Twinkle in Greek
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Twinkle in Greek
I just had to try this.
My wife's picked up "mica, mica, parva stella..." and it's one of her favourite lullabies for my daughter. But I wanted in Greek. So, with by far the most rusty Greek of mine:
γλαύσσε, γλαύσσε, ὦ ’στὲρ μικρός, θαυμάζω οχ’ καλά εἰ. καταυγασμὸς ἐνταῦθα, ὣς λιθεία λευκός εἰ.
Please help it sound like real Greek, but please keep it sing-able.
----
Well, nodoby's responding.
Am I abusing Ancient Greek to such a barbarism?
Anyway my second attempt, actually a little modification:
γλαύσσε, γλαύσσε, ἀστὲρ μικρός, θαυμάζω οχ’ καλά εἰ. καταυγασμὸς οὐρανῷ ὣς λιθεία λευκός εἰ.[/img]
My wife's picked up "mica, mica, parva stella..." and it's one of her favourite lullabies for my daughter. But I wanted in Greek. So, with by far the most rusty Greek of mine:
γλαύσσε, γλαύσσε, ὦ ’στὲρ μικρός, θαυμάζω οχ’ καλά εἰ. καταυγασμὸς ἐνταῦθα, ὣς λιθεία λευκός εἰ.
Please help it sound like real Greek, but please keep it sing-able.
----
Well, nodoby's responding.
Am I abusing Ancient Greek to such a barbarism?
Anyway my second attempt, actually a little modification:
γλαύσσε, γλαύσσε, ἀστὲρ μικρός, θαυμάζω οχ’ καλά εἰ. καταυγασμὸς οὐρανῷ ὣς λιθεία λευκός εἰ.[/img]
Last edited by mingshey on Tue Jan 11, 2005 11:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Twinkle in Greek
You set before us a difficult task! But I only recalled this post just now.mingshey wrote: Well, nodoby's responding.
Am I abusing Ancient Greek to such a barbarism?
The first thing I need to know is if you wish to retain the repetition of "twinkle." I also want to make the "little star" a simple diminutive, ἀστέριον. The word has other meanings (a town name; a kind of spider) but also works for "star." Also, I make a bunch of them, giving:
αἰθόμεν’ ἀστέρια... which syllable count matches the song.
The rest will take more thinking.
William S. Annis — http://www.aoidoi.org/ — http://www.scholiastae.org/
τίς πατέρ' αἰνήσει εἰ μὴ κακοδαίμονες υἱοί;
τίς πατέρ' αἰνήσει εἰ μὴ κακοδαίμονες υἱοί;
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That's very nice!Skylax wrote:Here is a modest proposition, but I could not translate the text literally :
The first two are repeated.(I guess one has to sing twice the last two lines?)
William S. Annis — http://www.aoidoi.org/ — http://www.scholiastae.org/
τίς πατέρ' αἰνήσει εἰ μὴ κακοδαίμονες υἱοί;
τίς πατέρ' αἰνήσει εἰ μὴ κακοδαίμονες υἱοί;
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I also made a simple grammatical error in writing what must be written καλός as καλά.
In the first line would λάμπε λάμπε ἀστερίσκε also work, to make the structure same as in "twinkle twinkle little star"? Or it cannot, to match the acctents with the tone of the melody?
In "Prometheus Bound" ἀδαμάντινος is rendered as "(made) of steel". Though it is the etymology of 'diamond', does it also work for reminding of a little gem?
I've got to study some of the words, but, wonderful! And thanks!Skylax wrote:Here is a modest proposition, but I could not translate the text literally :
ἀστερίσκε λάμπε λάμπε σοῦ θαυμάζω τὸ εἶδος ὑψοῦ γὰρ ἐν οὐρανῷ ἀδαμάντινος φαίνῃ
(I guess one has to sing twice the last two lines?)
ὁρῶ τὴν παῖδά σου καθ’ ἡμέραν καλλίω γιγνομένην. εὐδαιμόνιζω τοὺς γονέας αὐτῆς.
In the first line would λάμπε λάμπε ἀστερίσκε also work, to make the structure same as in "twinkle twinkle little star"? Or it cannot, to match the acctents with the tone of the melody?
In "Prometheus Bound" ἀδαμάντινος is rendered as "(made) of steel". Though it is the etymology of 'diamond', does it also work for reminding of a little gem?
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Re: Twinkle in Greek
Yes I wished to repeat the 'twinkle', and to use a diminutive of a star for "little star", and the ἀστέριος and ἀστέριος were the candidates but I found them have other specific meanings already. Asterion even implied 'cannabis' and that was very far from what I wanted to remind people of. But thanks for telling me it is also good for the diminutive of 'ἀστήρ'annis wrote:You set before us a difficult task! But I only recalled this post just now.mingshey wrote: Well, nodoby's responding.
Am I abusing Ancient Greek to such a barbarism?
The first thing I need to know is if you wish to retain the repetition of "twinkle." I also want to make the "little star" a simple diminutive, ἀστέριον. The word has other meanings (a town name; a kind of spider) but also works for "star." Also, I make a bunch of them, giving:
αἰθόμεν’ ἀστέρια... which syllable count matches the song.
The rest will take more thinking.
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I think it could work also. I wrote it so to avoid an elision, but we can make some kind of caesura before ἀστερίσκεmingshey wrote:In the first line would λάμπε λάμπε ἀστερίσκε also work, to make the structure same as in "twinkle twinkle little star"? Or it cannot, to match the acctents with the tone of the melody?
the noun ἀδάμας was used for both "steel" and "diamond", so maybe also the adjective.In "Prometheus Bound" ἀδαμάντινος is rendered as "(made) of steel". Though it is the etymology of 'diamond', does it also work for reminding of a little gem?
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Happy New Year to all!
If I may, Mingshey, I would like to share a lullaby that my parents sang to me and now I, too, sing to my little girl (she will be 2 months old next week ). It's in Modern Greek, so bare with me philhellenes.
φεγγαράκι μου λαμπρό φέγγε μου να περπατώ να πηγαίνω στο σχολειό να μαθαίνω γράμματα γράμματα σπουδάγματα του θεού τα πράγματα
Take care,
~PeterD (aka "superdad")
p.s. Life is beautiful. If you can, help someone in need.
If I may, Mingshey, I would like to share a lullaby that my parents sang to me and now I, too, sing to my little girl (she will be 2 months old next week ). It's in Modern Greek, so bare with me philhellenes.
φεγγαράκι μου λαμπρό φέγγε μου να περπατώ να πηγαίνω στο σχολειό να μαθαίνω γράμματα γράμματα σπουδάγματα του θεού τα πράγματα
Take care,
~PeterD (aka "superdad")
p.s. Life is beautiful. If you can, help someone in need.
Fanatical ranting is not just fine because it's eloquent. What if I ranted for the extermination of a people in an eloquent manner, would that make it fine? Rather, ranting, be it fanatical or otherwise, is fine if what is said is true and just. ---PeterD, in reply to IreneY and Annis
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Hi PeterD,
ευχάριστο for the lullaby!
I'm always eager to pick up Modern Greek expressions occasionally, and used to listening to Nana Mouskouri in Greek. I was collecting the lyrics I heard from her CD's. βρεχη στιν φτοχο γιτονια, παμε μια βολτα στο φεγγαρι, ενα το χελιδονι, κτλ.(I'm not sure about the spelling, because as you know the pronunciations are ambiguous in MG. )
By the way, I wish I could also learn the melody, or a link to its sheet music. Or does it have any title? φεγγαράκι μου λαμπρό?
edit:
all I have found is this instrumental midi, and it sounds not so easy
ευχάριστο for the lullaby!
I'm always eager to pick up Modern Greek expressions occasionally, and used to listening to Nana Mouskouri in Greek. I was collecting the lyrics I heard from her CD's. βρεχη στιν φτοχο γιτονια, παμε μια βολτα στο φεγγαρι, ενα το χελιδονι, κτλ.(I'm not sure about the spelling, because as you know the pronunciations are ambiguous in MG. )
By the way, I wish I could also learn the melody, or a link to its sheet music. Or does it have any title? φεγγαράκι μου λαμπρό?
edit:
all I have found is this instrumental midi, and it sounds not so easy
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Its melody is very similar to the "twinkle, twinkle, little star" (Mozart) melody. Don't forget the stress falls on the accented syllable.mingshey wrote: By the way, I wish I could also learn the melody, or a link to its sheet music. Or does it have any title? φεγγαράκι μου λαμπρό?
No, it's not it.edit:
all I have found is this instrumental midi, and it sounds not so easy
Last edited by PeterD on Fri Jan 14, 2005 6:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Fanatical ranting is not just fine because it's eloquent. What if I ranted for the extermination of a people in an eloquent manner, would that make it fine? Rather, ranting, be it fanatical or otherwise, is fine if what is said is true and just. ---PeterD, in reply to IreneY and Annis
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I am partial to Haris Alexiou.mingshey wrote: and used to listening to Nana Mouskouri in Greek.
William S. Annis — http://www.aoidoi.org/ — http://www.scholiastae.org/
τίς πατέρ' αἰνήσει εἰ μὴ κακοδαίμονες υἱοί;
τίς πατέρ' αἰνήσει εἰ μὴ κακοδαίμονες υἱοί;