I have really enjoyed watching Netflix’s The Sandman. There’s a song in episode 5 of season 2 that Orpheus sings to Hades, and it has a hauntingly beautiful sound. The song is in Greek, but the sub-titles on the Netflix show are in English. I studied Greek as part of my Theology studies, but obviously we focused on Greek from the Bible, so I was keen to try and read it in the original. Some of this is modern Greek, however, and I’m sure there are mistakes - if you can let me know I’d be grateful.
The Song of Orpheus
| Poetic English (subtitle) | Sung Greek + Transliteration | Literal English |
|---|---|---|
| I sing you a song of love | Τραγούθω ἕνα τραγουδί | I sing a song |
| Tragouthō hena tragoudí, | ||
| About my fair Eurydice | γιατί νομίζω Εὐρυδίκη | about the beautiful Eurydice |
| giatí nomízo Evridíki | ||
| Who last night in the world above | Φούχτες τὸ ἔρημο πήρε, | Grasping the empty space, |
| Foúchtes tò érimo píre, | ||
| Took my hand and married me | ἀνόπενε πάντρε τύχε | luck’s a married man |
| anópenes pántre týche | ||
| Eternal love we both professed | Ἀγάπημα σύλλωσε με, | love we declared |
| Agápima sýllose me, | ||
| We danced until she fell upon | τὰ πιόπα με ὀράδια με | the people with joy |
| tà piópa me orádia me | ||
| A serpent lying in its nest | ἀλλὰ πάτησε ἕνα φίδι | but she stepped on a snake |
| Allá pátise éna fídi | ||
| And all at once my love was gone | ἀπάνειου Εὐρυδίκη | vanished Eurydice |
| Apáneihou Evridiki | ||
| I know our mortal lives are brief | θεοῦ ὑπάρχω πολὺ καιρό | of god I exist for a long time |
| Theoú ypárcho polý kairó | ||
| And that I should be grateful | ἀλλὰ εὐγνωμονεῖ εἶμαι | but grateful I am |
| Allá evgnomoní eímai | ||
| To the gods in spite of all my grief | στους Θεούς παρά την θλίψη μου | to the gods despite my sorrow |
| Stous Theoús pará tin thlípsi mou | ||
| But love has brought me here to you | ἡ ἀγάπη μὲ ἔφερε ἐδῶ | love brought me here |
| I agápi me éfere edó | ||
| To ask what no sane man would dare | νὰ τὸν λιθαβε σοῦ ζητήσω | to you ask/beg that favour |
| Na ton lithave sou zitíso | ||
| And beg you to her soul restore | ἐπιστέψτε μου τὴν ψυχή της | give back to me her soul |
| Epistépste mou tin psychí tis | ||
| So she may leave and we may share | καὶ θὰ ζοῦμε μιὰ αἰέναη | and we will live an eternal one |
| Kai tha zoúme mia aénai | ||
| A lifetime or an hour more | μιὰ ζωή καὶ μιὰ ὥρα | one life and one hour |
| Mia zoí kai mia óra | ||