Posted June 22, 2007 · Report post Τα χασικλήδικα: the hashish songs Everyone who has «Τα τραγούδια μου» (My songs), the live recordings from the Orfeas theatre, has heard him introduce song 4: «...δυο τραγούδια από μια ειδική ομάδα του ρεμπετικού. Έχουν μεγάλο μουσικό ενδιαφέρον, έχουν παίξει σημαντικό ρόλο στην ιστορία του, και μέχρι πριν από λίγο καιρό, ήταν απαγορευμένα. Τα χασικλήδικα! » Translation: «...two songs from a particular subset of rembetiko songs. They present great musical interest, they have played an important part in its history, and until a short time ago, they were forbidden. The hashish songs!» The he says that last word, χασικλήδικα, you can hear him smilling, it sounds like a kid tasting stolen chocolate, or a cat dipping into the cream jug.... Irrelevant: the expression "μεχρι πριν από λίγο καιρό" has been tormenting me for, what, six years now? and I still can't pronounce it properly. Damn my dutch tongue. Very relevant: in the video version of the Orfeas recording, which is different from the LP/CD, Dalaras mentions that he's planning a record with such χασικλήδικα. This is a few years after his "50 years of rembetiko songs" hit the charts (and knocked them KO...) and he wasn't intending to stop there. But, for many reasons, the χασικλήδικα record never got made. He did, however, many years later (2000, in fact), participate in a hilarious production called «Ασεβή τροπάρια» (something like "disrespectful hymns"), see http://www.dalaras.com/diskoi/albums/asevh...vh_troparia.htm - if you look at the cover, you'll understand... It's great to listen to and also to read (though difficult), but it was not released with the ambition to reach a wide audience, and in fact it did not - unlike "50 years of rembetiko". Now, in the summer of 2007, Dalaras presents at the Athens festival, at the Ηρώδειο theatre, a concert with the title «Όταν συμβεί στα πέριξ», which is a quote from a Tsitsanis song about a prison camp where the waterpipe circulates round the fires. The theme of the concert is «χρήση ουσίων», litterally "use of substances", meaning drugs of all kinds: from tobacco and alcohol to hashish and cocaine. Beside Dalaras: the Estoudiantina, Christos Thivaios, Martha Frintzila (if you know her, it's from her work with Thanassis Papakonstantinou - she's stunning) and a number of lesser stars. Irrelevant: I've been having fantasies about what they could do with Clapton's "Cocaine"...... So, to get in the mood, I'm opening this topic to post translations of the χασικλήδικα he already has on his repertoire. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 22, 2007 · Report post First recorded in 1926. Full of slang expressions that can't be translated word-by-word. Recorded by Dalaras on ttp://www.dalaras.com/diskoi/albums/50_xronia_rempetiko.htm and http://www.dalaras.com/diskoi/albums/zwnta...sto_attikon.htm. You will also find it on the "Smyrne" record of the Estoudiantina, sung by Eleni Vitali. Ο ΜΑΝΩΛΗΣ _____||_____ Manolis Μουσική: Γιάννης Δραγάτσης_____||_____ Music: Giannis Dragatsis Στίχοι: Κώστας Νούρος_____||_____ Lyrics: Kostas Nouros _____||_____ Δεν το 'λπιζα Μανώλη κορόιδο να πιαστείς_____||_____ «It's not what I was hoping for, Manolis, that you'd be caught like a fool, τον μπαγλαμά να σπάσεις στη φυλακή να μπεις_____||_____ that you'd break your baglamas, that you'd go to prison. Αν είσαι φίνος μάγκας πού 'ν' τα μπεγλέρια σου_____||_____ If you're a real mangas, where are your begleri beads? αν είσαι και σερέτης πού 'ν' τα μαχαίρια σου_____||_____ and if you're real tough, where are your knives?» Εγώ είμαι φίνος μάγκας και φίνος μπελαλής_____||_____ «Me, I am a real mangas and first in line for a fight κι όταν θα με πειράξεις να ξομολογηθείς_____||_____ and if you bother me, better confess!» Έλα βρε Μανωλάκη να τα λιμάρουμε_____||_____ «Come on, Manolaki, let's blow up, να στρώσουμε κουβέρτα να τους τα πάρουμε_____||_____ let's spread that blanket and take their money Για σένα ρε Μανώλη τα ρούχα μου πουλώ_____||_____ «For you, Manolis, I'll sell the shirt on my back και παίρνω μπαγλαμάδες και παίζω και γλεντώ_____||_____ and take up the baglamas and play and party! Έλα βρε Μανωλάκη να παίξεις μπαγλαμά_____||_____ Come on, hey, Manolaki, play the baglamas, να κάνουμε κεφάλι στον ψεύτικο ντουνιά_____||_____ let's get high in this world of lies.» Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 22, 2007 · Report post This is from http://www.dalaras.com/songs/ta_tragoudia_..._dikasmenos.htm . ΠΕΝΤΕ ΧΡΟΝΙΑ ΔΙΚΑΣΜΕΝΟΣ _____||_____ A five year sentence Μουσική: Βαγγέλης Παπάζογλου_____||_____ Music: Vangelis Papazouglou Στίχοι: Βαγγέλης Παπάζογλου_____||_____ Lyrics: Vangelis Papazouglou _____||_____ Πέντε χρόνια δικασμένος μέσα στο Γεντί Κουλέ_____||_____ A five-year sentence inside Yedi Koule από το πολύ σεκλέτι το 'ριξα στον αργιλέ_____||_____ too much to bear, it drove me to the nargile φύσα ρούφα τράβα τονε πάτα τονε κι άναφτονε_____||_____ Blow it suck it pull it tamp it down and light it up φύλα τσίλιες για τους βλάχους κείνους τους δεσμοφυλάκους_____||_____ keep watch against those fools, the prison guards. Κι άλλα πέντε ξεχασμένος από σένανε καλέ_____||_____ And another five, forgotten by you, oh well... για παρηγοριά οι μάγκες μου πατούσαν αργιλέ_____||_____ For consolation, the manges filled me an argile φύσα ρούφα τράβα τονε πάτα τονε κι άναφτονε_____||_____ Blow it suck it pull it tamp it down and light it up φύλα τσίλιες για τους βλάχους κείνους τους δεσμοφυλάκους_____||_____ keep watch against those fools, the prison guards. Τώρα που 'χω ξεμπουκάρει μέσα απ' το Γεντι Κουλέ_____||_____ Now that I've made my way out of Yedi Koule γέμωσε τον αργιλέ μας να φουμάρουμε καλέ_____||_____ fill up our argile and let's smoke, come on. φύσα ρούφα τράβα τονε πάτα τονε κι άναφτονε_____||_____ Blow it suck it pull it tamp it down and light it up φύλα τσίλιες για τ' αλάνι κι έρχονται δυο πολιτσμάνοι_____||_____ keep watch in the yard, there's a couple of policemen coming Translator's note: Yedi Koule is that big byzantine/turkish fortress that sits on top of Thessaloniki; it served as a prison until some time in the eighties (I do mean the 1980's, yes). "Nargile" is the pipe in which hashish is smoked. Note the word "politsmani", straight from "policeman". Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 22, 2007 · Report post In the old rembetica, drugs, and in particular hashish, are the ally of the poor proud underdog agains the "liar world". In modern Greece this has changed somewhat, see: http://www.dalaras.com/forum/index.php?s=2...t=0entry72619 not so much where hashish is concerned, which is less addictive than tobacco and can be consumed in small quantities over a long period without causing any trouble, but in the matter of hard drugs that are both addictive and dangerous. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 22, 2007 · Report post Here's the "title song of the concert". Dalaras' version is on his live-at-Megaro album, the hommage to Tsitsanis, "Oti ki an po den se ksechno". Lyrics here: http://www.stixoi.info/stixoi.php?info=Lyr...ils&song_id=813 Όταν συμβεί στα πέριξ_____||_____ As it happens, in the compound Στίχοι: Βασίλης Τσιτσάνης, Βλάχος Lyrics: Vasilis Tsitsanis, aka "Vlachos" Μουσική: Βασίλης Τσιτσάνης, Βλάχος Music: Vasilis Tsitsanis, aka "Vlachos" Πρώτη εκτέλεση: Στράτος Παγιουμτζής, Τεμπέλης & Μάρκος Βαμβακάρης, Φράγκος ( Ντουέτο ) First sung by: Stratos Pagioumtzis aka "Tempelis" & Markos Vamvakaris aka "Frangos" (duet). Γιατί ρωτάτε να σας πω_____||_____ Why are you asking me to tell you αφού σας είναι πια γνωστό_____||_____ as you very well know όταν συμβεί στα πέριξ φωτιές να καίνε_____||_____ when it happens that the fires burn inside the compound πίνουν οι μάγκες αργιλέ_____||_____ the manges are smoking nargiles Φωτιές ανάβει στο μυαλό_____||_____ Fires are lit inside the head ένα ζεϊμπέκικο γλυκό_____||_____ by a sweet zeimbekiko αυτοί χορεύουνε κι εγώ σφυρίζω_____||_____ They are dancing and I whistle της μαστούρας το σκοπό_____||_____ the tune of mastoura Η νύχτα φέρνει την αυγή_____||_____ The night brings around the dawn κι ο μπαγλαμάς μου κελαηδεί_____||_____ and my baglamas is sings like a bird ένα κελάηδισμα το ίδιο πάντα_____||_____ a song, always the same, στης μαστούρας το σκοπό_____||_____ to the tune of the mastoura Translator's notes: The story of how this song was written has been told by Tsitsanis and is quoted in the booklet of Dalaras' live "Oti ki an po". I'll have a go at translating it later - it explains why I've translated the word "periks" as "compound", and who the men are who are smoking. πίνουν οι μάγκες αργιλέ: the verb "pinoun", translated as "smoke" because that's what you do with a pipe in English, is in fact the usual verb for "to drink" in Greek. I recently found out that about 1600, when tobacco had only just been imported to Europe from the New World, and was worth its weight in gold, the expression "to drink tobacco" was normal usage in Dutch (and possibly in English as well). The "αργιλέ" is the waterpipe used for hashish, not to be confused with "πίπα" which is the ordinary pipe. By the way, when songs about hashish were forbidden, an alternative line was sung: γλεντούν οι μάγκες με καημό_____||_____ the manges get drunk and party on pain της μαστούρας το σκοπό used the old trick of pretending a political (or otherwise subversive) song was a love-song, and turned into: της αγάπης τον σκοπό_____||_____ to the tune of love της μαστούρας το σκοπό stumped this translator, and I ended up putting in "mastoura" - the word means the state you're in after using hashish (or another illegal drug), that is, "to be high on something", but also the "trip" itself, the process of getting high. But "the tune of tripping" sounded too awful. κι ο μπαγλαμάς μου κελαηδεί : the baglamas, like the bouzouki, belonged to the (under)world of the mangas, and it and its song didn't become respectable in Greece until Dalaras' generation. κελαηδεί means to sing, referring specifically to birds - hence "sings like a bird". Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 22, 2007 · Report post Here is a song from the «Ασεβή τροπάρια» I mentionned above. In the book that goes with the CD, it's illustrated with a cartoon of the poor bereft mangas weeping over the tombstone of this darling argile... ΜΗ ΧΕΙΡΟΤΕΡΑ ΘΕΕ ΜΟΥ _____||_____ My God, don't let it get any worse... Μουσική: Βασίλης Τσιτσάνης_____||_____ Music: Vasilis Tsitsanis Στίχοι: Βασίλης Τσιτσάνης_____||_____ Lyrics: Vasilis Tsitsanis Μη χειρότερα Θεέ μου έσπασα τον αργιλέ μου_____||_____ My God, don't let it get any worse - I broke my waterpipe έσπασα τον αργιλέ μου μη χειρότερα Θεέ μου_____||_____ I broke my waterpipe - don't let it get any worse, my God Σ' είχα τόσο συνηθίσει σαν σε γέμιζα χασίσι_____||_____ I'd got used to you so nicely, filling you up with hashish σαν σε γέμιζα χασίσι σ' είχα τόσο συνηθίσει_____||_____ filling you up with hashish, I'd got used to you so nicely Στη ζωή σαν βαριεστούσα σ' έπαιρνα και σε πατούσα_____||_____ Whenever life felt heavy I would pick you up and fill you σ' έπαιρνα και σε πατούσα στη ζωή σαν βαριεστούσα_____||_____ I would pick you up and fill you whenever life felt heavy Αργιλέ μου εγώ δε φταίω σε θυμάμαι κι όλο κλαίω_____||_____ My dear waterpipe it's not my fault - remembering you I can't stop crying σε θυμάμαι κι όλο κλαίω αργιλέ μου εγώ δε φταίω_____||_____ remembering you I can't stop crying - it's not my fault, my dear waterpipe Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 24, 2007 · Report post Many thanks for this Geeske. Although it does prompt a couple of gentle reminders. The first from How to write in this forum - Πώς να γράψετε σε αυτό το forum 'The title of your topic must be the title of the song you translate, either in Greek or in latin characters. (Not least because it makes cataloguing, which is still going on, and finding songs much easier). The second ....it's very good to have more than 1 translation for a song, but it's confusing to have more than 1 topic There's already a translation of Πέντε χρόνια δικασμένος on the site (Συνεχίζουμε με...) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 25, 2007 · Report post You're right, of course . I had my mind on the concert and wasn't paying attention... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
