The word "meraki" - translatings rebetiko words
elkibra
Dear friends,
Let me tell you once more that I believe it´s fantastic that Rebetiko
gets more and more friends and that all of you go deeper and deeper
into the magic of this music.
I only feel it´s a pitty that the Greek language is a barrier so that
you miss a lot of small but important details in order to get a better
understanding of the songs but, first of all, the codes of the 30´s
orgasmic song production.
I still have in my hands my Lexikon of Rebetiko which I call
Dictionary of the Thoracian People. The word Thorax in this case has
to do with the distinction between Heart and Mind.
I hope that it will be printed up to February 2011 (it took such a
long time…). Up to then I had the idea of start giving you details
about different words having importance in Rebetiko lyrics. I´m
starting, using my bad English, with the word meraki.
meraki (μεράκι το)(+= still in use)(Turk. Merak)
Versatile and important word with various meanings.
1. distress, anxiety, agony, remembrance, ecstasy after drinking or
getting drugs.
2. (newer meanings) curiosity, enthousiasm, interest for something,
hobby, prepossession, tendency, strong wish
“μεράκι νιώθω στην καρδιά, πίκρα, καημό και πόνο” ( = I have a meraki
in my heart, bitterness, grief and pain)|”μες την ταβέρνα ως το πρωί
ρουφούμε, έτσι ξεχνούμε τους καημούς, τα ντέρτια, τα μεράκια”( = we
sup up in the taverna up to the down instead of forgetting our
grieves, pains and merakia (plural)|”αρρώστησα και δε μπορώ και λειώνω
απ΄το μεράκι”( = I got sick, I can´t manage it and I melt from my
merak – from a song talking about tuberculosis)|”το μαυράκι μου το
βγάζει το μεράκι” ( = the grass releases me from meraki )|”είμ΄απόψε
στα μεράκια και γουστάρω να τα πιώ” ( = I´m in a good mood tonight and
I have a wish to drink)|μπαίνω/είμαι /έρχομαι στα μεράκια/σπάζω μεράκι
( = I get into an ecstasy mood after wine drinking or drugs or simply,
into a special mood of melancholy or happiness) : και απάνω στο
μεράκι, βάζει χέρι στο μαυράκι” ( = and during the meraki mood he´s
taking the weed) |”Έλα βρε Μαρίτσα, δως σε μένα τα φιλάκια σου, να σε
κάνω να ξεχάσεις όλα τα μεράκια σου” (Come to me Marika, give me your
kisses and I´ll make you forget all your merakia = pains, problems,
grieves) |”το ξεκρέμασα κι απόψε το παλιό μου μπουζουκάκι για να
σπάσουμε μεράκι με μι’ αγάπη μου παλιά”( = I got my old bouzouki
tonight instead of breaking meraki with an old love of mine) |
merakladan μερακλαντάν), artificial and decadent word (used already
1936) with some irony as it copies en ending reminding the French
language: “ο ρεμπέτης είναι μάγκας και παιδί μερακλαντάν” ( = rebetis
is a dude and a merakladan guy)
meraklis (μερακλής) (masc.), meraklou (μερακλού), meraklidissa
(μερακλίδισσα) (fem.)(Turk. Merakli) ” The individual who is after
knowledge, is observing and has a restless spirit.
1. an individual with cultural roots, life experience, the one who
observes by his intuition the sensible relations among things, human
beings and other phenomena (Zahos). A short of popular philosopher :
”Εγώ ΄μαι βρε μιά μερακλού και θέλω μάγκα γιαβουκλού” ( = I am a
meraklou and I want a dude as a boy friend) |”η μικρή μου γκομενίτσα,
μερκλίδισσα η μουσίτσα, ήξερε ποιά είν΄ωραία και με ήθελε κουρέα” ( =
my little sweetheart knew what was profitable and she wanted me to be
a barber)
2. (in relation to wishes, capacities). The individual who cares and
look after qualities even in the simplest things in life, making
coffee for example, and the preparation or construction of a certain
object which can give satisfaction to the soul, but even in sexual
relations : “ο μερακλής ο άνθρωπος πονεί μα δε το λέει κι αν
τραγουδάει, ψεύτη ντουνιά, μέσα η καρδιά του κλαίει” ( = the one who
is merklis can feel pain bu the does not reveal it and even if he
sings his heart is crying)
3. (free use of the word, always in relation to the already named) :
“κι όταν μπαίνω στον τεκέ βλέπω τρία μεράκια, τρεις κοπέλες όμορφες να
πίνουν τσιμπουκάκια” ( = when I go into the teké I see three merakia,
three nice girls smoking a pipe).
meraklidikos (μερακλίδικος), adj. : “παπούτσια μερακλίδικα από τα
παλιατζίδικα πήγαινε και κανόνιζε, δυό ζευγαράκια ψώνιζε” ( = she went
to the flee market and bought two meraklidika pair of shoes)
meraklono, merakiono, – omai, (μερακλώνω, μερακιώνω -ομαι) v. (come
into a good mood – see meraki- or fall into a nostalgic mood)
1. “όταν παίζω ταξιμάκι μερακλώνω, τη πατρίδα μου θυμάμαι κι όλο
λειώνω” ( = when I play a taximi (= musical improvisation and
introduktion to a song) meraklono, I remember my country and I just
smell) |”να μερακλωθεί κι ο Χάρος και ν΄αρχίσει το χορό” ( = let the
Charon (Death) meraklothei and start dancing).
meraklidika (μερακλίδικα), adv.
The_Walrus
When my baglama was delivered, there was a note with it from the
luthier, saying that it had been made with special meraki. I knew
roughly what he meant, but there was quite a lot more to it, as you
have shown.
levantis
but friends, mavro is black and used for hash, not for grass/
marihuana.
The_Walrus schrieb:
Kostas Ladopoulos (elkibra)
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