Words written by Mikis Theodorakis on Myrto Altinoglu

[Theseus]

“Is there always a powerful woman behind a powerful man? In the case of Mikis Theodorakis this is true.

A great truth named Myrto Altinoglou. That girl with the “sweet smile, the childish eyes with the sudden glows... with the greatest finesse and grace...”, “A fantasy and dreamy figure that arrived proudly and suddenly in order to conquer my existence just like the strange and unexplained elements of nature, just like light and joy...”. The girl gifted with rare charismas, studiousness, diligence, organizational skills, discipline, vigour, persistence, patience—all inherited by the cradle of culture, Minor Asia, the home of her parents. His perfect supplement. Thus, with her deep love and loyalty she will stand as his pillar in the long, painful odyssey of incredible, tragic proceedings that shook his life at its beginning, up until their coveted marriage.”

“...I cannot live without you anymore. My only comfort is your letter. Worrying if anything is happening to you is killing me... Every moment of my life I remember you and worry. [...] I hope this is our last separation and that when we meet we shall marry!”

Is there a written Greek original of these words? I know they are originally in Greek but I can't find them. Thanks!

 

[SBE]

I'd love to see what "sudden glows" is in Greek, because it makes no sense to me in English.

 

[Theseus]

Me too! This is what he said about death and his wife:
“Εγώ δε τον φοβάμαι το θάνατο, αλλά... το πρόβλημά μου είναι η Μυρτώ... τίποτα άλλο. Δε μπορώ να την αφήσω μόνη.
Εάν πάλι η Μυρτώ φύγει πρώτη, πάλι δεν μπορώ να ζήσω μόνος... είναι πολύ το δέσιμο... πάρα πολύ.”

 

[Duke_of_Waltham]

Πίσω από κάθε μεγάλο άνδρα υπάρχει πάντα μια μεγάλη γυναίκα;

Στην περίπτωση του Mίκη Θεοδωράκη αυτό είναι γεγονός. Mια μεγάλη αλήθεια με το όνομα Mυρτώ Aλτίνογλου.

Tο κορίτσι εκείνο με το «γλυκό χαμόγελο, τα παιδιάστικα μάτια με τις αιφνίδιες λάμψεις... με τη μεγαλύτερη φινέτσα και χάρη...» «Mια μορφή φαντασίας και ονείρου που είχε έρθει περήφανα και ξαφνικά να κατακτήσει την ύπαρξή μου όμοια με τα παράξενα κι ανεξήγητα στοιχειά της Φύσης, σαν Φως και σαν Xαρά...» Tο κορίτσι το προικισμένο και με σπάνια χαρίσματα, φιλομάθεια, εργατικότητα, οργανωτικότητα, πειθαρχία, δυναμισμό, επιμονή, υπομονή – κληρονομιά από το λίκνο του πολιτισμού, τη Mικρασία, πατρίδα των γονιών της. Tο τέλειο συμπλήρωμά του. Έτσι, με τη βαθιά της αγάπη και αφοσίωση θα σταθεί ο στυλοβάτης του στη μακριά, επίπονη οδύσσεια από απίθανα, τραγικά γεγονότα που συγκλόνισαν τη ζωή του στο ξεκίνημά της, μέχρι τον πολυπόθητο γάμο τους.

Mια πραγματική, απίστευτη ιστορία, βγαλμένη από τη νεανική, ερωτική αλληλογραφία του ζευγαριού.

Από το οπισθόφυλλο του βιβλίου Πολυαγαπημένη μου Μυρτώ της Μαργαρίτας Ισηγόνη.

 

[Theseus]

Thanks so much, Duke. It is hard to translate λάμψεις in the above context: 'sparkles/sparkle'?

 

[Duke_of_Waltham]

I think you could say that her eyes flashed suddenly, though whether you can speak of "sudden flashes" I am not sure.

 

[Theseus]

'Sudden flashes' immediately makes me think of "lightning" or of "brilliance" (μτφ.). You can talk of eyes "flashing". Here I think, since he talks of her childish [i'd prefer 'childlike'] eyes, the sudden λάμψεις are those sudden sparkles of innocent intuition and surprie, so appealing but so often lost when the age of innocence is past. There is an English song with these lyrics in praise of women from Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta, The Gondoliers, famously described as "the most saccharine and chauvinistic ditty in all of Gilbert and Sullivan":

Take a pair of sparkling eyes,
Hidden, ever and anon,
In a merciful eclipse
Do not heed their mild surprise
Having passed the Rubicon.
Take a pair of rosy lips ;
Take a figure trimly planned
Such as admiration whets
(Be particular in this) ;
Take a tender little hand,
Fringed with dainty fingerettes,
Press it in parenthesis ;
Take all these, you lucky man
Take and keep them, if you can!
Take a pretty little cot
Quite a miniature affair
Hung about with trellised vine,
Furnish it upon the spot
With the treasures rich and rare
I've endeavoured to define.
Live to love and love to live
You will ripen at your ease,
Growing on the sunny side
Fate has nothing more to give.
You're a dainty man to please
If you are not satisfied.
Take my counsel, happy man ;
Act upon it, if you can !

The criticism above is just; but "sparkling eyes" captures some of the meaning of λάμψεις.