Filippos Patiris / Φίλιππος Πατίρης

I drag mountains on my back
but I find steps
that take me up high
up to your two eyes

Ah, my witch, witch
A thousand times I die
A thousand times I kill the sorrow
A thousand times I resurrect it
Ah, my witch, witch
A thousand wounds I count
A thousand times I rise up
only to look at you
A thousand times I rise up
only to look at you

Tell me where does the sun go
Tell me where the day is beginning
and I will ascend the stairs
so we can find ourselves alone

Ah, my witch, witch
A thousand times I die
A thousand times I kill the sorrow
A thousand times I resurrect it
Ah, my witch, witch
A thousand wounds I count
A thousand times I rise up
only to look at you
A thousand times I rise up
only to love you

(translation: Eva Johanos)

O, my sweet Zante**
flower of the east
myrtle and Arabian jasmine
and the beautiful woman in the fountain

From other places I came
I found you Zakynthos
sung of by thousands
great and praised

From the thresher***
straight to February
I kept malathouni****
and I wore a tzipouni*****

But sharecropping was destroyed
What will become of me, my mama
I took to the narrow streets
millions of problems

From the great neighborhoods
to the lottery
I shared sesame seed candy
and the honey dripped

But there was no answer
for this square
I knelt to the Saint
and made the trisaghio.******

(translation: Eva Johanos
*Fioro tou Levante ~ “the Venetians, who occupied the island from 1484 to 1797, named Zakynthos the “Fioro tou Levante,” (“flower of the east”), partly because of the existence of 7,000 species of flowers there.”
**Ζάντε (Τζάντε) ~ name by which Zakynthos is known internationally
***Aλωνάρη ~ “Thresher” is an old nickname for July
****μαλαθούνι ~ a special island cheese
*****τζιπούνι ~ a special vest, open in the front and decorated with gold braid; part of a traditional woman’s costume
******τρισάγιο ~ a special hymn to the holy trinity)

I love the Greek islands
Zakynthos and Kefalonia
And the Dodecanese
Rhodes Kalymnos and Ikaria

They break my heart
the Greek islands

I love the Greek islands
Kerkyra and Lefkada
And the Cyclades
Mykonos and sweet Paros

They break my heart
the Greek islands

I love the Greek islands
Tsirigo and Monemvasia
And in the sea,
they seem like children
And they are beautiful like a painting

They break my heart
the Greek islands

I love the Greek islands
Serifos and one Santorini
And in Crete I saw one evening
the mermaid in the waters

They break my heart
the Greek islands

(translation: Eva Johanos)

On the high peaks of Olympus
and at the sources of the springs of Pelios
the gods held a dance
with plenty of honey and raki

On the mountain slopes of Pindou
there where there are many fairies
Zeus’s command is one
so all are invited

And I, at the bottom of the eons
seek the soul of the Virgin Goddesses
give me some of the nectar of the gods
so perhaps I may find again my light

For Phoebus to sing sweetly
in Parnassus and Kytherona
in Olympia to leave
a crown for Taygetus

Alcestes with Aphrodite
went to the south of Crete
to dance the pentozali*
and cast a magic spell on Psiloritis

And I, at the bottom of the eons
seek the soul of the Virgin Goddesses
give me some of the nectar of the gods
so perhaps I may find again my light

(translation: Eva Johanos
*pentozali ~ famous Cretan dance, full of spirit and bold leaping!)

Ruins of love on the road look for
shattered pieces of you maybe they will find
and you far away, I extend my hand to you
tell me a word that extinguishes me and I melt

and when you will leave and you’re finished it’s gone
one drop of rain strikes the window
and you will not care that you have hurt me
the leaves of the heart you have wounded

I ask the passersby about you and I search for you
I look for you everywhere, I seek you
at night I get drunk and I scold the stars
tell me a word that extinguishes me and I melt

and when you will leave and you’re finished it’s gone
one drop of rain strikes the window
and you will not care that you have hurt me
the leaves of the heart you have wounded

(translation: Eva Johanos)

The hour has come close, I will speak
of mistakes which are paid for here
our relationship again, then, to rebuild
one more time I will try

One more time I will try
to solve the riddle that binds us
magic and spells have no place
only the good words count

I would so much like to tell you
that which I have had in my mind for years
I always cheat myself
that you may owe me, and I not owe
second and smiling

I have gotten very tired, but I will not let
myself hunt the two
and if I face the light in the darkness
I will knock on your door again

I will knock on your door again
I will find the code to open it
I will end our vicious cycle
and from nothing I will begin again

I would so much like to tell you
that which I have had in my mind for years
I always cheat myself
that you may owe me, and I not owe
second and smiling

(translation: Eva Johanos)

Every day that passes
One glance is enough
For the fire that smolders
To warm the soul

Love is difficult
As long as it lives and reigns
And it rules the body
It is not possible to cast it off

Someday you will understand
When the silence will come
How this love of yours
Was the strongest

And if you think about opposing it
Soon you will realize
It is impossible to resist
In love to hide yourself

Love is difficult
As long as it lives and reigns
And it rules the body
It is not possible to cast it off

Someday you will understand
When the silence will come
How this love of yours
Was the strongest

(translation: Eva Johanos)

and even if it is foggy again
and the landscape is faint
we will continue to move forward
I and you, you and I

the security gates rolled down
and if it is one time more
we will wrestle with this, too
I and you, you and I

and if everything is costly
and false and stolen
we will find a place in truth

and if it is leading nowhere
what is happening now today
we will open the wings of an eagle

and even if it is foggy again
and the landscape is faint
we will continue to move forward
I and you, you and I

the security gates rolled down
and if it is one time more
we will wrestle with this, too
I and you, you and I

and if the storm hits us
and thunder and lightning surrounds us
we will bring clear skies

and if the dream has been hidden
somewhere the nightingale is singing
Spring will be coming soon

and if it is leading nowhere
what is happening now today
we will open the wings of an eagle

and if the dream has been hidden
somewhere the nightingale is singing
Spring will be coming soon

(translation: Eva Johanos)

I will watch your sky
tonight when it is cloudy
with my wings I will fly
and I will go up there, high

I will catch your clouds
and cast them off far away
that there be sunshine in your heart
and a sweet glimmer of a star

And if you don’t find me in your dreams
don’t imagine that it’s too late
because I am here, here close to you
one glance alone is enough

Don’t hide yourself, get ready
for the journey that you owe
so put on your holiday clothes
and just smile

Return beside me and stay
the world came into being for us
all mine and yours
and ask nothing more

(translation: Eva Johanos)

Truths always swim
and wrestle with wild waves
they wander in grey seas
looking for the ocean

Currents pull them along
they are eternally shipwrecked
only the storks know
but unfortunately they are mute

Truths remain silent
they rarely appear on the surface
like the mermaids of old
that resurrect the seas

I journey silently
in case I might meet them
and with a doubt ask them
where they have been for such a long time

I will look for Odysseus
my faithful friend and guide
to serenade the endings
to build new Ithacas

Truths remain silent
they rarely appear on the surface
like the mermaids of old
that resurrect the seas

(translation: Eva Johanos)

in the fantasy of my mind
I cast anchor once again
because in the channel of time
I am searching for you, my other life

I will spread my sails again
maybe I will find a big homeland
and a letter that I will send
will write unknown harbor

there where shoulds do not exist
no one will ever place on you
a barrier or limit to thought
every movement and word

in the fantasy of my mind
I cast anchor once again
because in the channel of time
I am searching for you, my other life

I will spread my sails again
maybe I will find a big homeland
and a letter that I will send
will write unknown harbor

I beg your pardon
but there is no other place
a long journey for one
wagon number none

there where shoulds do not exist
no one will ever place on you
a barrier or limit to thought
every movement and word

a barrier or limit to thought
every movement and word

(translation: Eva Johanos)