Niki

Dalaras CD songs...

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SONG 4 GEESKE/Νυχτερίδα

Σαν νυχτερίδα βγαίνεις και απλώνεις

καρτέρι στήνεις στης πόλης τους φανούς

με τ' άσπρο στήθος σου γυμνό θολώνεις

τους νυχτόβιους περαστικούς

κι έχεις τον τρόπο στη ματιά να τους μελώνεις

Ποια προσδοκία με πάθος ατενίζεις

στις ψευδαισθήσεις κάθε παροχής

ο κόσμος άρρωστος καπνός που τον καπνίζεις

και έκτιση καθημερινής ποινής

να ξημερώνεις μοναχή να μουρμουρίζεις

Και τι να πεις σε δυο κουβέντες της στιγμής

δε θα 'μαι γω δε θα 'σαι συ

ψάχνεις να βρεις δυο κούφια λόγια να πιαστείς

κι ύστερα πάλι θα χαθείς

Ένα σημάδι βίας μαρτυράει

στη δεξιά μετώπη για το χτες

η νύχτα που 'φυγε στο διάολο να πάει

κι αναζητάς ξανά πλανόδιους εραστές

μα έχεις κουράγιο μια πληγή που σε πονάει

SONG 4 GEESKE/Bat

Like a bat you come out and you spread,

you lie in ambush in the street-lamps of the city

with your naked white brest, you blind

the nightly passengers

and you have a way to seduce them with your glance.

What expectation passionly you aim at

in the illusions of every material allowance?

The world is a sick smoke that you inhale

and your staying awake all night alone, muttering,

is an expiation of an everyday sentence.

And what is to be said in two words quickly spoken?

It won't be me, it won't be you.

You seak to find two empty words to hold on to them

and then, once again you'll get lost.

A scar of violence suffers

in the right metope for what happened yesterday.

The night that passed may it goes to ####.

And you seak again for itinerant lovers.

But you have courage, a wound that hurts you.

Some Remarks to ΝΥΧΤΕΡΙΔΑ:

A scar of violence suffers

in the right metope for what happened yesterday.

The night that passed may it goes to ####.

And you seak again for itinerant lovers.

But you have courage, a wound that hurts you.

I translated it last year - for myself and independently - into German, and found many common features, but some differences that lead to corrections of my own translation. Thanks, therefore, to the translator ( is ist Niki oder Geske ?).

Right metope: I guess this ancient word of greec art is used here in an sense of time: a car hurts in a brief distance to yesterday. One could add this meaning in brackets.

The gap I would fill with ?devil? (though the CD booklet writes διάολο and so it sounds as is it sung by G.D., nevertheless this I think what is meant).

The last line could be in my opinion a question, after all what is said until here, this seems to me more understandable.

So, I would propose for the last verse:

A scar of violence hurts

in brief distance to yesterday.

The night that passed - may it go to devil.

And you seak again for itinerant lovers.

But do you have courage, a wound that hurts you?

Herbert

:)

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Herbert, thanks! Will you send me your German translation of the song, please? By Personal Messenger or email, maybe. I would like to see what you made of it in your own language.

There are 3 translations of Νυχτερίδα in the forum.

One by Niki, that you refer to.

One by soc, in a very old topic: http://www.dalaras.com/forum/index.php?s=7...&f=9&t=415&st=0

And the one based on that, from the booklet that we made to go with the compilation τα τραγούδια που μας φέρανε κοντά. I paste that in here.

ΝΥΧΤΕΡΙΔΑ || BAT

||

Μουσική: Νίκος Ζούδιαρης || Music: Nikos Zoudiaris

Στίχοι: Νίκος Ζούδιαρης || Lyrics: Nikos Zoudiaris

Μετάφραση: soc || Translation: soc

||

Σαν νυχτερίδα βγαίνεις και απλώνεις || Like a bat, you rise and you stretch,

καρτέρι στήνεις στης πόλης τους φανούς || you lay an ambush beneath the city lights,

με τ' άσπρο στήθος σου γυμνό θολώνεις || with your white breast bare, you confuse

τους νυχτόβιους περαστικούς || those who pass by in the night,

κι έχεις τον τρόπο

στη ματιά να τους μελώνεις || and you have that something

in your eyes which makes them see honey.

||

Ποιά προσδοκία με πάθος ατενίζεις || What hopes are you staring at with passion,

στις ψευδαισθήσεις κάθε παροχής || in the hallucinations of every provision?

ο κόσμος άρρωστος καπνός που τον καπνίζεις || The world is a sick tobacco that you are smoking

και έκτιση καθημερινής ποινής || and you are serving your sentence every day

να ξημερώνεις μοναχή να μουρμουρίζεις || as you watch through the night, alone, murmuring.

||

Και τί να πεις

σε δυο κουβέντες της στιγμής || And what can you say,

in two words of the moment?

δε θα 'μαι γω δε θα 'σαι συ || It won't be me, it won't be you,

ψάχνεις να βρεις δυο κούφια λόγια να πιαστείς || you try to find two empty words to hold on to

κι ύστερα πάλι θα χαθείς || and to get lost again afterwards.

||

Ένα σημάδι βίας μαρτυράει || A scar reveals the violence,

στη δεξιά μετώπη για το χτες || on the right side of your face, from yesterday,

η νύχτα που 'φυγε στο διάολο να πάει || the night that is over, let it go to helll,

κι αναζητάς ξανά πλανόδιους εραστές || and you are again looking for transitory lovers,

μα έχεις κουράγιο μια πληγή που σε πονάει || but you use for courage a wound that hurts you.

||

Και τί να πεις

σε δυο κουβέντες της στιγμής || And what can you say,

in two words of the moment?

δε θα 'μαι γω δε θα 'σαι συ || It won't be me, it won't be you,

ψάχνεις να βρεις δυο κούφια λόγια να πιαστείς || you try to find two empty words to hold on to,

κι ύστερα πάλι θα χαθείς || and to get lost again afterwards.

About the #### : they are put in by the server that hosts our forum. It's an american server with funny notions about propriety, it has a list of "bad words" that it recognizes and replaces with ##. If you mis-spell the word, there is no problem. Hence 'go to helll' with 3 l , or put in "go the the devill' if you like (the result is the same, hehe...)

About μετώπη I have no opinion, not knowing ancient greek at all.

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Since I?m a new member, I found some interesting translations in ' Dalaras CD - the songs we choosed'.

I would like to add for those of us who speak German, five songs from this common work of the Dalaras Community, wich I translated into German and which I like very much.

The English translations were very helpful to me in a better understanding of the songs. Therefore, thanks to all who made a contribution.

Any improvements are welcome.

Herbert

5songs.doc

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Herbert, thanks a lot!!

and maybe finally now, with the help of these translations, I learn the Greek!! :)

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There's included as song no 17 Σαν τον Οδυσσέα - Like Ulysses , translation by Antonis Gitsas. It was very helpful to me for a better understanding.

However, I miss the refrain in the translation - the lines where a children's choir accompanies Dalaras. These lines ( and my proposal in English) are:

Φεύγω για ταξίδι ||I go on a trip

φεύγω για ταξίδι ||I go on a trip

έχω φύγει ήδη ||Ive just gone

και είμαι στανοιχτά ||and on open sea !

πάω δίχως χάρτη ||I am going without chart,

πάνω στο κατάρτι ||to the mast

πάνω στο κατάρτι ||to the mast

δένομαι σγιχτά. ||I am tied up tightly.

Herbert

:D

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