Χάρις Αλεξίου - Γλυκιά συνωμοσία

This song left me perplexed. Could someone help me understand it please? You don't have to translate it all, I understand the couplets. What I don't understand is this part:
Τυχερό κι άτυχο πλάσμα
Στη ζωή την άχαρη
Αχ του φύλου μας το χάσμα
Το 'στρωσα με ζάχαρη.
And this line too: Όταν σε γεννάω πεθαίνω
Does it mean "I'm dying when I'm giving birth to you"?

Here is the whole text:

Γλυκιά συνωμοσία
Στίχοι: Χαρούλα Αλεξίου
Μουσική: Χαρούλα Αλεξίου
Πρώτη εκτέλεση: Χαρούλα Αλεξίου

Μια γλυκιά συνωμοσία
Η καρδιά κι η φύση μου
Στήσανε για να σε κλείσουν
Στα ψηλά τα τείχη μου

Σκύβεις λύνεις τα κορδόνια
Μ'ανοιχτό πουκάμισο
Και η αύρα σου με στέλνει
Μέχρι τον παράδεισο.

Τυχερό κι άτυχο πλάσμα
Στη ζωή την άχαρη
Αχ του φύλου μας το χάσμα
Το 'στρωσα με ζάχαρη.

Όταν σε γεννάω πεθαίνω
Κι όταν σ'ερωτεύομαι
Απ'τη φλόγα που με καίει
Πάλι ανασταίνομαι.
Τρέμω στον κρυφό σου πόθο
η φτωχή καμιά φορά
μα για την ντροπή που νιώθω
μ'αγαπάς παράφορα

Τυχερό κι άτυχο πλάσμα
Στη ζωή την άχαρη
Αχ του φύλου μας το χάσμα
Το 'στρωσα με ζάχαρη.

Originally Posted by feishtica

This song left me perplexed. Could someone help me understand it please? You don't have to translate it all, I understand the couplets. What I don't understand is this part:
Τυχερό κι άτυχο πλάσμα
Στη ζωή την άχαρη
Αχ του φύλου μας το χάσμα
Το 'στρωσα με ζάχαρη.

Kinda hard to get it. I have an interpretation, but I fear I will say something stupid. Perhaps a woman could better interpret this part...

And this line too: Όταν σε γεννάω πεθαίνω
Does it mean "I'm dying when I'm giving birth to you"?

Yes, that's the literal meaning. I believe the death part is a metaphor though, a comparison of death with the birth pain. It makes a nice antithesis with the following "sweet" pain of love ("Απ'τη φλόγα που με καίει").

Originally Posted by BleakHeart

Kinda hard to get it. I have an interpretation, but I fear I will say something stupid. Perhaps a woman could better interpret this part...



Yes, that's the literal meaning. I believe the death part is a metaphor though, a comparison of death with the birth pain. It makes a nice antithesis with the following "sweet" pain of love ("Απ'τη φλόγα που με καίει").

Thank you.
Well, this particular woman (me) has no interpretation at all. ))
The only thing (undoubtedly stupid) which comes to my mind is that she is talking about the abyss between the two sexes?!

Originally Posted by feishtica

Thank you.
Well, this particular woman (me) has no interpretation at all. ))
The only thing (undoubtedly stupid) which comes to my mind is that she is talking about the abyss between the two sexes?!

OK, I'll give it a shot...

By saying "φύλου μας" she has to refer to another woman, so at that line there is only one sex involved, the female. Now, what χάσμα (gap) there is in a female (woman)...? One that obviously could not be stated in a straight vulgar way.

But it is there nonetheless, and it is the same point where, as we can see in the next line, two things happen: love and birth:

Όταν σε γεννάω πεθαίνω
Κι όταν σ'ερωτεύομαι
Απ'τη φλόγα που με καίει
Πάλι ανασταίνομαι.

So, there goes a powerful antithesis, death (through love) and life (through birth) at the same time, although she feels these two reversely (a second antithesis).

Γεια σας, αγαπητοί μου φίλοι!

Why don't you take a look on Haris Alexiou's official website?!?
Here is the official translation of the couplet:

Τυχερό κι άτυχο πλάσμα
Στη ζωή την άχαρη
Αχ του φύλου μας το χάσμα
Το 'στρωσα με ζάχαρη.


Hey you, lucky or unlucky human being
living this graceless life
You know,I've lain sugar on the gap
between your sex and mine.

I hope it helped, though I don't understand either

Thanks Geomac, but as far as I'm concerned, it makes no sense. In many ways, the meaninig is altered...

I'm not sure who is talking here <Hey you, lucky or unlucky human being>

Is that God Himself? (because in the previous verse Haroula got to the Heaven so she probably had a revelation directly from the divine source)

Originally Posted by BleakHeart

Thanks Geomac, but as far as I'm concerned, it makes no sense. In many ways, the meaninig is altered...

for sure the meaning is altered ; I wouldn't think as is in official translation and seeing what do you think... it's becoming more and more weird. I think Haroula deliberately creates both confusion and mistery; she translates hers prefered version but she again deliberately let us have our own interpretation

Originally Posted by geomac

for sure the meaning is altered ; I wouldn't think as is in official translation and seeing what do you think... it's becoming more and more weird. I think Haroula deliberately creates both confusion and mistery; she translates hers prefered version but she again deliberately let us have our own interpretation

Exactly

Thank you very much! To both of you! I had arrived to the conclusion that she is talking about the precipice that a woman is, being the woman, as Meredith Brooks states it "a *****, a mother" and so on and so on. On the other hand as Kazandzakis says "Every human being is a precipice and God is a precipice".
But this official translation backs my previous version - about the gape between the two sexes.
I didn't know there were translations in her official site although I had visited it many times. I've just found them after you told me about them.