Alkinoos Ioannidis - Ό,τι Δεν Είναι Πια Εδώ

Hi

Can someone please please translate the lyrics of this song?

This is one of my (many) favourite songs by Alkinoos. I understand some of the words thanks to online translator but of course such translation is a far cry from the real thing...

I am beginning to learn Greek and love the language as much as I adore the songs of Alkinoos. It would be a great treat to be able to follow the lyrics with understanding...

Many thanks to anyone willing to give time to translating this beautiful song into English.

Hanna


Ότι Δεν Είναι Πια Εδώ

Όλα είν' εδώ κι όλα περνάνε
σαν το νερό στα χέρια ενός παιδιού.
Μέσα βαθιά στα δάχτυλα γερνάνε μικρές
σταγόνες φως του πρώτου ουρανού.

Κάπου εδώ θα συνηθίσω
να 'χω το χρόνο κλειδωμένο στο κορμί.
Σαν πυρετό θα τον κρατήσω σφιχτά
στο μέτωπο, στα μάτια,στη φωνή.

Και κάθε βράδυ θα κοιτώ ξανά
πίσω απ' τις γρίλιες των ματιών σου τη φωτιά.
Θα περιμένω λίγο φως ξανά,
ξανά να ζήσει πάλι ό,τι δεν είναι πια εδώ...

Κάπου αλλού, κάπου εδώ γύρω
όλα συμβαίνουν κι όλα γίνονται ζωή.
Στου ποταμού το γύρισμα θα γείρω αργά
σαν άνοιξη που άργησε να 'ρθει.

Και κάθε βράδυ θα κοιτώ ξανά
πίσω απ' τις γρίλιες των ματιών σου τη φωτιά.
Θα περιμένω λίγο φως ξανά,
ξανά να ζήσει πάλι ό,τι δεν είναι πια εδώ...

Wellcome to ATL!

Well as usual Ioannidis writes and sings a "difficult" set of lyrics.
This is a link to "some" translation -> http://www.stixoi.info/stixoi.php?in...ils&t_id=11212
but I strongly doubt that any reader is able to understand it. (Have a big cup of coffee near you btw, it'll help!!! )

If you aren't satisfied with it, feel free to ask for a new one by adding a new post after mine.

Hi Amethystos

Many thanks for your reply! I have come across this translation and of course it has been helpful, but you are talking to someone who is almost never fully satisfied... ;-)

Everythin's here and everything passes
Like water to a kid's hands
Inside deeply in the fingers they age
Little drops of light
Of the first sky.

In the above verse, for example, I understand that everything passes and seems to slip through your fingers, you can't keep hold of it.. but 'inside deeply the fingers they age'? What does it mean?! Is it literal translation? Maybe (only maybe) it is an idiomatic phrase in Greek, a phrase that isn't clear when translated literally?

On the other hand, literal translation can be very helpful - I kind of get 'the first sky' (πρώτου ουρανού) , assuming it means 'first thing in the morning i.e. at dawn. It helps with my Greek to have a literal translation here

I'm also struggling with:

And every night I'll be looking again
Behind the laths
Your eye's the fire.

What are 'laths'? Is the fire in the eyes? Again the meaning doesn't come across clearly enough in English.

I'll wait for some light again
To live again
Whatever is not here anymore

I don't think you would say 'whatever is not here anymore' in English. Would it be OK to change it to 'nothing is here anymore' to convey the meaning that everything has gone/passed?

What do you think?

Hanna

Unfortunately no vid of the song is free for reposting out of youtube....
There are still IDIOTS in music industry!

Here is a link to the song -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2LJCTIQbSI

Τίτλος: Ό,τι δεν είναι πια εδώ	Τitle: Oti den ine pia edo
Στίχοι: Αλκίνοος Ιωαννίδης Μουσική: Αλκίνοος Ιωαννίδης Πρώτη εκτέλεση: Αλκίνοος Ιωαννίδης CD: Οι περιπέτειες ενός προσκυνητή (Universal 6/2003) Track no: 04	Lyrics: Alkinoos Ioannidis Music: Alkinoos Ioannidis Sung by Alkinoos Ioannidis CD: I peripeties enos proskiniti (Universal 6/2003) Track no: 04
Όλα είν' εδώ κι όλα περνάνε σαν το νερό στα χέρια ενός παιδιού. Μέσα βαθιά στα δάχτυλα γερνάνε μικρές σταγόνες φως του πρώτου ουρανού. Κάπου εδώ θα συνηθίσω να 'χω το χρόνο κλειδωμένο στο κορμί. Σαν πυρετό θα τον κρατήσω σφιχτά στο μέτωπο, στα μάτια,στη φωνή. Και κάθε βράδυ θα κοιτώ ξανά πίσω απ' τις γρίλιες των ματιών σου τη φωτιά. Θα περιμένω λίγο φως ξανά, ξανά να ζήσει πάλι ό,τι δεν είναι πια εδώ... Κάπου αλλού, κάπου εδώ γύρω όλα συμβαίνουν κι όλα γίνονται ζωή. Στου ποταμού το γύρισμα θα γείρω αργά σαν άνοιξη που άργησε να 'ρθει.	Everything's present and everything flows like water through the hands of a child. Deep through the fingers, grow old, tiny light-drops of the dawning sky. At this point, I'll get used of imprison time in (my) body. Like if it is fever, I'll preserve it tightly on (my) forehead, in (my) eyes, in (my) voice. And every night I'll once again take a look of the fire, through the louvers of your eyes. Again I'll be waiting for some light for reliving the thing that's no more present... In another place, somewhere close, everything's possible and everything becomes (a part of) life. I'll slowly lean myself on river's current as if, this is a spring that delayed to show up.

Ps. Feel free to ask any question.

Hi Amethystos

Thank you so much for this!

I feel I get the drift of the song now and can enjoy it all the more for having the translation.

Last night I went to the spectacular Kourion amphitheatre in Cyprus to see Alkinoos in concert; it was fantastic! I loved the performance and the easy manner he interacted with the audience when introducing the songs; just wish I could have understood what he was saying! He sang all my favourite songs and many I was not familiar with; it was a perfect end of my stay in Cyprus.

Got some new CDs so no doubt will be back here with more requests of translations!

Many thanks again for the trouble you've gone to over these lyrics!


Best Wishes

Hanna