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Thanks so much, SBE and Earion. I'm currently in Wales for a long weekend, my first holiday for two years. I'll be back Tuesday. Thanks for all your suggestions; if I followed them all up, I would be silent on Lexilogia for a long time to come! But I shall pick and mix my way through. The signal...

Such music and words is beyond all description, 'Man. When I first heard them in Moni Toplou in Crete, I lost all sense of time and place and knew first what awe really was: mysterium tremendum ac fascinans--mystery aweful and yet drawing us towards it, like a hapless moth towards flame. We...

I am overwhelmed! I shall patiently trawl (an oxymoron?) through these songs and learn. I am indebted to you both for your patience and interest. Just to listen to these songs has me transported to different worlds I had not known existed. And Richard Dawkins and ilk have the temerity to suggest...

Thanks, Earion. The prefix is often used in compounds whose meaning is sometimes hard to determine.

Does αρχοντο- here mean 'dominant'? The prefix in compounds has too many uses for me to determine exactly what it means in conjunction with ρεμπέτικα. Thanks. BTW, since Mikis Theodorakis wrote over a thousand songs, what are generally considered the best? So far, Απαγωγή is my favourite.

Thanks, Earion.

Thanks, Neikos. Does της νύχτας το μετέωρο mean the meteor of the night or the shooting star? :) Thanks, Earion: a lovely song. No problems with the lyrics. I presume that αστέρι, που πριν έρθεις καν, καν is a postposited particle, meaning, as usual, 'even if'?

Thanks, Earion. It was not my translation. As I said above it was an online one that I found. Nevertheless, your notes are worth remembering. What is the Greek for the Evening Star? Αποσπερίτης; Έσπερος;

I have just about translated the Solomos Temptation passage. I will submit it sometime tomorrow. BTW, SBE, the Shoestring edition of The Free Besieged is out of print and currently unavailable anywhere I have searched for it, including Abebooks and Alibris. No matter, I think I have produced an...

The lyrics, omitted earlier: Η Μαργαρίτα η Μαργαρώ, περιστεράκι στον ουρανό... τον ουρανό μες στα δυο σου μάτια κοιτάζω, βλέπω την Πούλια και τον Αυγερινό. Η μάνα σου είναι τρελή και σε κλειδώνει μοναχή, σαν θέλω νa ’μπω στην κάμαρή σου μου ρίχνεις μεταξωτό σκοινί, και κλειδωμένους μας...

Thanks, SBE, again and Marinos. I do not know enough to join in the fray so I will let that pass. But the note you gave me to read is utterly fascinating, Marinos! Here is a translation I found of Απαγωγή (Sweet Abduction):- Music and Lyrics by Mikis Theodorakis "From down at Galata, my love...

You have really done an immense amount on my behalf, SBE! Interestingly enough, I tried to access the '60s versions but several I found on YouTube said 'this recording is no longer available'. I listened to the haunting music of Ο σκληρός Απρίλης, recommended by Earion. It seems that Eliot's The...

To complete my homework, except for the Solomos Temptation passage, here is:- Στη γειτονιά του φεγγαριού βγήκα να σεργιανίσω να ιδώ τα μάτια τ’ ουρανού τα χείλη να φιλήσω. Μέσα στα μαύρα σου κυρά μου τα μαλλιά φωλιάζουν άστρα, φωλιάζουν άστρα κι ανοιξιάτικα πουλιά. Μες στην καρδιά μου ένα...

I have done most of my homework, including Earion’s suggestions. This is Απαγωγή: Θα πάρω μια βαρκούλα μανούλα μου στον Κάτω Γαλατά και στην Αθήνα θα ’ρθω καρδούλα μου καβάλα στο Νοτιά. Και σαν θα ’ρθει το δειλινό στον κήπο σου θα μπω να κόψω τα τριαντάφυλλα να κόψω τ’ άστρα τ’ ουρανού...

The words of η Μαργαρίτα η Μαργαρώ are straightforward. Is Μαργαρώ a pet form of η Μαργαρίτα; Just for my records:-

Thanks for all this help, SBE. As I thought I made rather a pig’s ear of the translation! Περιβόητος seems to carry the negative meaning of notorious in many dictionaries. Does it mean here 'much-vaunted'? :confused:

One thing now at a time. (Thanks, SBE, for your setting me right on the matter of Greek youngsters!:). First, the short poem of Sarantaris: Νήπιος και ξανθός Innocent and golden Ο περιβόητος ο αβρός Απρίλης renowned and gentle April Στο στήθος περισφίγγει το χυμό binds tight the...

Thanks, SBE. I imagined that brunette was more the colour of the hair of Greek children. Not a prejudice: more a mistake. But as for my own children one was born with very blond hair; the other two blondish to brown hair. I should have known.:) I'll try to get the translation of Solomos but it...

A very late thanks, SBE! Just had to go out for an evening meal to set a quiz after a very long day.:(

I won't have any time tonight to answer these questions. Suffice it to say, I will have a go at the Solomos passage and the Sarantaris. The question arises I have to translate the passages before I can understand ξανθός. Νήπιος seems to be used only in Classical and Koine Greek: I was almost...