SONG PRESENTATION

ERASMUS+ 2021-2023 “SUSTAINABLE TOURISM”

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May 2022

Filiro, Thessaloniki

GREECE

“Ena To Helidoni” �Just A Single Swallow��A poem from the famous poetic collection �“Axion Esti” �

Poet: Odysseas Elytis

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Composer: Mikis Theodorakis

Odysseas Elytis

The hyperrealist

(surrealist)

poet of the

Aegean Sea

and

the Greek spirit.

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One of the greatest poets of modern Greece.

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He was born in 1911 in Heraklion, Crete and when he was three years old, he and his family went to Athens.

“I spent too much wind to grow up…”

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He came in touch with significant Greek and international painters, poets and authors �who influenced his artistic expression.

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His significance was highlighted when he was awarded the Literature Nobel Prize in 1979.

Mikis Theodorakis

A Famous Greek Composer.

He was born in 1925 οn the island of Chios and he died in Athens in September of 2021.

He studied in conservatories in both Athens and Paris.

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A member of the wartime resistance, he remained active in politics, serving several times in the Greek Parliament.

As a Communist Party member, he was arrested during the 1967 military coup and was only released in 1970 under international pressure.

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He is best known outside Greece for his film scores, including Zorba the Greek (1964), Z (1969), and State of Siege (1972), but he also composed renowned concert music, including seven symphonies, four operas, ballets, and more than 1,000 songs.

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THE SONG

«Ena To Helidoni»

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Just A Single Swallow …

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Ένα Το Χελιδόνι

Ένα το χελιδόνι κι η άνοιξη ακριβή

για να γυρίσει ο ήλιος θέλει δουλειά πολλή

Θέλει νεκροί χιλιάδες να `ναι στους τροχούς

Θέλει κι οι ζωντανοί να δίνουν το αίμα τους.

Θε μου Πρωτομάστορα μ’ έχτισες μέσα στα βουνά

Θε μου Πρωτομάστορα μ’ έκλεισες μες στη θάλασσα!

Πάρθηκεν από μάγους το σώμα του Μαγιού

Το `χουνε θάψει σ’ ένα μνήμα του πέλαγου

σ’ ένα βαθύ πηγάδι το `χουνε κλειστό

μύρισε το σκοτάδι κι όλη η άβυσσος

Θε μου Πρωτομάστορα μέσα στις πασχαλιές και Συ

Θε μου Πρωτομάστορα μύρισες την Ανάσταση.

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ENGLISH TRANSLATION

• The translation of the poem’s lyrics cannot really depict the strength and intensity of Elytis’ words, because his words cannot be rendered into English easily.

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Just A Single Swallow

The body of May was taken away by Magicians

They have buried it inside a tomb of the open sea

They have sealed it up in a deep well

Its scent filled the darkness and all the abyss.

God, my Master builder, you too among the lilacs

God, my Master builder, you felt the scent of Resurrection

Just a single swallow, and the cost of Spring is dear

For the sun to return, much work is needed

It takes thousands dying at the wheels

it takes the living, also, giving their blood.

God, my Master builder, you built me inside the mountains

God, my Master builder, you enclosed me in the sea!

But what did our poet want to express with these words?

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• The poem was born from the painful experiences of the Greek nation throughout its history and wants to show the despair of the Greeks in the face of the murderous actions taking place during a war or an occupation.

• In these dramatic moments for the Greek nation it becomes clear that people must act collectively: “Just a single swallow” cannot bring the spring🡪 just a single man cannot bring liberty.

• War is universal, a common experience that should invite citizens to unite, to face the pain together and give together the most important struggle of their lives. And this desirable freedom takes a lot of work and blood, needs the sacrifice of many patriots.

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And What Do The Images Symbolize?

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The Greek who fights

LIBERTY

Our

HOPE

That Never Dies

The Greeks’ love for their country

Our Struggles

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• This type of songs, the ones based on famous poems set to music by emblematic composers, are typical of our country, which is a country whose Cultural Heritage to the World is widely known, including among others the birth of poetry that goes back to the ancient times of Homer.

• In other words, such poems have been inspired by the Greeks’ desire for freedom and justice, for which the Greek people has fought with exceptional courage quite a lot of times in the history of our nation.

• It’s no wonder why many of our poets have been nominated for the Nobel prize in Literature and two of our most renowned ones have been awarded this prize, namely Giorgos Seferis (1963) and Odysseas Elytis (1979). According to the Swedish Academy, Odysseas Elytis was awarded “for his poetry, which, against the backdrop of the Greek tradition, enlivens with sensual power and spiritual clarity of view the struggle of modern man for freedom and creativity.”

LET’S LISTEN TO THE SONG!

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CREATED BY

GEORGIA STAVRATI

&

DIMITRA POLITOU

PRESENTED

BY

KIKI KAPETANI,

ATHINA REGOPOULOU,

ILIANA SIGA