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:
You set before us a difficult task! But I only recalled this post just now.
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.
I also made a simple grammatical error in writing what must be written καλός as καλά.
I’ve got to study some of the words, but, wonderful! And thanks!
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?
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’
I think it could work also. I wrote it so to avoid an elision, but we can make some kind of caesura before ἀστερίσκε
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?
the noun ἀδάμας was used for both “steel” and “diamond”, so maybe also the adjective.
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.
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?
). It’s in Modern Greek, so bare with me philhellenes.
)