Ο Κωσταντής κι ο Κάουρας

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Down at the barren field, near the reed beds,
a crab has become a dragon and is devouring the bravest men.
He ate Phokas' black steed, he ate Nikiphoros,
he ate Ephtatrachilos, the man whom everybody feared.
When the king heard that, he was far from pleased,
and sent word to Kostantis.
- Kostantis, come hither, you're wanted by your king.
In the time he took to say ‘Stay well’, he was a thousand miles away,
and in the time they took to say him ‘Fare well’, he was at the king's door.
- Hail, my lord and king. What is it that you want?
If it's to war you'd have me go, I'll grab my sword.
If it's to a feast, I'll grab my lute.
- Kostantis, you fool, what are you blathering about?
Down at the barren field, near the reed beds,
a crab has become a dragon and is devouring our bravest men.
He ate Phokas' black steed, he ate Nikiphoros,
he ate Ephtatrachilos, the man whom everybody feared.
In the time he took to say ‘Stay well’, he was a thousand miles away,
and in the time they took to say him ‘Fare well’, he was at the crab-hole.
When the crab saw him, it was pleased as punch.
- This mouthful will do for breakfast and for lunchtime,
with enough left over to fill me at supper, too.
- May you have carrion for breakfast and get the colic at lunchtime,
and may my knife be all that fills you when the sun goes down.
So Kostantis and the crab joined in battle.
Wherever Kostantis gripped, bones cracked,
and wherever the crab grabbed, blood spurted in rivers.
Finding himself in need, Kostantis shouted out to Saint George:
- Saint George, my lord up upon your mount,
this crab will strip me of the graces you bestowed on me1.
- Kostantis, you fool, are you afraid of the crab?
Draw your sword from its silver scabbard
and plunge it in the crab's belly, below the navel.
He drew his silver sword from its silver scabbard
and plunged it in the crab's belly, below the navel.
He made a tent out of the crab's shell
and invited the king and his vizier.

Translated by Michael Eleftheriou

1We first come across a hero summoning divine power and assistance from above in the written Byzantine variation on the ‘Song of Armouris’ (see Kalomoiris and the Saracen).

Ο Κωσταντής κι ο Κάουρας

Κάτω στον άγριον τον αγρό1, στον άγριον καλαμιώνα,
κάουρας εδρακόντεψεν και τρώει τους αντρειωμένους.
Τρώει τον μαύρον του Φωκά, τρώει τον Νικηφόρο,
τρώει τον Εφτατράχηλον που τρέμ' η γης κι ο κόσμος.
Κι ο βασιλιάς σαν το 'κουσεν πολύν του κακοφάνη,
χαπάρια και μηνύματα στον Κωσταντίνον πέμπει.
- Έλα, για έλα, Κωσταντή κι ο βασιλιάς σε θέλει.
Κι όσον να πει «σας 'φήνω γεια», πιάνει τα χίλια μίλια
κι όσον να πούσι «στο καλό», στου βασιλιά την πόρτα.
- Γεια σου, αφέντη βασιλιά, σαν τι 'ναιν που με θέλεις;
Αν είναι για τον πόλεμον να πιάσω το σπαθίν μου
κι αν είναι για το γλέντισμαν να πιάσω το λυρίν μου.
- Βρε σκύλε, σκύλε Κωσταντή, σαν τι 'ναιν που μου λέεις;
Κάτω στον άγριον τον αγρό, στον άγριον καλαμιώνα,
κάουρας εδρακόντεψεν και τρώει τους αντρειωμένους,
τρώει τον μαύρον του Φωκά, τρώει τον Νικηφόρο,
τρώει τον Εφτατράχηλον που τρέμ' η γης και ο κόσμος.
Κι όσον να πει «σας 'φήνω γεια», πιάνει τα χίλια μίλια
κι όσον ν' ακούσει «στο καλό», στου κάουρα την τρύπα.
Κι ωσάν τον είδε ο κάουρας χαρές που τες παθαίνει.
- Να μπούκωμα 'πού το πορνόν και για το μεσημέρι
και τα 'λιοβασιλέματα να φάω να χορτάσω.
- Ψόφον να φάεις 'πού το πορνόν, στρόφον2 το μεσημέρι
και τα 'λιοβασιλέματα να φάεις το μαχαίρι.
Επιάστησαν ο Κωσταντής κι ο κάουρας αντάμα
κι όπου έπιανεν ο Κωσταντής τα κόκαλα ετσακούσαν
και όπου έπιανεν ο κάουρας γαίματα εξετσιντούσαν3.
Κι ο Κωσταντής τα χρειάστηκεν του Αϊ-Γιωργιού φωνάζει.
- Άι μου Γιώργη 'φέντη μου, καλέ μου καβαλάρη,
την χαρην που μου χάρισες κάουρας θα την πάρει4.
- Βρε σκύλε, σκύλε Κωσταντή, τον κάουρα φοάσαι;
Βγάλε το μαχαιράκι σου 'πού τ' αργυρόν φηκάρι5
και κάρφωσε τον κάουραν 'πού κάτω 'πού τ' αφάλι.
Βγάλλει τ' αργυρομάχαιρο 'πού τ' αργυρόν φηκάρι
κι εκάρφωσε τον κάουραν 'πού κάτω 'πού τ' αφάλι.
Και 'πού το πανωπέτσιν του έκαμ' ένα τσαντίρι
κι εκάλεσεν τον βασιλιά μαζί με τον βεζίρη.

1κάτω στον άγριον τον αγρό: για πιο κατανοητή απόδοση της στερεότυπης φόρμουλας «κάτω στην άκρην των ακρών», στα πέρατα της οικουμένης
2στρόφος: δυνατός κολικός των εντέρων από συστροφή
3εξετσιντούσαν: κυπριακή παραλλαγή: «ετζυλούσαν»
4Επίκληση της θείας δύναμης και βοήθεια εξ ουρανού για τον ήρωα πρωτοβρίσκουμε στη γραπτή βυζαντινή παραλλαγή του «Άσματος του Αρμούρη» (βλ. τραγούδι Ο Καλομοίρης κι ο Σαρακηνός, σημ. 6)
5φηκάρι: θηκάρι

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Conforming to the tradition of brave young men performing superhuman feats by royal command, vanquishing all manner of fantastic beasts, Kostantis (or Digenis, in some variations) tackles the gigantic crab, which lives ‘at the very edge of the world’, making it, too, an akritis. The song is known in Cyprus and the Dodecanese. This particular feat never figures in the epic of Digenis; rather, its action would seem more mythological and related to oral folk narratives about Alexander reflected in the popular Romance of Alexander the Great, in which an encounter is related during his campaign in the East - the ends of the earth - between his army and enormous ‘crabs’ with impenetrable shells, which slaughtered his men. This mythic episode, which is typical of many similar scenes related in historical and geographical works of late antiquity, was moulded by the Byzantines into a folk narration in which the heroic deeds were initially ascribed to Alexander the Great, but later added to the feats of Digenis or Kostantis. Miranda Terzopoulou (2017)

Recording information

Studio recording, 2008.

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