papagika
Voice, baglama, 12 strings and electronics [7′]
Composed for “Derya's Songbook”,performed by Derya Yildirim and premiered Ensemble Resonanz, Hamburg, August 16th 2020.
papagika is a free arrangement of the traditional Greek song: 'Τι σε μέλλει εσένανε' (Ti se mellei esenane). It was famously recorded by Marika Papagika in 1927 for Columbia Records in New York, to where she had emigrated in 1915. On the record the song is accompanied by violin, cello and cimbalom. The song itself comes from Smyrna/Izmir and became popular after the 1922 population exchange between Greece and Turkey where many Asia Minor Greeks migrated to mainland Greece or to the United States.
Greek
Τι σε μέλλει εσένανε από πού είμαι εγώ, απ' το Καραντάσι, φως μου,ή απ' το Κορδελιό;
Τι σε μέλλει εσένανε κι όλο με ρωτάς από ποιό χωριό είμαι εγώ,αφού δε μ' αγαπάς;
Απ' τον τόπο που είμαι εγώ ξεύρουν ν' αγαπούν, ξεύρουν τον καημό να κρύβουν, ξεύρουν να γλεντούν.
Τι σε μέλλει εσένανε κι όλο με ρωτάς από ποιό χωριό είμαι εγώ,αφού δε μ' αγαπάς;
Τι σε μέλλει εσένανε κι όλο με ρωτάς, αφού δε με λυπάσαι, φως μου,και με τυραγνάς.
Τι σε μέλλει εσένανε κι όλο με ρωτάς από ποιό χωριό είμαι εγώ,αφού δε μ' αγαπάς;
Απ' τη Σμύρνη έρχομαι να βρω παρηγοριά να βρω μες στην Αθήνα μαςαγάπη κι αγκαλιά.
Τι σε μέλλει εσένανε κι όλο με ρωτάς από ποιό χωριό είμαι εγώ,αφού δε μ' αγαπάς;
English
What does it matter to you where I come from, from Karantasi, my light, or from Kordelio.
What does it matter to you that you always ask me from which village I come, since you don't love me.
In the place that I am from they know how to love they know how to hide pain they know how to revel.
What does it matter to you that you always ask me from which village I come, since you don't love me.
What does it matter to you that you always ask me since you don't feel sorry for me, my light, and you torment me.
What does it matter to you that you always ask me from which village I come, since you don't love me.
From Smyrna I come to find solace, to find in our Athens love and embraces.
What does it matter to you that you always ask me from which village I come, since you don't love me.
Turkish (translation by Mehmet Yashin)
Nereliyim ben neden dert oldu sana, Belki Karataş’tanım belki Kordelyo.
Hangi köydenim diye boş yere sorma, Beni sevmiyorsan eğer bunu da sorma.
Sevmek nedir bilirler memleketimde, Kederi saklarlar da keyfe gelirler.
Hangi köydenim diye boş yere sorma, Beni sevmiyorsan eğer bunu da sorma.
Halime üzülmüyor da soruyorsun, Nereliyim sorma canımı yakıyorsun.
Hangi köydenim diye boş yere sorma, Beni sevmiyorsan eğer bunu da sorma.
Ben İzmir’denim Atina tesellim olsa, Biri çıksa sevse de sarılsa bana.
Hangi köydenim diye boş yere sorma, Beni sevmiyorsan eğer bunu da sorma.