Albanian to English

can u helpme?
if u can please send me the translation of hape veten from aurela gace. i would be very thankfull.

Hape vetën ti,
open up
dhe dashuro jëtën
and love your life
vijm në këtë bote vetëm
we only come to this world
hape vetën ti
open up ..........sort of like "breakfree"

kur humb nje dashuri,
when you lose a love

nuk kthehet përsëri…...
it doesn't come back

Ti nuk më sheh,
you don't look at me
s’di a më njeh,
i don't know if you know me
tek unë vetëm dyshon
you only have doubts towards me
nje hije të mbulon
a shadow covers you

pse nuk e di
why don't you know
na ke ne sy
you have us at your eyes
më tremb kjo xhelozi
this jelousy scares me
kam ankth dhe drithëri
i have angst and an errie feeling

Ti fantazon s’e kupton
you fanatsize, you don't understand
nuk e ndjen,
you don't feel it
sa herë më thërret.
when your call me

Se me nuk kam faj se kam mall
i am no longer at fault that i long for you
jam e gjall
i am alive
prandaj te fal
therefore i forgive you
e fundit fjale
my last word

Hape veten ti shpirtin pa kufij
breakfree and release your soul beyond borders
thellë teje, dhe dashuro jetën
deep inside, love your life
vijm në këtë botë vetëm
we only come to this world
hape veten ti
breakfree
gjer ne marrëzi
until insanity

të dua
i love you
këtë mall që djeg në gji
this longing that burns to my chest
nje det nuk mund ta pij
a whole sea cannot soak it up
perendine ke
you have divinity

ëndrrat pse i le të treten
why do you let your dreams melt
pusho në krah tani
lay off all arms
harrove veten ti
you have forgotten yourself

dhe trokit në derë
knock on the door
eja dhe më merr me vete
come and take me with you
nje ditë dashuri
a day of love
vec kohen do ta ngrij…
will only cool the weather

Ndjej, ti me ndjen
i feel, that you sense me
jo, s’me genjen
no, you're not lying to me
nuk ka mister ne sy
there is no mystery in your eyes

jam une kjo nate dhe ti,
i am this night as are you
qaj si femij
i cry like a child
lutem per ty
i pray for you
u ftoh kjo dashuri
this love has gone cold
nuk ka me ngrohtesi
there is no more warmness
eshte iluzion ti kujton se mbaron,
its the illusion which you mention is ending
nje here, per here
once, for ever

se more dal nga dal
because you have begun slowly
dhe s’ke mall si per djall
and you do not have the commodeties of a guy
pa nje ‘me fal’
for one, "i'm sorry"
e fundit fjale
the last word

aurelas songs are very, detailed and thoughful, i'm glad you enjoy her music, sorry if some things don't make much sense, she uses many "sayings" and terms which are difficult to translate exactly

p.s. if you like this kind of "genre"... i guess
check out:
"diferenca je ti" - pirro cako & elsa lila
"te lumtur te dua" - vace zela

Perhaps not the most interesting song, but nice never the less. And I do hope to learn from it. What is the function of changing the suffix of a verb from -oj to -ohem? The text contains numerous examples: afrohem, lëndohem, kuptohem, ... etc., etc.

G-Bani & Crazy Girl - Të dua

G.B. Mirembrema
C.G. Mirembrema
G.B. Spo me merr të gjumi
C.G. As mua
G.B. Vapa?
C.G. Jo endërra
G.B. Të bukura?
C.G. Të pa arritshmë
G.B. Ti je?
C.G. Crazy girl dhe ti?
G.B. G-Bani

G-Bani - Strofa e parë:
Dëgjo si është puna si goca dhe çuna
Mësuan për mua sa shumë që të dua
Kështu që thashë në plazh kur të pashë
Tek luanje me detin të hap muhabetin

Ndaj tu afrova dhe të respektova
Fola më degjove fole të dëgjova
S' ishte e vështirë por me ty aq i mirë
U tregova ah të lutem më ler që të futem

Në zemrën edhe në mendjen tënde
Në shpresat edhe dëshirat e tua
Këto mendonja ndër sa vështronja
Plot me ëndërra ato dy sytë e tua

Por s' më kuptove nuk më kuptove
Nga pa siguria se si pushtohem
Dua të ta them por pendohem
Se si ma bën zemra kur të afrohem

Crazy Girl - Refreni:
Si ma bën zemra kur të afrohem
Se si ma bën e se di pse bllokohem
Ul kokën poshtë se s'dua të lëndohem
Kur më sheh me ata sytë e tua

Se si ma bën zemra kur të afrohem
Si ma bën e se di pse bllokohem
Kthej kokën se pse s'dua të kuptohem
Vetëm unë e di sa të dua

G-Bani - Strofa e dytë:
Unë zemër dhe vetëm unë
E di se si e prita takimin
Shumë zemër s`e din sa shumë
Mendimet që të qet nuk më linin

Unë zemër dhe vetëm unë
Kisha në mëndje që ta marr guximin
Shumë zemër s`e din sa shumë
Me një puthje ta mbaronja kërcimin

Pastaj ti u duke në bregun e detit
Se si më rrahu zemra kur të shikova
Veq një dëshir të të kem ëndërrova
Mendime dhe plane të gjitha i harrova

Siq e vendosa ashtu dhe veprova
Ty të tregova për ndjenjat e mia
Por më përshpërite sapo mbarova
Nuk don shumë fjalë o zemër dashuria

Crazy Girl - Refreni:
Se si ma bën zemra kur të afrohem
Si ma bën e se di pse bllokohem
Ul kokën posht se s'dua të lëndohem
Kur më sheh me ata syt e tua

Se si ma bën zemra kur të afrohem
Si ma bën e se di pse bllokohem
Kthej kokën se pse s'dua të kuptohem
Vetëm unë e di sa të dua

G.B. Mirembrema
goodevening
C.G. Mirembrema
goodevening
G.B. Spo me merr të gjumi
i can't sleep
C.G. As mua
me neither
G.B. Vapa?
is it the heat?
C.G. Jo endërra
no dreams
G.B. Të bukura?
beautiful dreams?
C.G. Të pa arritshmë
no unreachable dreams
G.B. Ti je?
you are?
C.G. Crazy girl dhe ti?
crazy girl and you?
G.B. G-Bani
g-bani

G-Bani - Strofa e parë:
Dëgjo si është puna si goca dhe çuna
listen to what the deal is, like girls and boys
Mësuan për mua sa shumë që të dua
they learned how much i love you
Kështu që thashë në plazh kur të pashë
when i told you this at the beach where i saw you
Tek luanje me detin të hap muhabetin
you played in the water as i made conversation

Ndaj tu afrova dhe të respektova
i grew closer to you and respected you
Fola më degjove fole të dëgjova
i spoke you listened, you spoke i listened
S' ishte e vështirë por me ty aq i mirë
nothing was ever difficult with us, it was that good
U tregova ah të lutem më ler që të futem
i told you that i prayed for you to let me in

Në zemrën edhe në mendjen tënde
into your heart, and into your mind
Në shpresat edhe dëshirat e tua
into your dreams and into your needs
Këto mendonja ndër sa vështronja
i thought of these as i gazed
Plot me ëndërra ato dy sytë e tua
into your eyes full of dreams

Por s' më kuptove nuk më kuptove
but you didn't get me, you did not understand
Nga pa siguria se si pushtohem
where has this security gone, as i try to invade
Dua të ta them por pendohem
i want to tell you, but i keep regreting
Se si ma bën zemra kur të afrohem
cuz if you only knew what my heart does everytime i get closer to you

Crazy Girl - Refreni:
Si ma bën zemra kur të afrohem
what my heart does when i get close to you
Se si ma bën e se di pse bllokohem
what it does to me, i don't know why i block the feeling
Ul kokën poshtë se s'dua të lëndohem
i lower my head because i don't want to get hurt
Kur më sheh me ata sytë e tua
when you look at me with those eyes of yours

Kthej kokën se pse s'dua të kuptohem
i turn my heard because i don't want you to figure me out
Vetëm unë e di sa të dua
it shall only be me who knows how much i love you

G-Bani - Strofa e dytë:
Unë zemër dhe vetëm unë
me sweetheart, and only me
E di se si e prita takimin
you know how i awaited our meeting
Shumë zemër s`e din sa shumë
a lot sweetheart, you don't even know how much
Mendimet që të qet nuk më linin
my quiet thoughts didn't even stop getting to me

Unë zemër dhe vetëm unë
me sweetheart and only me
Kisha në mëndje që ta marr guximin
i had it in mind to be bold
Shumë zemër s`e din sa shumë
a lot sweetheart, you don't even know how much
Me një puthje ta mbaronja kërcimin
to end our dance, with a kiss

Pastaj ti u duke në bregun e detit
i then saw you on the shore of the sea
Se si më rrahu zemra kur të shikova
how my heart had beated when i saw you
Veq një dëshir të të kem ëndërrova
i dreamt of only one thing i wanted, for you to be mine
Mendime dhe plane të gjitha i harrova
other thoughts and plans i had forgotten all of them

Siq e vendosa ashtu dhe veprova
as i had decided this is also what i actually did
Ty të tregova për ndjenjat e mia
i told you how i felt about you
Por më përshpërite sapo mbarova
but you wispered to me before i could finish
Nuk don shumë fjalë o zemër dashuria
love doesn't need so many words sweetheart

It is better than I thought it would be! It tells a whole story, in what seem to be perfectly normal sentences. Yet there's much rhyme and rythm and poetry. Although I knew most of the words, there was very little in the text that I understood, apart from the conversation at the beginning and a few isolated sentences.

Can you say something in general about the -oj <--> -ohem construction? Or am I asking a stupid (or too difficult) question?

when you end something in Oj it means that you are doin it to someone else gezoj, happy, gezohem im happy, u gezova, i was happy etc. it doesnt mean much i think i just think its tenses and who its refering to

This might be hard to find...

Some 30 years ago the Greek musician Vangelis Papathanassiou and the singer/actress Irene Pappas made a record "Odes" in which old Greek folksongs were given a (then) modern arrangement. One of my favourites was called "Menousis" and told the story (in Greek) of a jealous husband that kills his wife and afterwards is sick of remourse. The names in the story (there is a certain Mehmet involved) make me think that maybe the song is Turkish in origin.

Totally by accident I stumbled upon the song mentioned in the title of my post. It is Albanian, and apart from the tempo (it is played much faster) the music is the same as what I heard 30 years ago. I don't know the lyrics, but I THINK I hear them sing "Qaj Menousis" (Weep, Menousis), so maybe it is the exact same song, but in Albanian.

Does anyone know this song? The lyrics? Translation if possible. Any other information about this song (origin, other versions, how old it is, etc., ...) or the artists singing it would be very much appreciated.

cortom, there is a song called "qaj maro" its a (cameria) folksong i beleive, here are the lyrics, it may be the same as "Menousis" song sung in greek, as this is common for folksongs

ike dhe me le shtepine
qaj maro, qaj moj bije

more rrugen per misire
qaj maro, qaj moj bije

ike dhe le femine
qaj maro, qaj moj bije

etc.

@Balkaneuro: here is a link where you can download the song (if you are interested):

Hysni Alushi & Agim Omeri - Varvaro Vasiliko.mp3

Something strange happened when I went to search for the song (again): right above it there was another download, that was named Qay Minushi! I'm (almost) sure it is new, I would have seen it immediately if it was there last time I visited the site. But when I listen to that song I hear nothing (in the lyrics) about Minushi. I suspect the titles of the songs have errors in them. It would not be the first time. Here is the link to the second song:

Hysni Alushi & Agim Omeri - Qaj Minushi.mp3

So as to avoid any misunderstandings: I am almost sure that the first song, which is titled Varvaro Vasiliko, is an albanian version of Menousis, and should probably be titled as Qaj Minushi.

I don't think 'Qaj maro' is what I am looking for. I don't recognise a single word of the lyrics, and I tried to listen very carefully.

Oh, the song is titled barbaro vasiliko? ok i know this one song titled the same from a singer named Irini Qirjako, maybe if you can find that song, it may be the same

Originally Posted by Balkaneuro

Oh, the song is titled barbaro vasiliko? ok i know this one song titled the same from a singer named Irini Qirjako, maybe if you can find that song, it may be the same

It wasn't hard to find. I found even two different versions, but it is definitely NOT the same song.

I am sure now that the title 'Varvaro Vasiliko' for Hysni Alushi's song is a mistake. While searching for 'Barbaro Vasiliko' I found two more and slightly different versions of 'my' song, this time titled, as they should, 'Menushi' and 'Minushi'. The first one is by a singer, or a band, called Çame. You may have heard about him/them. I don't know who sings the second one, but is is very beautiful and lasts for more than six minutes.

I take this to be an indication that the song is widely known in Albania. It may even have its origin in Albania since Mehmet is a name that (I think) is widespread in Albania, but not so much in Greece.

More news. I found a YouTube video wherein an amateur musician sings the song, accompanying himself on a guitar. This is his description of the song:

This is an old traditional song from the Albanians of Epirus (Chams), an Albanian land annexed by Greece in 1945.

The song has become very famous in Greece and it has been translated in Greek, as well as remixed/redone by VANGELIS under the title "Menoussis". Here is the link: YouTube - Menushi

I sent a request for the lyrics to the owner of the video. To be continued.

the music sounds very albanian but it also sounds very greek, because of the beat count... i'm guessing, its a greek song though, because of the lyrics

the second link you sent me from hysni alushi and agim omeri, i think is originally an albanian song, i think it is actually entitled "Osman Taka" they actually say "Osman Aga" in the version you sent. check it out, maye it is the same one, this song is well known

i listened to the greek version of the first link you sent me varvaro vasiliko, its called o menousis, this song is a folk song from epirus, which means it also has albanian "epir" roots, which is probably why it is also in albanian. there is a part in the link you sent me where they actually sing in greek for half a verse or so, i haven't heard this song before that i remember of

hopefully you can get more help from the person who posted the video

i found the lyrics on an albanian site, hopefully they are correct, i tried to edit the parts that seemed to have errors

Unknown Cham Albanian Group - MENUSH AGA


Zgjo Minushi, zgjo bilbili, zgjo Resul Aga
Ishin mbledhur e po pinin ne nje kafene.

Te bukur grua qe paske bre Menush Aga,
Ku e njeh, ku e ke pare qe ma molloine

E pashe nje dite ne krua qe po mbushte uje,
Idhashe shamine e dores ajo ma pastroj,
I thashe nja dy tre fjale ajo mi pranoj.

Menush Agai qe i pire vajti ne shtepi
Mori thiken e e theri o gruan e tij.

Te nesermen q'i del rakia vajti tek varri
Cohu grua, cohu vishu se une bera faj.

Cohu grua dil nga varri se une bera faj,
Cohu vishu e stolisu, dil ne shoqeri.

Cohu vishu dhe stolisu, dil ne shoqeri,
Te te shohin gjithe bota dhe une i mjeri,
Te te shohin gjithe bota dhe une i mjeri!

I found these, more or less the same, but they are largelly unintelligible to me. They seem to tell the same story as the Greek song I knew. If 'zgjo' really stands for 'qaj', then I fear it is in a dialect that deviates a great deal from standard Albanian.

MENUSHI

Zgjo Menushi, zgjo birbili, zgjo Resul Aga
Jane mbledhur, dhe po pine ne nje kafene
...We are gathered, and drinking in the inn

Te bukur grua qe paske bre Menush Aga
Ku e njeh, ku e ke pare qe ma molloin

E pashe nje dite ne krua qe mbushte uje
I dhashe shamine e dores ajo ma pastroj
I thashe nja dy tre fjale ajo mi pranoj

Menush Agai qe i pire vajti ne shtepi
...Menushi, drunk, you went in (your) house,
Mor thiken dhe e theri o gruan e tij
...man, and stabbed and killed your wife

Te nesmen qe i del rakia vajti tek varri
Cohu grua, cohu vishu se une bera faj

Cohu grua, dil nga varri se une bera faj
...Get up, my spouse (wife), out of the grave, for I did wrong(?)
...(Oh, boy, it is even sadder than the Greek version)
Cohu vishu e stolisu, dil ne shoqeri

Cohu vishu e stolisu, dil ne shoqeri
...Get up, get dressed and make yourself pretty, come out in company
Te te shohi gjithe bota dhe une i mjeri
...I will show you to the whole world(?), I am miserable

I would be grateful if you could give a correct translation.

This was the reply I got from MusicOfEpirus, the owner of the video I told about in one of my previous posts:

Lol.. yes it is Albanian. It is from that part of Albania that now is annexed by Greece, called Çamëria. It is a song from the 1800s, but I am not sure which period exactly. The Vangelis version is a great version as a New Age interpretation of it, but not very original, even though its text is the same. Music of Albania is sang all in authentic Doric Mode (pentatonic with no semitones), and so is Menushi supposed to be sung.



The song goes:

Zgjo Minushi, zgjo Birbili, zgjo Resul Aga/Awake Minushi, awake Birbili, awake Sir Resul (an "elegant" way of saying... one morning, such and such woke up... in Albanian culture)

Ishin mbledhur dhe po pinin ne nje kafene/Had gathered and were drinking in a café

Te bukur grua qe paske bre Menush Aga/What a beautiful wife you have Menush Aga!

Ku e njeh, ku e ke pare qe ma molloin/Where do you know her from, where did you see her that you talk so much about her?

E pashe nje dite ne krua qe po mbushte uje/I saw her at the spring one day while she was drawing water

I dhashe shamine e dores, ajo ma pastroj/I gave my handkerchief, she cleaned it for me (this shows that she did not mind being in a sense "intimate" with his friend)

I thashe nja dy tre fjale ajo mi pranoj/I told her two three words, she accepted them (basically he would have said something sexual and she seemes to have liked it)

Minush Agai qe i pire vajti ne shtepi/Sir Minush went home drunk that day
Mori thiken dhe e their o gruan e tij/Took the knife and slained his wife

Te nesmen qe i del rakia vajti tek varri/The next morning, when sober he went to her grave

Cohu grua, cohu vishu se une bera faj/Raise my dear wife from your grave because I made a terrible mistake

Cohu grua, dil nga varri se une bera faj/Raise my dear wife, come out of your grave because I made a terrible mistake (this is such a childish and absurd cry that shows him going crazy, not holding himself, crying like a baby "i made a mistake")

Cohu vishu e stolisu dil ne shoqeri/Stand and put your clothes, make up, and jewelry on to see your friends (more nonsensical calling of a dead person... it just gives the audience a really awkward feeling and makes them feel his pain... or maybe non-pain/numbness)

Cohu vishu e stolisu, dil ne shoqeri/Stand and put your clothes, make up, and jewelry on to see your friends

Te te shohin gjithe bota dhe une i mjeri/So that the whole world can see you and so can the poor me (in a sense, I feel like I don't deserve to live anymore from all of this, please make it go away, make it like before! let's go meet people... as many as you want!)


It might not make much sense or fit the English context, but Albanian is a very metaphorical language where you say one thing in so many ways that if you were to translate might not have an effect, but if you're part of the culture they move you a lot. They place you in such a position that one time they make you laugh.. the next second make your hair stand straight up!

Think of ancient dramas... where comedy is mixed with tragedy, with acts of heroism, etc. Albanian culture is full of it, but not many like the traditional ways. Partly because they are not taught about them.. basically someone has not sold them the idea properly... but they come directly from the culture, where they are tired of it. So, when you hear the story and you know you're in a different world far from the story, you appreciate it. However, if you're a woman and live in the same culture, you start having these mixed feelings and start cursing "why, oh why are we this way", "please let me not hear this once again!!"... you basically feel it.

Hope it was helpful. If you need more info, let me know... I'll do my best

Cheers!

much respect to the one who gave you that translation, it was very detailed and very correct. Zgjo does not mean Qaj (cry) it means Wake up/get up. but i hope you have a better understanding of the song now