Μιχάλης Βιολάρης - Ήμουνα 20 χρονών

Hello,

I would be very glad if someone could help me with a translation of a very beautiful and nostalgic song performed by the Greek Cypriot singer Michalis Violaris. From what I could gather, a man tells about the time when he was 20 and his love, is that right?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIcPcf8HHPk

Ήμουνα 20 χρονών

Στίχοι: Αργύρης Βεργόπουλος
Μουσική: Λίνος Κόκοτος
1.Μιχάλης Βιολάρης

Ήμουνα 20 χρονών, κι είπα να σεργιανίσω
στην γειτονιά των κοριτσιών, λουλούδια να τρυγίσω.

Πιάνω την πρώτη απ’ τα μαλλιά, τη δεύτερη απ’ το χέρι,
πέρνω της τρίτης δυο φιλιά, δυο φιλιά, και μου κερδίζει την καρδιά.

Ήμουνα 20 χρονών κι ήτανε καλοκαίρι
είχες στα μάτια ανατολή , στα χείλη μεσημέρι.

Με πιάνει η πρώτη απ’ τα μαλλιά , η δεύτερη απ’ το χέρι,
μου δίνει η τρίτη δυο φιλια, δυο φιλιά, και μου κερδίζει την καρδιά.

Ήμουνα 20 χρονών κι ήταν ανθός αγκάθι
κι ώς έγυρα να μυριστώ, μ’ αγκύλωσε και χάθει.

Ψάχνω την πρώτη με βροχή την άλλη με λιοπύρι
την τρίτη με καλοκαιριά, καλοκαιριά, καημός μου καίει την καρδιά

Hi -

I''ve provided the automated translation from www.stixoi below. You can get a good idea of the meaning of the song from this translation except for the first verse.

In the first verse, the verbs σεργιανίσω and τρυγίσω are in the (future) subjunctive mood, and for some reason, τρυγίσω confuses the automated translator, even though σεργιανίσω does not confuse it.

The actual sense of the first verse:

Ήμουνα 20 χρονών, κι είπα να σεργιανίσω
στην γειτονιά των κοριτσιών, λουλούδια να τρυγίσω.

is:

"I was twenty years old, and I said to myself that I would stroll among the neighborhood girls, to pick (harvest) some flowers."

The verb σεργιανω is "stroll", and τρυγω is "harvest". Also, from the remaining verses, it is clear that the "flowers" are the girls he's going to "pick" ("choose"). So there is a litle joke here.

Duffy Dack or Amethystos will have to help you with the other problems in the automated translation below, but as I said, the general meaning is pretty clear, once the first verse is clarified.

http://www.stixoi.info/stixoi.php?in...&song_id=53192
Automated translation (beginning with 2nd verse):

I find the first of the hair, the second by the hand,
Spend the third two kisses, two kisses, and my heart wins.

I was 20 years old, was a summer
had at sunrise eyes, lips noon.

I get the first of the hair, the second by the hand,
gives me the third two kisses, two kisses, and she wins the heart.

I was 20 years old and was flower thorn
and as egyra to smell, with ankylosis and lost.

Looking first to the rain the other with burning sun
the third in summer, summer, yearning burns my heart.

PS to Amethystos -

The first verse is a perfect example of what we were talking about in a different thread - that Attic (Classical) Greek would have the verbs in the optative mood instead of the subjunctive mood, because the action is something he was going to do in the past, not something he is going to do in the present. For this reason, Classical Greek is said to have a "sequence of moods" as well as a "sequence of tenses", and this "sequence of moods" is one of the properties that makes Classical so subtle grammatically.

Ήμουνα είκοσι χρονών (right is: χρόνων) but...poetic licence

Ήμουνα 20 χρονών, κι είπα να σεργιανίσω
στην γειτονιά των κοριτσιών, λουλούδια να τρυγίσω.

I was twenty years old, and I said to myself that I would stroll among
the neighborhood of the girls, to pick (harvest) the juice of some flowers. (not pick the flowers but...you know)

Πιάνω την πρώτη απ’ τα μαλλιά, τη δεύτερη απ’ το χέρι,
πέρνω της τρίτης δυο φιλιά, δυο φιλιά, και μου κερδίζει την καρδιά.

I catch the first by the hair, the second by the hand,
I take from the third two kisses, two kisses, and wins my heart

Ήμουνα 20 χρονών κι ήτανε καλοκαίρι
είχες στα μάτια ανατολή , στα χείλη μεσημέρι.

I was 20 years old and was summertime
you had the sunrise in your eyes, the noon on your lips

Με πιάνει η πρώτη απ’ τα μαλλιά , η δεύτερη απ’ το χέρι,
μου δίνει η τρίτη δυο φιλια, δυο φιλιά, και μου κερδίζει την καρδιά.

the first (girl) catch me by the hair, the second by the hand
the third gives me two kisses, two kisses, and wins my heart

Ήμουνα 20 χρονών κι ήταν ανθός αγκάθι
κι ώς έγυρα να μυριστώ, μ’ αγκύλωσε και χάθει.

I was 20 years old and was flower thorn (the girl)
and as I bowed to smell, sting (nip) me and then she's lost

Ψάχνω την πρώτη με βροχή την άλλη με λιοπύρι
την τρίτη με καλοκαιριά, καλοκαιριά, καημός μου καίει την καρδιά

I'm Looking for the first under the rain, the other with burning sun
the third with a good weather, good weather, yearning burns my heart