Το Ντίρλι
Το Ντίρλι
Dirli
Cumulative Song
Cumulative Song
(Greek)
(English)
Ντίρλι, μωρέ, ντίρλι,
Ήρτανε ο ποντικός
Και 'πήρε το φυτίλι
Από 'μέσα αφ το καντήλι
Που φεγγε και 'κέντα
Η κορη το μαντήλι,
(ντίρλι, μωρέ, ντίρλι)
Το βράδυ στο καντήλι,
Που 'ταν του καλού της,
Τ'άγαπητικού της.
Ήρτενεν η γάτα
Και 'φαγε τον ποντικό,
Που 'πήρε το φυτίλι, κτλ.
ντίρλι, μωρέ, ντίρλι.
Ήρτενε κι ο σκύλος
Και 'πνίξε τη γάτα
Που 'φαγε, κτλ.
Επεσεν το ξύλό
Και 'σκότωσεν το σκύλο,
Που 'πνίξε τη γάτα
Που 'φαγε, κτλ.
Ήναψεν ο φούρνος
Και 'καψεν το ξύλο
Που 'σκότωσεν, κτλ.
Ήρτανε κι ο ποταμός
Και 'σβησεν το φούρνο
Πού 'καψε, κτλ.
Ήρτανε το βούδι
Κι ήπιενε το ποταμό
Που 'σβησεν, κτλ
Dirli, baby boy, dirli*,
The mouse came
And took the wick
Right out of the lamp,
Which shone where the girl
Was embroidering the handkerchief
(Dirli, baby boy, dirli,)
In the evening by the lamp,
To give to her sweetheart,
Her lover.
The cat came
And ate the mouse
That took the wick, etc.
Dirli, baby boy, dirli.
The dog came, too,
And strangled the cat
That ate, etc.
Down fell the stick
And killed the dog
That strangled the cat, etc.
Up blazed the oven
And burned the stick
That killed, etc.
The river came, too,
And put out the oven
That burned, etc.
There came the ox
And drank up the river
that put out, etc.
Notes
*Dirli is a nonsense word.
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Transliteration
To deerlee
Deerlee; more, deerlee
Eertane o pondeekos
Ke peere to feeteelee
Apo messa af to kandeelee
Poo fende ke kenda
Ee koree to mandeelee
(deerlee, more, deerlee)
To bradhee sto kandeelee
Poo tan too kalou tees
T'agapeeteekoo tees
Eertenen ee ghata
Poo faye ton pondeeko
Poo peere to feeteelee…
Deerlee, more, deerlee
Eertene ki o skeelos
Ke pneexe tee ghata
Poo faye …
Epessen to xeelo
Ke skotossen to skeelos
Poo pneexe…
Eenapsen o foornos
Ke kapsen to xeelo
Poo skotossen…
Eertane ki o potamos
Ke sveessen to foorno
Poo kapsen…
Eertane to voodhee
Kee eepyene to potamo
Poo sveessen…
"e" as in "red"
"dh" as in "the, this"
"gh" as a voiced "h", gargling sound without vibrations
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Comments
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Above we tried to modernize the Greek text (change of spelling officially adopted in: 1982). Below is the original ancient text we were given. 
We apologize for any errors in the modernized version and welcome corrections. Please email us with any modifications.
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Thanks and Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Thomy Verrou at the Institute for Balkan Studies in Greece for contributing and translating this song. Many thanks also to Monique Palomares for the transliteration and to Marietta Parianos for checking and helping with it.
Ευχαριστώ πολύ!
