That day won't be late (Manos Loizos, 1980)

Manos Loizos

riginaly from Cyprus, born in 1937 Alexandria, Egypt, lived in Greece and died young in Moscow in 1982, Manos Loizos was a diamond of Greek music [see also previous post for another of his songs]. His songs are simple and beautiful. His political action (with the Greek Communist Party) especially the 7 years of dictatorship (1967-73) put him to a lot of trouble but he always remained a low profile musician and people loved his songs. There is a presence of elegance along with simplicity at all his works and this make them seem easy listening. However, there is a fight of a whole generation engrained in them. With a strong political view as well as with emotions. In the next one? Hope.

That day won't be late

lyrics: Fontas Ladis

music: Manos Loizos

vocals: Manos Loizos & Dimitra Galani

That day won't be late

when I'll see you again in front of me.

The sunlight will be broken

and you will be running towards me.

Your forehead will be spreading

golden rain in the sky

and your nice face

will be paler than the moon.

And when our heatrs will become one

everything will be shinning differently

and the whole old world

will be vanished in our shades.

That day won't be late,

my hunted bird,

the West once took you away,

the East is bringing you back.

Candles (Konstantinos P. Kavafis, 1899)

A Christian worshiper holds a candle inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher during a Good Friday procession in Jerusalem's Old City.

April 2, 2010. (REUTERS/Baz Ratner)

Κεριά

Του μέλλοντος οι μέρες στέκοντ' εμπροστά μας
σα μιά σειρά κεράκια αναμένα -
χρυσά, ζεστά, και ζωηρά κεράκια.
Οι περασμένες μέρες πίσω μένουν,
μια θλιβερή γραμμή κεριών σβησμένων·
τα πιο κοντά βγάζουν καπνόν ακόμη,
κρύα κεριά, λιωμένα, και κυρτά.
Δεν θέλω να τα βλέπω· με λυπεί η μορφή των,
και με λυπεί το πρώτο φως των να θυμούμαι.
Εμπρός κυττάζω τ' αναμένα μου κεριά.
Δεν θέλω να γυρίσω να μη διω και φρίξω
τι γρήγορα που η σκοτεινή γραμμή μακραίνει,

τι γρήγορα που τα σβυστά κεριά πληθαίνουν.

Κωνσταντίνος Π. Καβάφης

Candles

Days to come stand in front of us,
like a row of burning candles -
golden, warm, and vivid candles.
Days past fall behind us,
a gloomy line of burnt-out candles;
the nearest are still smoking,
cold, melted, and bent.
I don't want to look at them: their shape saddens me,
and it saddens me to remember their original light.
I look ahead at my burning candles.
I don't want to turn, don't want to see, terrified,
how quickly that dark line gets longer,
how quickly one more dead candle joins another.

Konstantinos P. Kavafis, 1899

A beautiful poem by Konstantinos P. Kavafis (bio here). Remember the one for the city that he also wrote. Very important guy.

Happy Easter and greets from a small Balkan city that is at its best this time of the year... When back to base, a very special song is coming.