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You are at: Home page Her Work List of Songs If I want black eyes

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Μαύρα μάτια κι αν θελήσω

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Lyrics

If I want black eyes, I have them in hand:
They're my darling’s, my other half’s.

Douneme, doumanaki, douneme, vai, vai,
Douneme, doumanaki, douneme, vai.

My dear white rose, I desire your flower;
When you’re away I'm sad, when you return I'm happy

Douneme, doumanaki, douneme, vai, vai,
Douneme, doumanaki, douneme, vai.

Boatman of Bournovas,1 carter from Boutzas,
How much to take me to Koukloutzas?

Douneme, doumanaki, douneme, vai, vai,
Douneme, doumanaki, douneme, vai.

Translated by Michael Eleftheriou

1 Bournovas, Boutzas and Koukloutzas are suburbs of Smyrna and nearby villages

Original Lyrics

Μαύρα μάτια κι αν θελήσω

Μαύρα μάτια κι αν θελήσω, τα ’χω εις το χέρι μου -βρ’ αμάν, αμάν-
μένα τα ’χει το πουλί μου, το δικό μου ταίρι μου -βρ’ αμάν, αμάν.

Ντούνεμε, ντουμανάκι, ντούνεμε, βάι, βάι,
ντούνεμε, ντουμανάκι, ντούνεμε, βάι.

Άσπρο μου τριανταφυλλάκι, τον ανθό σου ρέγομαι -βρ’ αμάν, αμάν-
όταν λείπεις, λύπην έχω κι όταν έρθεις, χαίρομαι -βρ’ αμάν, αμάν.

Ντούνεμε, ντουμανάκι, ντούνεμε, βάι, βάι,
ντούνεμε, ντουμανάκι, ντούνεμε, βάι.

Παμ-ποράκι1 του Μπουρνόβα και καρότσα του Μπουτζά -βρ’ αμάν, αμάν-
πόσα τάλιρα γυρεύεις να μας πας στον Κουκλουτζά2 -βρ’ αμάν, αμάν.

Ντούνεμε, ντουμανάκι, ντούνεμε, βάι, βάι,
ντούνεμε, ντουμανάκι, ντούνεμε, βάι.


1 Περίπου μέχρι το 1870, από τη Σμύρνη μετέβαιναν στον Μπουρνόβα με βαποράκια ως τη Σκάλα του Μπουρνόβα (αποβάθρα) κι από εκεί με καρότσες, αφού ο Μπουρνόβας δεν ήταν παραθαλάσσιος. Όταν έγινε η σιδηροδρομική σύνδεση Σμύρνης – Μπουρνόβα, πολλοί εξακολουθούσαν να λένε ότι «ηπηαίνανε με το παμ-ποράκι» στο γραφικό προάστιο, εννοώντας όμως το τρένο.
2 Μπουρνόβας, Μπουτζάς, Κουκλουτζάς: γνωστά προάστια - χωριά της Σμύρνης, με πλειοψηφία ελληνικού πληθυσμού.

Information

  • Region: Asia Minor
  • Type: Couplets
  • Categories: Love Song
  • Rhythm: 9 beats
  • Dance style: Antikristos
  • Duration: 06:03

Collaborators

  • Singer: Domna Samiou
  • Choir: Domna Samiou Greek Folk Music Association Choir
  • Clarinet: Thodoris Georgopoulos
  • Violin: Nikos Oikonomidis
  • Kanun: Panos Dimitrakopoulos
  • Constantinopolitan lute: Socrates Sinopoulos
  • Saz: Evgenios Voulgaris
  • Lute: Kyriakos Tapakis
  • Goblet drum: Andreas Pappas
  • Tambourine: Vangelis Karipis

Albums

  • My Old Torments

Notes

A sensual and improvised introductory taxim is followed by romantic couplets to a melody that is danced to the steps of the karsilamas, as they dance it with thousand-and-one variations on Mytilene and the coast of Asia Minor opposite. The first two couplets are especially fine as poetry, portraying the object of desire allegorically as a beautiful and elegant rose. The third couplet definitely comes from Smyrna, where it was sung to various melodies in and around the Ionian capital.

The fixed twelve- and eleven-syllable tsakisma “douneme doumanaki...” consists of meaningless words included for their rhythm, and inducts us into the atmosphere of the so-called ‘Smyrna School’ and the first rembetika songs (compare with the tourne, tournene or dourou, dourou etc. of the latter).

Theodor Kondaras (2022)

Recording information

Live recording from the concert Songs of Asia Minor with Domna Samiou at the Megaron, the Athens Concert Hall, on 8/3/2005.

Domna Samiou learned the song from Simon Karas and sang it with the musicians and choir of the Association for the Dissemination of Greek National Music on Simon Karas’ radio shows “Greek Echoes” (Ellinikoi Antilaloi), in the 1950s.

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