GREEK POEM PORTOKALENIA BY ODYSSEUS ELYTIS

"for his poetry, which, against the background of Greek tradition, depicts with sensuous strength and intellectual clear-sightedness modern man's struggle for freedom and creativeness"

THE ORANGE GIRL

She became so intoxicated by the sun's juice
That she bowed her head and consented
Slowly slowly to become: the little Orange Girl !

And so while the seven skies glittered with blue
And so while the crystals touched a fire
And so while swallow-tails flashed
Angels above were bewildered and girls below
Storks above were bewildered and peacocks below
And all gathered together and saw her together
And all together called her: the little Orange Girl !

Vineshoots and scorpions reel drunkenly the whole world is drunk
But the sting of dawn will not leave pain alone
The dwarf heron says it amid the earthworms
The drip-drop of water says it amid golden moments
And the dew says it to the lips of the good North Wind:

Get up O small small small Orange Girl !
No one knows you as the kiss knows you
Nor does the laughing god know you
Who with his hand open to the flaming glare of the sun
Exposes you naked before his thirty-two winds




Odysseus Elytis, recipient of the 1979 Nobel Prize for Literature, was born to a wealthy family in Iraklion, Crete. His original name was Odysseus Alepoudhelis. He used the pseudonym to distinguish his writing from the family soap manufaturing business. He attended the University of Athens School of Law, but he dropped out to pursue his literary career. He later worked for the newspaper KATHIMERINI. Following World War II he worked for the National Broadcasiting Institute.


Nicknamed "the sun-drinking poet," Elytis' work reflects the influence of the French Surrealism movement. His first volume of poetry, PROSANATOLISMOI (ORIENTATIONS), was published when he was 29. He gained an international reputation with ASTHMA IROIKA KE PENTHIMO GHIA TON HAMENO ANTHIPOLOCHAGO TIS ALVANIS (HEROIC AND ELEGIAC SONG FOR THE LOST SECOND LIEUTENANT OF THE ALBANIAN CAMPAIGN). He was the first Greek to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Odysseus Elytis died in Athens, Greece in 1996.

CHRONOLOGY

1911 He was born in Iraklion, Crete.
1914 He moved with his family to Athens.
1930 He began attending the University of Athens School of Law.


1940 PROSANATOLISMOI (ORIENTATIONS); He was drafted into the Greek army.


1941 He joined the antifascist resistance in Albania.


1943 ASTHMA IROIKA KE PENTHIMO GHIA TON HAMENO ANTHIPOLOCHAGO TIS ALVANIS (HEROIC AND ELEGIAC SONG FOR THE LOST SECOND LIEUTENANT OF THE ALBANIAN CAMPAIGN); ILIOS OF PROTOS, MAZI ME TIS PARALLAYIES SE MIAN AHTIDHA (SUN THE FIRST, TOGETHER WITH VARIATIONS OF A SUNBEAM)


1948 He moved to Paris.


1953 He returned to Greece.


1959 TO AXION ESTI (THE AXION ESTI OF ODYSSEUS ELITIS)


1960 EXI KE MIA TIPSIS YIA TON OURANO (SIX AND ONE REMORSES FOR THE SKY); He was awarded the National Prize in Poetry.


1971 O ILIOS O ILIATORES (THE SOVEREIGN SUN); TO MONOGHRAMMA (THE MONOGRAM); TO FOTODENDRO KE I DEKATI TETARTI OMORFIA (THE LIGHT TREE AND THE FOURTEENTH BEAUTY)


1972 TA RO TOU EROTA


1974 TA ETEROTHALI; ANIHTA HARTIA; THE STEPCHILDREN; I MAYIIA TOU PAPADHIAMANDI


1978 MARIA NEFELI (MARIA NEPHELE)


1979 He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.


1981 ODYSSEUS ELYTIS: SELECTED POEMS; ODYSSEUS ELYTIS: ANALOGIES OF LIGHT


1986 WHAT I LOVE: SELECTED POEMS; HO MIKROS NAUTILOS (THE LITTLE MARINER)


1995 OPEN PAPERS


1996 He died in Athens, Greece. (March 18)


1997 COLLECTED POEMS


1998 EROS, EROS, EROS: SELECTED AND LAST POEMS

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[granojet]

I am traying to find this poem in spanish, but i haven't finded yet...if someone knows were it is or wich web site, please tell me. Ego matheno ellinika, kai thelo na exo afto to poiima

[Teocalli75]

Très belle illustration de la poésie d'Elytis.

Venez partager dans mon Groupe sur les écrits grecs. A bientôt. Teocalli.

[deickos]

it is so exciting and almost incredible to see how people outside Greece can appreciate poems like this one...

[LordEizen]

no entiendo nada pero me gusta como suena =) parece elfico xD

[GRYannisGR]

ΩΡΑΙΟΟΟ

[richardsaxecoburg]

@VaginaDieBreite I thnk what you say is very true, it is a wonderful language and he is a great poet, im only just getting the hang of sanskrit so wont get round to learning greek for sometime, but i recently got George Seferis 'On the Greek Style', a collection of his essay and hope that will shed some light on the subject too. Thanks for your comment!

[VaginaDieBreite]

@ravinderchumber 2. It is a big difference in the way express and emphasise a word.For example with one emphasy the word can be something beautiful,with another emphasy the word can have an insulting effect.And its like this with every single word, with every sentence.Here we have a short poem but Elytis have some poems,on which you need over 15 minutes to read them completely.The greek language is very emotional,to understand the poems,you need to know the history of Greece.

[VaginaDieBreite]

@ravinderchumber When someone translates the poems of Elytis, he knows that he loses much of the flair of the text. You can't translate it one on one. The thing is, that when describe something in english (and all other european languages, except greek)you can do it with many sentences, they all mean the same. In the greek language you have one sentence and it can mean 100 different things. It is nearly impossible to understand such a poem how it is.

[richardsaxecoburg]

too true ravinderchumber, he is great, ive learnt greek just to read him in the original, alos try George Seferis, a contemporary of Elytis, brilliant also, such a shame europe only cares about the ancient greeks, i learn about both these great poets from a Sanskrit master in India! they are more respected there than in western europe i feel. Just keep spreading the word to places like facebook and twitter.

[ravinderchumber]

I have read al his works in English and only regret i dont know any Gree, such wonderful words can only be compared to the magic of Dylan Thomas. A wonderful poet, how sad more English speakers dont know of him, he is a really GREAT poet.

[periman2]

super! portokalenia...

[manostheonlystrong]

Iam from greece..That's doesnt matter.I really be very touched when i hear gyes from the other side of the world cause countries are to separate peaple.You must be really touched who was not Greek but who passed such a man to humanity.

[Veltanschaung]

Deserved the Novel Prize for Literature in 1979--and always!

[dimagogos]

The beauty of a language perfectly expressed by this poem of Elytis, via the perfect recitation of this video.

[godwratherror]

elytis is awesome, ritsos is even better

[Iocco1]

AWESOME VIDEO!!!!

[wordchain]

No one knows you as the kiss knows you...

Wow...BEAUTIFUL.

[zeena61]

Absolutely awesome. Beautiful and melodic recitation.

[prioni22]

τέλειο

[mishedmashed71]

beautiful