Vangelis Dimoudis

The Armenian’s son distinguished himself- (my blue eyes and beautiful)
to a pasha and boss- (he sings, my good nightingale.)
Boss, the sea- (my blue eyes and beautiful)
I will cross on my two feet- (he sings, my good nightingale.)
And if you cross the sea- (my blue eyes and beautiful)
I will make of you a husband- (he sings, my good nightingale;)
do you want (to marry) my cousin- (my blue eyes and beautiful)
do you want my sister- (he sings, my good nightingale)
do you want my daughter- (my blue eyes and beautiful)
who shines like the sun- (he sings, my good nightingale;)
The Armenian’s son, when he heard this- (my blue eyes and beautiful)
he got undressed and took off his weapons- (he sings, my good nightingale)
he got undressed and took off his weapons- (my blue eyes and beautiful)
and threw himself into the sea- (he sings, my good nightingale;)
for forty days she wove- (my blue eyes and beautiful)
laughing and singing- (he sings, my good nightingale)
from forty days onward- (my blue eyes and beautiful)
she cries and sings dirges- (he sings, my good nightingale.)

(translation: Eva Johanos)

(a dance tune- see below; the dance form is ‘tapeinos’ or ‘humble.’)

Τ’Αρμένου γιός πινέθηκε,γαλανά ματάκια μ’κι έμορφα
σ’ένα πασά κι αφέντη,λάλει καλό μ’ αηδόνι.
Αφέντη μου τη θάλασσα,πεζός θα την αδιάβω.
Κι αν την αδιάβ’ς τη θάλασσα,γαμπρό θε να σε κάνω
θέλεις την αξαδέρφη μου,θέλεις την αδερφή μου
θέλεις τη θυγατέρα μου που λάμπει σαν τον ήλιο
όπου γεννήθκι σκοτεινά και φέξαν τα σοκάκια.
Τ’Αρμένου γιός σαν τ’άκουσε,ξεντύθ’κι.ξαρματώθ’κι
ξεντύθ’κι,ξαρματώθ’κι μές τη θάλασσα ρίχτ’κι
σαράντα μέρες έπλεγε,γελώντας,τραγουδώντας
κι απ’ τις σαράντα κι ύστερα,κλαίει,μοιρολογάει.