Στης Πάργας τον ανήφορο, κανέλα και γαρίφαλο!

Στης Πάργας τον ανήφορο, κανέλα και γαρίφαλο!
What does this line of the song mean and who wrote it? Thanks!

This is a traditional folk song, so I don't think there's any composer's name.

Αχ στης Πάργας τον ανήφορο κανέλλα και γαρύφαλλο
Αχ με γέλασαν δυο παργανιές κοντούλες και μελαχρινές

Αχ με γέλασε και μια μικρή κοντούλα και μελαχρινή
Αχ έλα μικρή, δεν έρχομαι, μεγάλωσα και ντρέπομαι

Φέρε μας κρασί να πιούμε εγώ και συ
να πιούμε εγώ και συ αγάπη μου χρυσή

Αχ με γέρασαν δυο πράγματα, σεβντάδες και γεράματα
Αχ με γέλασε και μια μικρή κοντούλα και μελαχρινή


Parga is built on a hill, so that's the "ανήφορος", I should say. As for the κανέλλα και γαρύφαλλο, meaning cinnamon and cloves, I suppose it means that it's a very beautiful and sweet town.

http://trans.kathimerini.gr/4dcgi/_w_articles_taxgreece_1_21/08/2009_293378

The verse could very well be literal, referring to something autobiographical. That's not something rare in poetry. But of course this is something you cannot check.

It could be autobiographical but κανέλα και γαρίφαλο go commonly together, so I would say that it was added merely for the sake of rhyme, since γαρίφαλο approximately rhymes with ανήφορο, as μικρή with μελαχρινή and πράγματα with γεράματα. Such "fillers" are quite common.

Another case in folk songs, with the same filler, this time from Peloponnese:
επήρα έναν ανήφορο
κανέλα και γαρίφαλο
και βγήκα ιδρωμένος

sarant said:

It could be autobiographical but κανέλα και γαρίφαλο go commonly together, so I would say that it was added merely for the sake of rhyme, since γαρίφαλο approximately rhymes with ανήφορο, as μικρή with μελαχρινή and πράγματα with γεράματα. Such "fillers" are quite common.

Another case in folk songs, with the same filler, this time from Peloponnese:
επήρα έναν ανήφορο
κανέλα και γαρίφαλο
και βγήκα ιδρωμένος

Click to expand...

I was about to write something like that, too.

Remember Scarborough Fair? I think it's the same case

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
Remember me to one who lives there,
For once she was a true love of mine.

...
«Kανέλα και γαρίφαλο» (2) was not rare in older times when referring to young women, sweet and spicy (similar to the English sugar and spice), and here it might also allude to the girls mentioned in the next line.

By the way, κοντούλα also means a variety of pear, small and sweet (though I seek the wild ones myself, αγραπίδια or γκόρτσια; they're usually tart but if you're lucky to get one of the few delicious ones, there's a lot to be left unsaid). By the byway, pears, the fruit of Venus, are a frequent allusion to erotic passion. On pears you can read this excellent post on Sarant's blog.

The common name for someone who comes from Parga is Παργινός / Παργινή (or Παργινιά), but the one used here, "παργανιές", may well be a local variation (I'm not sure about that; haven't been there for a very long time) or even a play (conscious or not) on the sounds of Πάργα and νιές (lasses of Parga).


Edit: Yes, its main purpose is to serve as a filler, handy for rhyming, as Sarant and Bernardina say.

bernardina said:

[...]
Remember Scarborough Fair? I think it's the same case

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
Remember me to one who lives there,
For once she was a true love of mine.

Click to expand...

Some say that "parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme" in that ballad may be more than just a filler, both In Lexilogia
(in a thread about mint! :laugh:) and elsewhere:

Much thought has gone into attempts to explain the refrain "parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme", although, as this is found only in relatively recent versions, there may not be much to explain. The oldest versions of "The Elfin Knight" (circa 1650) contain the refrain "my plaid away, my plaid away, the wind shall not blow my plaid away" (or variations thereof), which may reflect the original emphasis on the lady's chastity. Slightly younger versions often contain one of a group of related refrains:

• Sober and grave grows merry in time
• Every rose grows merry with time
• There's never a rose grows fairer with time

These are usually paired with "Once she was a true love of mine" or some variant. "Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme" may simply be an alternate rhyming refrain to the original. Folksong scholar Märta Ramsten states that folksong refrains containing enumerations of herbs — spices and medical herbs — occur in many languages, including Swedish, Danish, German, and English (and also in the "regional language" of Lombardy, Italy: "ravanei, remulass, barbabietul e spinass" i.e. "radish, horseradish, beet and spinach").

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme may also refer to the pagan belief that together these four herbs can be a love charm. One version of the ballad has a fair young knight, Remmie, who has been given a potion of the four herbs by a lady named Scarlett; parsley for lust, sage for wisdom, rosemary for remembrance and thyme to make her irresistible to him. In this version the couple are trying to meet at Scarborough Fair, but adverse circumstances continue to get in their way. But their perseverance, determination and deep love win out in the end and they do find each other.

For the record, I also believe that κανέλα και γαρίφαλο is most probably a filler, here.

.........................
Ψηλή μου δεντρολιβανιά
.........................
συ 'σ' αρχόντισσα κυρία
.........................
ζαχαροκαντιοζυμωτή
.........................
δες κι εμέ το παλικάρι

Ring any bells? ;)

Sometimes the fillers are the real song.
I know there's a special term for this kind of rhymes in greek tradition
but but I can't for the life of me remember it!
Anyone?

You mean "Jingle any bells?", right?
Don't know, looks like reading between the lines, though.

Is this what you are looking for:-?
Άγιος Βασίλης. Κάλαντα της 1ης Γενάρη

Αρχιμηνιά κι αρχιχρονιά, ψηλή μου δεντρολιβανιά
κι αρχή κι αρχή καλός μας χρόνος, εκκλησιά εκκλησιά με τ’ άγιος θρόνος.
Αρχή που βγήκε ο Χριστός, άγιος και πνευματικός,
στη γη, στη γη να περπατήσει και να μας, και να μας καλοκαρδίσει.
Άγιος Βασίλης έρχεται και δε μας καταδέχεται
από, από την Καισαρεία, συ’σ’αρχό- συ’σ’αρχόντισσα κυρία.
Βαστά εικόνα και χαρτί, ζαχαροκαντιοζυμωτή
χαρτί, χαρτί και καλαμάρι, δες και με, δες και με το παλικάρι.
Το καλαμάρι έγραφε, τη μοίρα μου την έγραφε
και το, και το χαρτί ομίλει, άσπρε μου, άσπρε μου χρυσέ μου ήλιε.
Βασίλη πόθεν έρχεσαι και δεν μας καταδέχεσαι
και πό- και πόθεν κατεβαίνεις και δεν μας, και δεν μας ασυντυχαίνεις.
Από τη μάνα μ’ έρχομαι και γω σας καταδέχομαι
και στο, και στο σχολειό μου πάω, δεν μου λέ- δεν μου λέτε τι να κάνω.
Κάτσε να φας κάτσε να πιείς, κάτσε τον πόνο σου να πεις,
κάτσε, κάτσε να τραγουδήσεις και να μας, και να μας καλοκαρδίσεις.
Εγώ γράμματα μάθαινα και να σας πω τι πάθαινα,
τραγού- τραγούδια δεν ηξέρω αντικρύ αντικρύ μου να σας έβρω.
Και σαν δεν ξέρεις γράμματα, πόσες φορές με κλάματα,
πες μας, πες μας την αλφαβήτα, πώς την πέ- πώς την πέρασες τη νύχτα.
Και το ραβδί ξερό ραβδί, μπροστά στην πόρτα σας να βγει
χλωρά, χλωρά βλαστάρια πέτα, ροδοκό- ροδοκόκκινη βιολέττα.
Και πάνω στα βλαστάρια της και στα περικλωνάρια της
πέρδι- πέρδικες κελαϊδούσαν, μάτια μου, μάτια μου δεν της μιλούσαν.
Δεν ήσαν μόνο πέρδικες, γαριφαλιές λεβέντικες,
μόν’ και, μόν’ και περιστεράκια, μαύρα μου, μαύρα μου γλυκά ματάκια.
Κατέβηκε η πέρδικα, πώς περπατεί λεβέντικα
να βρέ- να βρέξει το φτερό της, διακρίν’ διακρίν’ το τυχερό της.
Και βρέχει το αφέντη μας, Βασίλη το λεβέντη μας
τον πο- τον πολυχρονεμένο και στον κό- και στον κόσμο ξακουσμένο.
Πολλά τραγούδια είπαμε κι ένα ρακί δεν ήπιαμε,
βάλτε, βάλτε το να το πιούμε κι έχουμ’ κι ά- κι έχουμ’ κι άλλα να σας πούμε.
Είμαστε και ’κονομικοί, μια νταμιτζάνα μας αρκεί
είμα- είμαστε μαθημένοι, φεύγουμε, φεύγουμε ’φχαριστημένοι.
Αν έχετε γλυκίσματα είναι Θεού χαρίσματα
φέρτε, φέρτε τα να τα φάμε κι έχουμε, κι έχουμε κι αλλού να πάμε,
Χρόνια πολλά και του χρόνου

Hellegennes said:

For the record, I also believe that κανέλα και γαρίφαλο is most probably a filler, here.

Click to expand...

Just for the record, me too. It was my first thought.

bernardina said:

Ring any bells? ;)

Click to expand...

daeman said:

You mean "Jingle any bells?", right?

Click to expand...

Why do you say that? I always though the expression was "to ring a bell". "Jingle bells" only brings to my mind the well-known christmas song.

Theseus said:

Is this what you are looking for:-?

Click to expand...

That is certainly what she refers to. I don' think however she was actually "looking for" it - this christmas carol is too well known for any of us Greeks to forget even for a moment. However she is looking for something else (the term for this kind of rhyme):

bernardina said:

I know there's a special term for this kind of rhymes in greek tradition
but but I can't for the life of me remember it!

Click to expand...

Not me, sorry!

The common name for someone who comes from Parga is Παργινός / Παργινή (or Παργινιά), but the one used here, "παργανιές", may well be a local variation (I'm not sure about that; haven't been there for a very long time) or even a play (conscious or not) on the sounds of Πάργα and νιές (lasses of Parga).

Click to expand...

When I was child and a little later (in the '80s) I used to spend my summer holidays in Parga, because I had relatives there. I remember once having said Παργιανοί referring to the people of Parga and my cousin corrected me to the right one Παργινοί. It was also then that I learned that the people of Paros are called Παριανοί. (Παριανοί- Παργιανοί: little difference in pronunciation). I haven't met anyone saying Παργανοί...
Alexandra is right for Parga's hill . Unfortunately I don't know something for κανέλα και γαρύφαλλο.

AoratiMelani said:

[...]

bernardina said:

Ring any bells? ;)

Click to expand...

daeman said:

You mean "Jingle any bells?", right?

Click to expand...

Why do you say that? I always though the expression was "to ring a bell". "Jingle bells" only brings to my mind the well-known christmas song. [...]

Click to expand...

Verily, merrily, jingling does ring a bell when it comes to carols, doesn't it?
I'm mingling the jingling with ringing the bell, I'm not Santa's helper but one you know well. :devil:
Άζμα προς τιμή του ring my bell, Anita Ward, ντιπ σέβεντιζ μπιτ.