Text & Translation
L’Esprit du lac et le Roi
Greek source:
Emilios Riadis
Kai ta lagouta pou afantasto tragoudi skorpizoun ston agera
Kai na to xothiko
Eim’ i neraida ego , ki i vasilopoula tou ponou
Oraia pio ap’oles, aspri pio ap’oles
Tis limnis eimai i thlimmeni psychi
Ki’ eimai i lypi tou ammou
O ponos ton kalamion
Giati eim’ i kori tou noufariou
T’ achnou tou fengariou i kori
Kanenas de tha me charei
Ach! Pires mou to nou
Pires mou sy to nou
Morfia pou zygoneis
Pou mou fevgeis makria
Morfia pou m’angizeis
Sa floga omorfia
Ki etsi thrinaei o Rigas.
Ki’ eimai i lypi tou ammou
O ponos ton kalamion
Giati eim’ i kori tou noufariou
T’ achnou tou fengariou i kori
Kanenas de tha me charei
The Spirit of the Lake and the King
English translation ©
Aphrodite Patoulidou
And the reeds that scatter unimaginable song into the air
And lo, the fairy appears
I am the nymph, the princess of sorrow
Fairer than all, more pale than all
I am the sorrowful soul of the lake
I am the sadness of the sand
The pain of the reeds
For I am the daughter of the water lily
The daughter of the moon’s mist
No one shall ever delight in me
“Ah! You’ve taken my mind
You’ve taken my mind
Beauty that draws near
That slips far away
Beauty that touches me
Beauty like a flame”
And thus the King laments.
I am the sadness of the sand
The pain of the reeds
For I am the daughter of the water lily
The daughter of the moon’s mist
No one shall ever delight in me
L’Esprit du lac et le Roi
Greek source:
Emilios Riadis
The Spirit of the Lake and the King
English source:
Aphrodite Patoulidou
I stoicheiomeni limni
The haunted lake
Kai ta lagouta pou afantasto tragoudi skorpizoun ston agera
And the reeds that scatter unimaginable song into the air
Kai na to xothiko
And lo, the fairy appears
Eim’ i neraida ego , ki i vasilopoula tou ponou
I am the nymph, the princess of sorrow
Oraia pio ap’oles, aspri pio ap’oles
Fairer than all, more pale than all
Tis limnis eimai i thlimmeni psychi
I am the sorrowful soul of the lake
Ki’ eimai i lypi tou ammou
I am the sadness of the sand
O ponos ton kalamion
The pain of the reeds
Giati eim’ i kori tou noufariou
For I am the daughter of the water lily
T’ achnou tou fengariou i kori
The daughter of the moon’s mist
Kanenas de tha me charei
No one shall ever delight in me
Ach! Pires mou to nou
“Ah! You’ve taken my mind
Pires mou sy to nou
You’ve taken my mind
Morfia pou zygoneis
Beauty that draws near
Pou mou fevgeis makria
That slips far away
Morfia pou m’angizeis
Beauty that touches me
Sa floga omorfia
Beauty like a flame”
Ki etsi thrinaei o Rigas.
And thus the King laments.
Ki’ eimai i lypi tou ammou
I am the sadness of the sand
O ponos ton kalamion
The pain of the reeds
Giati eim’ i kori tou noufariou
For I am the daughter of the water lily
T’ achnou tou fengariou i kori
The daughter of the moon’s mist
Kanenas de tha me charei
No one shall ever delight in me
