άκραν,
και σκούται καλοκάθεται ση ζυγονί’ την μέσην.
– Οπίσ’ πουλίν, οπίσ’ πουλίν, μη τρως την βουκεντρέαν.4
Και το πουλίν ελάλεσεν ανθρώπινον λαλέαν.
– Ντό στέκ’ς, ντό στέκ’ς Aκρίτα μου και τίναν αναμένεις;
Tο ένοικό σ’5 εχάλασαν και την καλή σ’ επέραν
και τα μικρά τα πούλοπα σ’6 σο περιβόλ’ εσύραν.
Βιτσοκοπά τον μαύρον ατ’ και φτάν’ και κοντεφτάνει.
– Ανοίξετέ με, νε πορτάρ’,7 ανοίξτε να σεμπαίνω.
Ενοίξαν ατον οι πορτάρ’, εμπαίν’ απές Ακρίτας.
Άλλοι σκαμνία δίγν’ ατον, άλλοι καυκία8 απλών’νε9
και σο σκαμνίν ’κί κάθεται και το καυκίν ’κί παίρει.
Έσυρεν το σπαθίν ατου ας σο χρυσόν θηκάρι,
χίλιους εμπρός εσκότωσεν και μύριους από πίσω
κι επέρεν την κόρ’ κι έφυγεν εννιά νύχτας κι ημέρας.

1έλαμνεν: όργωνε
2κότια: μονάδα μέτρησης για δημητριακά
3ζυγονί': του ζυγού
4βουκεντρέα: βουκέντρα είναι ραβδί με αιχμηρή απόληξη με το οποίο κεντρίζουν τα βόδια του αρότρου
5ένοικο: το σπίτι, τον οίκο σου
6τα πουλόπα σ': τα μωρά σου. Παρατονισμένο για λόγους μέτρου
7πορτάρ': οι φύλακες της πύλης
8καυκία: κούπες για κέρασμα
9υπονοείται -γιατί παραλείπονται στίχοι- ότι φτάνει στο γάμο της γυναίκας του και προλαβαίνει να τον αποτρέψει

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Notes

This Acritic song, also of great antiquity, seems to be one of a large number of variants of a long poem whose initial form could only be preserved in the collective memory. Aris Fakinos (1982)

Recording information

Studio recording, 1982.

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