The ballad of mr. Mentios Versions: #1#2 These shabby legs won’t bend and ache the darned hobble once and hobble twice through life’s misery. Daylong toil, ruffian toil! everyone beating: masters, slaves; everyone: slaves, master; and left me starving, and left me starving. Up the village, down the village uphill, downhill with heat and rain till lassitude overflowed the soul. Twenty years old burro I’ve carried a whole pit and built, on the entryway, the village’s church, the village’s church. [Refrain] Giddyap victim, giddyap sucker giddyap eternal symbol! Forthwith you waken the world will flip over, the world will flip over. And paired with the ox -different stature and different gait- I ploughed in ravines the master’s acres. And during war all in all I carried machine guns for populaces to get killed for the master’s food, for the master’s food. [Refrain]… Behold, the others have set about and the creation has turned red and another sun has risen in another sea another land [Refrain]… The whole poem as written by K. Varnalis These shabby legs won’t bend and ache the darned hobble once and hobble twice through life’s misery. Daylong toil, ruffian toil! everyone beating: masters, slaves; everyone: slaves, master and left me starving. The children, the good children, competed in childhood, with stones at the underbelly fistfuls of flies at the bollocks! Up the village, down the village uphill, downhill with heat and rain till lassitude overflowed the soul. Twenty years old burro I’ve carried a whole pit and built, on the entryway, the village’s church. And paired with the ox -different stature and different gait- I ploughed in ravines the master’s acres. And during war all in all I carried machine guns for populaces to get killed for the master’s food. And for this rascal I carried the bride and her dowry a mountain, her honour sky-reaching! But me, to a peg they tied me during May in the bare field to bray, to lament. And the priest with his belly took me for his work and spoke to me waggling: ― “Christ rode you! Work to replete the whole Homeland and the Few. Don’t ask how or why, seek the virtue!” ― “I can’t bear it! I’ll fall down!” ― “Be chagrined! The forefathers be chagrined!” ― “I’m nauseous!... I’m hungry!...” ― “Hush! You’ll eat in heaven!” And I thought: when one day old age gets the upper hand I’ll too rest the God’s jument! No beating! No packing! They’ll give me a corner, some drink and hay, pension for so many years! And when a good night I kick the bucket and breathe my last (a puff! that’s life) may my soul rush in Abram’s(Abraham) warm embrace, his white, strawish beard to kiss!... I grew old and as I was of no use and was a rumbling rotter, they threw me away for the beasts to eat me. I grovelled my ass off and found Saint Francis in the cave: ― “Hail true light and protector of animals! Save old mr Menti from Master’s injustice you who taught mr wolf to become a lamb! The brutal master make, make him human out of a wolf!...” But with this talk he shut door and ear on me. Then a black snake, sticks out its' forked tongue behind the brushwood and judders it wittily: ― “Jackasses and plebes prey for light to heavens, but gods and foul fiends are not there rather than here. If it’s justice you pant, my old fruit, with the justice of war you’ll find it. Whoever desires freedom, takes a sword. Don’t strike your brother - but your master the earless! And to (the products of) your own sweat you be the master. Giddy up victim, giddy up sucker giddy up eternal symbol! If you wake up all at once the world will flip over, Behold! The others have set about and the creation has turned red and another sun has risen over another sea, another land
Ανωχώρι κατωχώρι ανηφόρι κατηφόρι και με κάμα και βροχή ώσπου μου `βγαινε η ψυχή Είκοσι χρονώ γομάρι σήκωσα όλο το νταμάρι κι έχτισα στην εμπασιά του χωριού την εκκλησιά του χωριού την εκκλησιά
Δεν λυγάνε τα ξεράδια και πονάνε τα ρημάδια κούτσα μια και κούτσα δυο στης ζωής το ρημαδιό Μεροδούλι ξενοδούλι δέρναν ούλοι οι αφέντες δούλοι ούλοι δούλοι αφεντικό και μ’ αφήναν νηστικό και μ’ αφήναν νηστικό
The ballad of mr. Mentios
Versions: #1#2
These shabby legs won’t bend
and ache the darned
hobble once and hobble twice
through life’s misery.
Daylong toil, ruffian toil!
everyone beating: masters, slaves;
everyone: slaves, master;
and left me starving,
and left me starving.
Up the village, down the village
uphill, downhill
with heat and rain
till lassitude overflowed the soul.
Twenty years old burro
I’ve carried a whole pit
and built, on the entryway,
the village’s church,
the village’s church.
[Refrain]
Giddyap victim, giddyap sucker
giddyap eternal symbol!
Forthwith you waken
the world will flip over,
the world will flip over.
And paired with the ox
-different stature and different gait-
I ploughed in ravines
the master’s acres.
And during war all in all
I carried machine guns
for populaces to get killed
for the master’s food,
for the master’s food.
[Refrain]…
Behold, the others have set about
and the creation has turned red
and another sun has risen
in another sea another land
[Refrain]…
The whole poem as written by K. Varnalis
These shabby legs won’t bend
and ache the darned
hobble once and hobble twice
through life’s misery.
Daylong toil, ruffian toil!
everyone beating: masters, slaves;
everyone: slaves, master
and left me starving.
The children, the good children,
competed in childhood,
with stones at the underbelly
fistfuls of flies at the bollocks!
Up the village, down the village
uphill, downhill
with heat and rain
till lassitude overflowed the soul.
Twenty years old burro
I’ve carried a whole pit
and built, on the entryway,
the village’s church.
And paired with the ox
-different stature and different gait-
I ploughed in ravines
the master’s acres.
And during war all in all
I carried machine guns
for populaces to get killed
for the master’s food.
And for this rascal
I carried the bride
and her dowry a mountain,
her honour sky-reaching!
But me, to a peg
they tied me during May
in the bare field
to bray, to lament.
And the priest with his belly
took me for his work
and spoke to me waggling:
― “Christ rode you!
Work to replete
the whole Homeland and the Few.
Don’t ask how or why,
seek the virtue!”
― “I can’t bear it! I’ll fall down!”
― “Be chagrined! The forefathers be chagrined!”
― “I’m nauseous!... I’m hungry!...”
― “Hush! You’ll eat in heaven!”
And I thought: when one day
old age gets the upper hand
I’ll too rest
the God’s jument!
No beating! No packing!
They’ll give me a corner,
some drink and hay,
pension for so many years!
And when a good night
I kick the bucket
and breathe my last
(a puff! that’s life)
may my soul rush
in Abram’s(Abraham) warm embrace,
his white, strawish
beard to kiss!...
I grew old and as I was of no use
and was a rumbling rotter,
they threw me away
for the beasts to eat me.
I grovelled my ass off and found
Saint Francis in the cave:
― “Hail true light
and protector of animals!
Save old mr Menti
from Master’s injustice
you who taught mr wolf
to become a lamb!
The brutal master make,
make him human out of a wolf!...”
But with this talk
he shut door and ear on me.
Then a black snake,
sticks out its' forked tongue
behind the brushwood
and judders it wittily:
― “Jackasses and plebes
prey for light to heavens,
but gods and foul fiends
are not there rather than here.
If it’s justice you pant, my old fruit,
with the justice of war
you’ll find it. Whoever desires
freedom, takes a sword.
Don’t strike your brother -
but your master the earless!
And to (the products of) your own sweat
you be the master.
Giddy up victim, giddy up sucker
giddy up eternal symbol!
If you wake up all at once
the world will flip over,
Behold! The others have set about
and the creation has turned red
and another sun has risen
over another sea, another land
Ανωχώρι κατωχώρι ανηφόρι κατηφόρι
και με κάμα και βροχή ώσπου μου `βγαινε η ψυχή
Είκοσι χρονώ γομάρι σήκωσα όλο το νταμάρι
κι έχτισα στην εμπασιά του χωριού την εκκλησιά
του χωριού την εκκλησιά
Δεν λυγάνε τα ξεράδια και πονάνε τα ρημάδια
κούτσα μια και κούτσα δυο στης ζωής το ρημαδιό
Μεροδούλι ξενοδούλι δέρναν ούλοι οι αφέντες δούλοι
ούλοι δούλοι αφεντικό και μ’ αφήναν νηστικό
και μ’ αφήναν νηστικό