Interpretation of “I talk about you” by Thanasis Papakonstantinou

2024-11-04

In this entry, I translate and then comment on a wonderful Greek song produced by Thanasis Papakonstantinou. The original performance is by Melina Kana: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Mx3siDKz-I. Though for the love of all that is musical, listen from start to end to this sensational live performance with Matoula Zamani: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHLqVSk5tzk.

Below is the original version, followed by my faithful translation, and subsequent commentary.

Μιλώ για σένα

Εμρηνεία:  Μελίνα Κανά
Στίχοι:    Θανάσης Παπακωνσταντίνου
Μουσική:   Θανάσης Παπακωνσταντίνου


Μιλώ με τα ψηλά τ'απάτητα βουνά
και τους μιλώ για σένα
πως έχεις ομορφιά και φρύδια τοξωτά
σαν πέτρινα γεφύρια

Και μ'απάντησαν:
Τα γεφύρια χορταριάζουν
Άμοιρη ψυχή μην ξεγελαστείς

Μιλώ με τ'ουρανού τα μαύρα σύννεφα
και τους μιλώ για σένα
πως όταν περπατάς, γλυκά όπου πατάς
η στέρφα γη ανθίζει

Και μ'απάντησαν:
Η γη ανθίζει εκεί που θέλει
Άμοιρη ψυχή μην ξεγελαστείς

Μιλώ με τις πηγές που ζούνε μοναχές
και τους μιλώ για σένα
πως όταν με κοιτάς, σαν λες πως μ'αγαπάς
αγγέλοι φτερουγίζουν

Και μ'απάντησαν:
Είναι χάρτινοι οι αγγέλοι
Άμοιρη ψυχή μην ξεγελαστείς

I talk about you

Singer:  Melina Kana
Lyrics:  Thanasis Papakonstantinou
Music:   Thanasis Papakonstantinou


I talk with the tall untrodden mountains
and I tell them about you
that you have beauty and arched eyebrows
like stone bridges

And they replied to me:
Bridges become grassy
Hapless soul do not be deceived

I talk with the sky's black clouds
and I tell them about you
that when you walk, sweetly where you step
the arid land blossoms

And they replied to me:
The land blossoms where it wants
Hapless soul do not be deceived

I talk with the springs that live alone
and I tell them about you
that when you stare at me, while saying you love me
angels flutter their wings

And they replied to me:
The angels are made out of paper
Hapless soul do not be deceived

What these natural magnitudes are warning the poetic “I” about is to not put anyone on a pedestal. It is easy to be thoroughly impressed by someone, especially when you do not know them well. In your imagination you are filling in the blanks: they simply are dreamy; faultless even. What life teaches us though, often the hard way, is that people are imperfect. We cannot expect anyone to live up to a godly standard. Doing so sets us up for disappointment and suffering.

Imperfection is neither bad nor undesirable. It is another way of acknowledging that an individual excels in some areas over others. This is how we get someone who is at once an outstanding musician and incompetent accountant. Nature has made it such that we are diverse. All forms are subject to differentiation, with no two being identical. We find our role in society, through the division of labour, and make strong bonds with those we resonate more with. We are picky because we are thus disposed.

Expecting someone to be immaculate means to deny them the chance to express their individuality, with all its peculiarities. It is to assume that they are not a person with strengths and weaknesses; with a talent for some things but not all of them. It also is a misunderstanding of love as a purely blissful experience. The world is one of admixture, where there is no pure instantiating of the ideals we infer out of the patterns we discern, such as beauty, harmony, love, and so on.

What we experience is an amalgamation of diverse phenomena, such as instances of joy followed by times of grief. Life is about the concatenation of those moments and their distillation into a nuanced impression of what has transpired. It is balanced, once considered holistically.

It is against this backdrop that I find unconvincing any precept that applies a godly criterion to the person. When Lao Zi tells us how “sages” should behave, or when the New Testament expects us to follow the example of Jesus, ostensibly the absolute God incarnate, we are presented with a moral code that we can never fully apply day-by-day while being human. We might be inspired to act in certain ways, but we cannot be either the personification of Dao or the almighty God.

To be human is to be imperfect. Rather than feel guilty about this natural constant, we may find solace in the application of principles that are consistent with our actuality. With common sense and practical reasonableness, we can be conscious of our limitations, moderate in our actions, excited about our love affairs, intolerant of tyrants, and mindful of the fleeting reality of all we cherish.