Thanassis Papakonstantinou, duets / Θανάσης Παπακωνσταντίνου, ντουέτα

The drunkard awoke, rubbed his eyes,
saw a yellow sky, full of butterflies.

With his chin he counts them, he exhales and reconstructs
What he has seen and the sun and he philosophizes and says:

“My Christ, if the sky could be a boat and the clouds sails
the wheel the moon, the captain the winds and the sailors the stars”

(translation: Eva Johanos)

Come on.. in the earth the fiery center
come on.. two birds are kissing in a tree
come on.. lava is falling, lava from their kisses
come on.. and fossilized wings from their bodies.

Come on.. there far away, far away in Andromeda
come on.. they are drinking tsipouro and eating salted tunny-fish
come on.. some beings strange and beautiful
come on.. where they are alone and looking for companions

Come on.. way up there in fruitless Melouna
come on.. germinate, germinate a wild poppy
come on.. that has a mouth, a mouth and bites
come on.. and keeps saying it won’t do it again.

Come on.. deep down, deep in my guts
come on.. something is happening, my dear
come on.. a thousand horses are blindly turning
come on.. they are looking for an exit and threshing me.

Come on.. here close by just two meters deep
come on.. they say that they are imprisoning passion
come on.. they are throwing soil and sprinkling with flowers
come on.. and they imagine, they believe they are disentangling themselves.

(translation: Eva Johanos)

Άιντε εδώ σιμά κοντά δυο μέτρα βάθος
άιντε λεν πως φυλακίζουνε το πάθος
άιντε ρίχνουν χώμα με λουλούδια ραίνουν
άιντε και θαρρούν, θαρρούν πως ξεμπερδέυουν.

The rider had the horse in his heart.
Where could he find a better friend to confide his secrets.
He fed him wild barley, four-leafed clover;
he had decorations on his saddle of shining shell.
He was white, bright white, he was fast and smart,
he galloped on the naked mountain and avoided the shadow.
But one ill-fated day, beneath a fig tree,
he came across a snake which gave its bite.
Five minutes didn’t pass, but centuries passed
the rider sang his death laments and caressed its flanks.
“My companion, confide in me; where are you going, as you are leaving?
Let’s make a vow. In time I will find you or you will find me.”
He returns, bent over, to his house, and opens the door, bent over,
He nails shut the windows and throws himself into drink.
In the meantime, the birds wrapped the horse’s
skeleton, leaving only the tail.
A craftsman passed by, who had learned in Kremona
to make fiddles, violins which would last for years.
He saw the hair of the tail, white and silky,
he took it and made bows of it, one by one.
It took the young man two months to open the window
On the first day of the Third month he goes out to the fair.
There were lute-players who wanted to be asked to play,
and a violin player who turned heads.
“Health and joy to the fiddler. I will give you lots of money.
I want to hear the good stuff, maybe I will feel lighter.”
Ten times he passed resin over the bow,
he fit it to his chin, his instrument, with pride,
and as he began to bow, up and down,
he turned the world upside down, put the earth on a plate.
He throws handfuls of money, the man, and dances
he hears whinnying and his mind leaves.

(translation: Eva Johanos)

Ο καβαλάρης τ’ άλογο το ‘χε μες στην καρδιά του.
Που να ‘βρει φίλο πιο καλό να λέει τα μυστικά του.
Το τάιζε αγριοκρίθαρο, τετράφυλλο τριφύλλι,
στολίδια είχε στη σέλα του με λαμπερό κοχύλι.
Ήταν λευκό, ήταν κάτασπρο, ήταν γοργό και ξύπνιο,
κάλπαζε στα γυμνά βουνά και ξέφευγε απ’ τον ίσκιο.
Μα ένα παλιομεσήμερο, σε μια συκιά από κάτω,
αστρίτης στραβογάμησε και δίνει δαγκωσιά του.
Δεν πέρασαν πέντε λεπτά μα πέρασαν αιώνες
ο καβαλάρης το θρηνεί, χαϊδεύει τους λαγώνες.
«Σύντροφε που ξανοίγεσαι, που χάνεσαι και φεύγεις;
Ας δώσουμε όρκο. Με καιρούς θα σ’ εύρω ή θα μ’ εύρεις».
Σκυφτός γυρνάει στο σπίτι του, σκυφτός την πόρτα ανοίγει,
καρφώνει τα παράθυρα και στο πιοτό το ρίχνει.
Το άλογο στο μεταξύ τα όρνια το τυλίξαν
το σκελετό και την ουρά μονάχα που τ’ αφήσαν.
Περνούσε κι ένας μάστορας που ‘μαθε στην Κρεμόνα
να φτιάχνει βιόλες και βιολιά που να κρατάνε χρόνια.
Είδε την τρίχα της ουράς άσπρη και μεταξένια,
την πήρε κι έφτιαξε μ’ αυτή δοξάρια ένα κι ένα.
Δυο μήνες έκανε ο νιος ν’ ανοίξει παραθύρι
την Τρίτη την πρωτομηνιά βγαίνει στο πανηγύρι.
Εκεί ‘ταν λαουτιέρηδες που θέλαν’ παρακάλια
ήταν κι ένας βιολιτζής που έπαιρνε κεφάλια.
«Γεια και χαρά στου βιολιτζή. Χρήμα πολύ θα δώσω.
Θέλω ν’ ακούσω απ’ τα καλά, μήπως και ξαλαφρώσω».
Δέκα φορές το πέρασε ρετσίνι το δοξάρι,
ταιριάζει στο σαγόνι του, τ’ όργανο με καμάρι,
και σαν αρχίζει δοξαριές, μια πάνω και μια κάτω,
τον κόσμο φέρνει ανάποδα, τη γη μέσα στο πιάτο.
Πετάει με χούφτες τα λεφτά, ο άντρας και χορεύει
ακούγεται χλιμίντρισμα και το μυαλό του φεύγει.

Let your body fall
into the shed
where there are snakes, grape syrup
and a deep echo

Dancing body
and you have a guide
in your cells
the cosmic beat
with your ivory waist
carve that I may enjoy you

Like the spear of wheat which bends down
and springs back again
come and leave us again
now on the ground, now up high

Dancing body
and you have a guide
in your cells
the cosmic beat
with your ivory waist
carve that I may enjoy you

Fingers like little oil lamps
beat their wings around us
in the corners and on the paving stones
love all of us

Dancing body
and you have a guide
in your cells
the cosmic beat
with your ivory waist
carve that I may enjoy you

(translation: Eva Johanos)

Σώμα που χορεύεις
κι έχεις οδηγό
μες τα κύτταρά σου
τον κοσμικό παλμό
με τη φιλντισένια μέση
χάραξε να σε χαρώ

Πάνω στα ματόκλαδά σου ζει
στυλίτης ξεχασμένος
Πάνω στα ματόκλαδα
εσύ είσαι ανεβασμένος
Παίζεις λαούτο με φτερό
και εγώ τα μάτια κλείνω
Γλιστράς από τα βλέφαρα
και στην καρδιά σε αφήνω
Πάνω στα ματόκλαδά σου ζει
στυλίτης ξεχασμένος..

Tonight the song will be like a prayer
it will be olive grove in a forgotten land
Tonight the song will be arms
for you to fit in, too, though you’re far away

Tonight nobody can cheat the moon
it caresses basil with the one hand
and I who am sleepless, up all night
don’t know if I will die or if I will be born again.

Tonight my heart will be an old
bicycle that wants to ride out in the sky
reach Massimo Troizi and tell him
that life can change overnight.

Tonight the song will be arms
for you to fit in, too, though you’re far away.

Απόψε το τραγούδι θα γίνει αγκαλιά
που θα χωράει κι εσένα κι ας είσαι μακριά.