Translation of the song Νοσταλγία (Nostalyía) artist Kostas Karyotakis

Μεσ᾿ ἀπὸ τὸ βάθος τῶν καλῶν καιρῶν

From the depth of good times

οἱ ἀγάπες μας πικρὰ μᾶς χαιρετᾶνε.

our loves greet us bitterly

Δὲν ἀγαπᾷς καὶ δὲ θυμᾶσαι, λές.

You’re not in love, you say, and you don’t remember.

κι ἂν φούσκωσαν τὰ στήθη κι ἂν δακρύζεις

And if your heart has filled and you shed the tears

ποὺ δὲν μπορεῖς νὰ κλάψεις ὅπως πρῶτα,

that you couldn’t shed like you did at first,

δὲν ἀγαπᾷς καὶ δὲν θυμᾶσαι, ἂς κλαῖς.

you’re not in love and you don’t remember, even though you cry.

Ξάφνου θὰ ἰδεῖς δυὸ μάτια γαλανὰ

Suddenly you’ll see two blue eyes

-- πόσος καιρός! -- τὰ χάιδεψες μιὰ νύχτα·

- how long it’s been! - that you caressed one night;

καὶ σὰ ν᾿ ἀκοῦς ἐντός σου νὰ σαλεύει

as though inside yourself you hear

μιὰ συφορὰ παλιὰ καὶ νὰ ξυπνᾷ.

an old unhappiness stirring and waking up.

Θὰ στήσουνε μακάβριο τὸ χορὸ

These memories of time past

οἱ θύμησες στὰ περασμένα γύρω·

will begin their danse macabre;

καὶ θ᾿ ἀνθίσει στὸ βλέφαρο σὰν τότε

and like then, your bitter tear will

καὶ θὰ πέσει τὸ δάκρυ σου πικρό.

well up on your eyelid and fall.

Τὰ μάτια ποὺ κρεμοῦν -- ἥλιοι χλωμοί --

The eyes suspended - pale suns -

τὸ φῶς στὸ χιόνι της καρδιὰ καὶ λιώνει,

the light that thaws the frozen heart,

οἱ ἀγάπες ποὺ σαλεύουν πεθαμένες

the dead loves that begin to stir,

οἱ πρῶτοι ξανὰ ποὺ ἄναψαν καημοί...

the old sorrows that again ignite. . . .