[Modern Greek] The Siren's Song

by **mingshey** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 4:35 am

Great thanks, Irene! :-)

Could you explain to me why she would light the oil lamp while she puts off the candle? This was another mystery to me. By the picture of the kandilia I guess the kandili is not used for lighting up the room? Is it an object to burn something like incense?

Thanks in advance!

by **IreneY** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 5:46 am

For ambiance? :lol:

Seriously, I have no idea. In a kandili, as far as I know, it's oil you burn but it's a sort of votive lamp thing burning in front of the icons in a church (or a house). People actually light votive candles so the idea of actually blowing one off while lighting the kandili (which should be lighted at all times) is as weird to me as to you.
Gatsos (the poet) is noted for beautiful imagery but it is often that I cannot make much actual sense of his poems/lyrics.
Oh well!

by **ThomasGR** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 6:00 am

by **Swth\r** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 7:04 am

by **mingshey** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 7:08 am

by **IreneY** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 7:19 am

Sorry but it makes no sense to me.
"I had your lips, star hidden during the night", it says. "But don't take from here/don't take away my own star".
The only way I can make sense of it is star #1 (the hidden one) is a person. He/she begs that that person does not take away (metaphorically) his/her own guiding? star.

No problem at all,

The candle thing, I am not sure I agree with Thomas' interpretation.

Zorbas and Kazandzakis in general are quite challenging if you ask me since he really likes colloquialisms and idioms! I have a friend who decided to read it though when more or less at your level of Greek and although he did encountered some difficulties, he just loved it. Good luck and remember that we are always here to help (and if we are told off here meet us elsewhere

)

by **mingshey** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 7:29 am

IreneY wrote:Sorry but it makes no sense to me.
"I had your lips, star hidden during the night", it says. "But don't take from here/don't take away my own star".
The only way I can make sense of it is star #1 (the hidden one) is a person. He/she begs that that person does not take away (metaphorically) his/her own guiding? star.

Hmm, if the star hidden at night means (superficially) the sun, the two lips must be the half suns, one at its rise and another at its set?

by **Swth\r** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:03 am

by **ThomasGR** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:16 am

by **Swth\r** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:17 am

Another thought about the stars just came in my mind...

She imagines in the night sky his lips as a star, and he is doing the same in a far away island: he imagines her own lips as another star... So she begs him not to stop doing the same thing, because a kiss could not be possible this way, not even imaginary.

by **Swth\r** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:23 am

by **ThomasGR** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:49 am

by **mingshey** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 9:14 am

by **Swth\r** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 9:30 am

by **Swth\r** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 9:40 am

by **modus.irrealis** » Wed Oct 08, 2008 9:57 pm

by **mingshey** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 5:23 am

by **Swth\r** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 6:14 am

by **mingshey** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 3:23 pm

[Modern Greek] The Siren's Song

[Modern Greek] The Siren's Song

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Re: [Modern Greek] The Siren's Song

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