Request: Despina Vandi - Kalanta

Thanks for reading!

I'd be hyper grateful if someone could translate this song to English for me please!

I'm especially interested at the part between 3:00 and 3:30. The one Vandi isn't singing herself.

Thanks a lot for helping me out! Love to all of you, bye!

xxx


P.S.

What does this song have to do with Christmas? Or did I get the title (Carols?) completely wrong?

P.S.II:
"Romanized" lyrics of the Greek lyrics would be awesome, too. Thanks a lot again! *ashamed*

I guess you mean in latin letters when you say "romanized"(Interesting word, hehe)...

Kalanta means carols yes..

Κάλαντα - Kalanta

Περίμενα με την ψυχή
Perimena me tin psihi
στο στόμα για να 'ρθεις εσύ
sto stoma gia na'rthis esi
γιορτάζουν όλοι μα εγώ
giortazoun oli ma ego
δε θα γιορτάσω αν δε σε δω
de tha giortaso an de se do

Χτυπάει η πόρτα συνεχώς
htipai i porta sinehos
και λέω θα 'ρθες ευτυχώς
ke leo tha'rthes eftihos
ν' ανοίξω τρέχω βιαστηκά
n'anikso treho viastika
πλημμυρισμένη από χαρά
plimmirismeni apo hara

Μα ήταν δυο παιδιά ξανά
Ma itan dio pedia ksana
μου λένε χρόνια σας πολλά
mou lene hronia sas polla
να σας τα πούμε με ρωτούν
na sas ta poume me rotoun
και τα όνειρά μου ναυαγούν
ke ta onira mou navagoun

Καλήν ημέραν άρχοντες
Kalin imeran arhontes
κι αν είναι ορισμός σας
k'an ine orismos sas
Χριστού τη θεία γέννηση
Hristou ti thia gennisi
να μπω στ' αρχοντικό σας
na bo st'arhondiko sas

Παραμονή κι ανήμερα
Paramoni k'animera
εσένανε περίμενα
esenane perimena
γονάτισα στη πόρτα μου
gonatisa sti porta mou
και έκλεισα τα φώτα μου
ke eklisa ta fota mou

Τα κάλαντα αν μου πουν ξανά
Ta kalanta an mou poun ksana
θα μου ραγίσουν την καρδιά
Tha mou ragisoun tin kardia

Originally Posted by omorfi

I guess you mean in latin letters when you say "romanized"(Interesting word, hehe)...

I'm a J-Pop nerd! lol They say use that term all that time. Thanks for understand me and helping me out! *hugs*

I simply adore that bit when she goes "Kalin imeran arhontes k'an ine orismos sas Hristou ti thia gennisi na bo st'arhondiko sas"! <3 <3 <3
The only part i understand is Hristou though which means Christ, probably? lol

Thanks again for helping me!

Could you do an English translation when you have some spare time? Only if you want to, of course!

The part Vandi is not singing herself is exactly the "Christmas part".
"Kalin imeran, arxontes" is a carol.

By the way, that song has an English version as well. If you listen to it, you'll get the main meaning of the Greek one.

Hmm.. Wait, let me see. Okay, so here's the lyrics of the English version:


Behind the snowy window pane
I wait for you to come again
Long for my ship to come to shore
But no one's knocking at my door
Children are chanting in the street
Love and togetherness they greet
"Good morning, faithful" they will sing
But I don't feel the joy they bring
My heart is darkened by the fear
That you won't be with me this year
And every single memory
Has been engraved inside of me

It's Christmas Eve and joyful time
Won't mean a thing if you're not mine
I lock the door, turn off the light
Still hearing whispers in the night
One carol more, one last refrain
Is gonna mеlt my heart again

_____________

In the Greek version, the err... lyrical character (that is Vandi herself) hears someone knocking on the door, she rushes to open it, her heart swells over with joy, cause she thinks it's her beloved one. Then she sees it's just two children; they wish her a Merry Christmas and ask her if she wants them to sing her a carol, and... break all of her dreams. This is where "Kalin imeran, arxontes" starts.
All other things are more or less as sung in the English version.

There is an English version???

I haven't heard that one...

J-pop nerd, that's cool...

Nai, omorfi mou, there is. After the success of "Geia", Foivos and Vandi try to achieve another international hit.

Usually I'm not so fond of English versions, but some are good... Despina Vandi's hit "Geia" became known here as well just because of the English..

Wow thanks so much for making me find out about all this "hidden meaning" in this song! It was released precisely while I was in Greece and they launched it as the soundtrack for Tim commercials just in those days. I liked the beat but I never listened to it really carefully so I didn't get the references to Christmas! And I didn't even know what Kalanta meant. It's very important that I read your posts about it because it all reminds me of my week in Greece and so I thank you for that. Merry Christmas to all!

Oh and by the way, what's the beat of this carol, Kalin imeran arxontes? What does it mean? What do the lyrics mean? Is it a dialect or ancient Greek? And finally, is the title actually "Kalin imeran arxontes"? Thanks

Keep in mind we're Orthodox. There are some... peculiarities related to that fact.
We have this tradition - children go from house to house on Christmas morning, asking "Na ta poume?" ("Shall we sing?"). The lords of the house nod, so the children sing "Kalin imeran, arxontes".

Kalin imeran, arxontes
An eine orismos sas
Xristou ti theia gennisi
Na mpw st' arxontiko sas

Good day to you, lords of the house
If it is your bidding
Of Christ's divine birth
I shall tell here, at your mansion

That's the Kalanta.

***

In Vandi's song there's a line:

Ma itan dio paidia ksana
(But it was two kids again)
Мou lene "Xronia sas polla"
(They say "Marry Christmas to you"/lit. "Many years to you"/)
"Na sas ta poume;" me rwtoun
("Shall we sing to you?" they ask me)

... after that starts "Kalin imeran". So you get the point.

Thanks a lot for your explanation! I actually know some Greek but I got stuck on these lines! So the tempo of the song is more or less the same as in the Vandi song right?
That's a really interesting fact about Greece thanks for making me find out about it. Xronia polla!!

Originally Posted by emakaloulagani

So the tempo of the song is more or less the same as in the Vandi song right?

No, not really.