Early "rebetika" with heavy Eastern influence - are they really rebetika?

The version of this song on the Live365 Radio Rainbow Greece playlist was taken from an album of songs which some record company released with the word "rebetika" in the title of the album.

Ελενίτσα - 1931
http://www.stixoi.info/stixoi.php?in...&song_id=10631
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO40vprw0Og

Should it be considered a rebetiko song? What do you think?

Originally Posted by David Halitsky

The version of this song on the Live365 Radio Rainbow Greece playlist was taken from an album of songs which some record company released with the word "rebetika" in the title of the album.

Ελενίτσα - 1931
http://www.stixoi.info/stixoi.php?in...&song_id=10631
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO40vprw0Og

Should it be considered a rebetiko song? What do you think?

Yes is 100% rebetico inspired from the refugees from the Asia Minor. And this super famus song waw from there.
You can hear traditional sounds from the Greek islands inside.


please listen to her majesty
[-_M1Q9QtVP8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_M1Q9QtVP8[/video]

Thanks as always, Duffy.

Now, as Tahira has pointed out in a different thread in this forum, there is the following VERY ROUGH English translation:

"I dont see yr 2 eyes and i get sick when i see them they make me crazy and take me Hades. c'mon,aman,aman, my doll you have made me crazy my little Helen. With yr eyebrows,yr open lips,u have burnt my heart and my insides ache.Come so i marry u, adorble little Helen, i tell u once more, u ve made me mad and i cry"

in the comments for this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf9OWUejt_U

But that seems to be the only English translation out there.

So, if you'd like to work your usual magic, I will put your translation in the regular forum like I did the other translation that you did earlier today.

Up to you, of course, if you want to bother.

Τα ματάκια σου τα δυο
δεν τα βλέπω κι αρρωστώ
σαν τα βλέπω με τρελαίνουν
και στον Άδη με πηγαίνουν

αμάν αμάν ώπλες
κούκλα μου κουκλίτσα μου
συ μ' έχεις τρελάνει
Ελενίτσα μου

Με τα φρύδια τα σμιχτά
τα χειλάκια σου ανοικτά
μου 'χεις κάψει την καρδιά μου
και πονούν τα σωθικά μου

αμάν αμάν ώπλες
κούκλα μου κουκλίτσα μου
συ μ' έχεις τρελάνει
Ελενίτσα μου

Έλα να σε παντρευτώ
Ελενάκι ζηλευτό
άλλη μια φορά στο λέγω
μ' έκανες λωλό και κλαίγω

αμάν αμάν ώπλες
κούκλα μου κουκλίτσα μου
συ μ' έχεις τρελάνει
Ελενίτσα μου

---------------------------------------------------------------

Your two eyes
I don't see them and I get sick
As I see them I get crazy
and take me to Hades >(Master of the house of souls in G.Myth.)

aman ama oples >(something like opa)
my doll my little doll
you've got me crazy
my Elenitsa

With your knit brows
and your open lips
you've burned my heart
and my insides hurt

aman aman oples
my doll my little doll
you've got me crazy
my Elenitsa

Come to marry you
Elenaki enviable
I tell you once more
you' ve got me mindless and I cry

aman aman oples
my doll my little doll
you've got me crazy
my Elenitsa

Thanks very much, Duffy, as always. But before I post these to the regular translation subforum, I think you need to change the word "ware" in

With the ware brows
your lips opened
you've burned my heart
and my insides hurt

There is no modern English word "ware" that would make any sense in this context. There's "wares", like merchandise to sell, but that's always used in the plural with an "s", not in the singular without an "s". And there's "wary", meaning "cautious", but that doesn't seem to convey the meaning intended in the original song.

So, let me know in different English words what the line of the song says, and we can pick a better word than "ware" together.

Thanks again for taking the trouble to start this translation - it's really great except for this one issue.

Thank you, the dictonary has this: knit your brows
so, can i say (with your knit brows)?

To a native English speaker, "knit your brows" always means what you do when you're puzzled about something and have to think about it ... you draw the brows closer together so that almost a crease happens betwen the eyes above the nose.

And that doesn't seem to fit the meaning of the song either.

So, please be patient tell me the exact Greek words in the song that we're trying to translate here and I will do a little hunting myself. Maybe my knowledge of Attic and Homeric Greek will help me here, though I doubt they will.

Originally Posted by David Halitsky

To a native English speaker, "knit your brows" always means what you do when you're puzzled about something and have to think about it ... you draw the brows closer together so that almost a crease happens betwen the eyes above the nose.

This is exactly what the song means because when he passes under her window, she makes grimases to him and this is what makes him crazy for her love

You wrote:

This is exactly what the song means because when he passes under her window, she makes grimases to him and this is what makes him crazy for her love

Oh! OK! Well, in that case, yes, I think you have to use "with your knit brows", like you suggested.

But the question now is whether it should be:

With your knit brows
your lips opened

or

With your knit brows
and your open lips

I think it should probably be "and your open lips". Let me know which you prefer and I will post the translation to the regular sub-forum.

Originally Posted by David Halitsky

With your knit brows
and your open lips

I prefer this

Ok, "done deal" - I'll post the translation now. Always a pleasure doing business with you, Dufffy (heh heh heh) ...