Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Light of the Morning Star


Hand me some spearmint to smell,
some verbena and some basil,
with these to kiss you, but what shall I first recall.
The cistern with the doves, the archangel's sword,
the orchard with the stars and the deep well?

The nights I strolled you
across the other end of the sky
and watched you ascend,
like the sister of the morning star?

Marina, green star,
Marina, light of the morning star,
Marina of mine, wild dove and
lily of the summertime.



The poem Marina by Odysseas Elytis was put into music by Mikis Theodorakis and sung by  Soula Birbili.

14 comments:

  1. Beautiful! Thanks E.
    xox

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  2. A very evocative poem. Thank you for sharing it.

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  3. spankysparkle03:50

    One of my favorite Elytis poems. What perfume comes to mind when you read thsi?

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  4. This is beautiful and I am grateful that you shared it with us.

    Thanks...

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  5. This is so beautiful!
    Thank you ! xox jean

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  6. C,

    thanks. Of course I believe it's even more beautiful in Greek, poetry does lose in translation.
    Glad to hear from you!

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  7. Erika,

    thank you for saying so, I love Elytis's poetry. It's so crisp and gives meaning with carefully chosen symbolism and allusions.

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  8. Spanky,

    great to hear so, Marina of the Rocks is also a favorite, is it yours too?

    I always think of Herba Fresca when I think of herbal things smelled in a Greek setting or older Diptyque fragrances before the brand became too "cool & hip". ;)

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  9. Phyllis,

    you're welcome, glad it has sparked enjoyment and appreciation from you.

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  10. Jean,

    thanks honey for saying so, you're most welcome.
    If you don't know Elytis poems, I recommend you search them out, they have been beautifully translated (better than here!) in English.

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  11. spankysparkle18:30

    I do own Herba Fresca always thought Marina of the Rocks would be a wonderful name for a perfume especially if it really captured the vision in my head.

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  12. S,

    ah, see?? :-)

    Yes, Marina of the Rocks is an amazing name for perfume!! (I always remember the commercial for Total yoghurt, remember? with the sea splashing on the rock: "you have a taste of tempest on your lips")

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  13. Anonymous06:46

    What a soulful voice (goosebumps). Perfect for this poem. Thank you for bringing it to our attention.

    Greetings from Vienna
    Gina

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  14. Belated thanks Gina! The singer is indeed a great one.

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