εκατήντησες κοπέλλα σα νταρντάνα

[davidr]

Hi Everyone,

This is a line from an old rempetiko song, Εισαι φάντης. If only κοπέλλα and νταρντάνα were reversed, it seems like it would make more sense. It seems to be saying, "and how you reduced me a girl like a big/healthy woman". Does the line mean "how you reduced me from a girl to a ntarntana"??? If that's the case, then it seems like they should be reversed, she was reduced from a big woman to a girl. But I don't think that's right.

και πως με εκατήντησες κοπέλλα σα νταρντάνα

Thanks in advance for any help!

David

 

[nickel]

Hi, David

Glad to see you here. Your rebetiko questions are always a challenge.
I think this one needs some change in punctuation. I would write:
Και πώς με εκατήντησες, κοπέλα σα νταρντάνα,
και το μπαγιόκο μου 'φαγες, βρε ψευτοαρπαγάνα.

You know that νταρντάνα comes from the Italian word for a boat (OED: tartan, tartane, It. tartana: a small one-masted vessel with a large lateen sail and a foresail, used in the Mediterranean), so here «κοπέλα σα νταρντάνα» is parenthetical, and either a simile (a girl as tall and proud as a tartana boat) or, more likely, with the word «σαν» added to help with the metre (a girl, a true 'dardana'). «Κοτζάμ» would have been better, but then it has two syllables. So the words κοπέλα and νταρντάνα are not connected to «εκατήντησες»; the verb stands on its own and means "Look what you have reduced me to, a girl as big and healthy as me!". At least, that's how it makes sense to me.

 

[davidr]

Hi Nickel! It's so nice to hear from you again. And once again, you explained it beautifully. Commas can be so important, can't they? The way you explained it makes perfect sense. I really appreciate the help, as always. I wish there were some favors I could do for you in return for all the many questions you've helped me with over the years.

 

[sarant]

Yes, νταρντάνα was rather positive back then (I am not sure it still is).
I guess that David's immersion to rebetika lyrics is such that he doesn't need any explanation about μπαγιόκο or ψευτοαρπαγάνα, which probably are a puzzle to many younger Greeks.

Here is a recent γιουτουμπάκι (youtube clip) of this song, performed in... Melbourne:

 

[Palavra]

Και για τον ψευτοαρπαγάνα και τον ψευτοπονηράκια (τον αναφέρει παρακάτω το άσμα) χορταστικότατο άρθρο :)

 

[davidr]

It's thanks to Sarant's excellent explanation of ψευτοαρπαγάνα that I looked at the lyrics to Είσαι φάντης again and rediscovered the line I asked about. I ran across your blog entry the other day, Sarant, and it's a delight to read. Thanks too for the γιουτουμπάκι!

 

[sarant]

You are most welcome :)

Such queries are exciting!