Aπό ξένο τόπο & Üsküdara Giderik'en - Greek & Turkish Song

This is a very common song in the region of the Eastern Mediterranean, with virtually ever culture there having a version in their language. The exact origin is uncertain, and while the angry nationalists in every culture ferociously claim its theirs, as evidenced by the documentary “Whose Song is This?”, it is most likely that it was, from the very beginning, a mixture from the cultural melting pot of the late Ottoman Empire, having emerged in the 19th century.

My arrangement features an oud, kanun, violin and accordion, all shared instruments within the Greco-Turkish musical continuum.

Lyrics in Greek and translation:
Aπό ξένο τόπο κι απ' αλαργινό
ήρθ' ένα κορίτσι, φως μου, δεκαοχτώ χρονώ'.

Ούτε στην πόρτα βγαίνει ούτε στο στενό
ούτε στο παραθύρι, φως μου, δυο λόγια να της πω.

Έχει μαύρα μάτια και σγουρά μαλλιά
και στο μάγουλό του, φως μου, έχει μιαν ελιά.

Δε μου τη δανείζεις δεν μου την πουλάς
την ελίτσα που 'χεις, φως μου, και με τυραννάς.

Δε σου τη δανείζω, δεν σου την πουλώ
μόν' να τη χαρίσω θέλω σε κείνον π' αγαπώ.

From a foreign and distant place,
There came a girl, my light, 18 years old,

She doesn't come out into the door or the alley
Nor to my window, my light, to tell her a couple of words

She has black eyes and curly hair,
And on her cheek, she has a beauty spot

Won’t you lend your beauty spot to me, won’t you sell it to me?

I won’t lend it to you, I won’t sell it to you,
I want to keep it and let it torture you

Turkish lyrics and translation:
Üsküdar'a gider iken aldı da bir yağmur.
Kâtibimin setresi uzun, eteği çamur.

Kâtip uykudan uyanmış, gözleri mahmur.
Kâtip benim, ben kâtibin, el ne karışır?
Kâtibime kolalı da gömlek ne güzel yaraşır!

Üsküdar'a gider iken bir mendil buldum.
Mendilimin içine (de) lokum doldurdum.

Kâtibimi arar iken yanımda buldum.
Kâtip benim, ben kâtibin, el ne karışır?
Kâtibime kolalı da gömlek ne güzel yaraşır!

While going to Üsküdar, it began to rain
My scribe's frock coat is long, the tail of their coat is muddy

The scribe has been awoken from sleep, their eyes are bleary

The scibe is mine, I'm the scribe's, why do others interfer?
How the starched shirt fits to my scribe

While going to Üsküdar, I found a handkerfchief
I put Lokum in my handkerchief and fed it to him
While I was looking for my scribe, I found him nearby

[faryafaraji]

This is a very common song in the region of the Eastern Mediterranean, with virtually ever culture there having a version in their language. The exact origin is uncertain, and while the angry nationalists in every culture ferociously claim it’s theirs, as evidenced by the documentary “Whose Song is This?”, it is most likely that it was, from the very beginning, a mixture from the cultural melting pot of the late Ottoman Empire, having emerged in the 19th century. The melody is well known for having been used in the Boney M song “Rasputin.”

My arrangement features an oud, kanun, violin, santouri and accordion, all shared instruments within the Greco-Turkish musical continuum.

Lyrics in Greek and translation:
Aπό ξένο τόπο κι απ' αλαργινό
ήρθ' ένα κορίτσι, φως μου, δεκαοχτώ χρονώ'.

Ούτε στην πόρτα βγαίνει ούτε στο στενό
ούτε στο παραθύρι, φως μου, δυο λόγια να της πω.

Έχει μαύρα μάτια και σγουρά μαλλιά
και στο μάγουλό του, φως μου, έχει μιαν ελιά.

Δε μου τη δανείζεις δεν μου την πουλάς
την ελίτσα που 'χεις, φως μου, και με τυραννάς.

Δε σου τη δανείζω, δεν σου την πουλώ
μόν' να τη χαρίσω θέλω σε κείνον π' αγαπώ.

From a foreign and distant place,
There came a girl, my light, 18 years old,

She doesn't come out into the door or the alley
Nor to my window, my light, to tell her a couple of words

She has black eyes and curly hair,

And on her cheek, she has a beauty spot

Won’t you lend your beauty spot to me, won’t you sell it to me?

I won’t lend it to you, I won’t sell it to you,
I want to keep it and let it torture you

Turkish lyrics and translation:
Üsküdar'a gider iken aldı da bir yağmur.
Kâtibimin setresi uzun, eteği çamur.

Kâtip uykudan uyanmış, gözleri mahmur.
Kâtip benim, ben kâtibin, el ne karışır?
Kâtibime kolalı da gömlek ne güzel yaraşır!

Üsküdar'a gider iken bir mendil buldum.
Mendilimin içine (de) lokum doldurdum.

Kâtibimi arar iken yanımda buldum.
Kâtip benim, ben kâtibin, el ne karışır?
Kâtibime kolalı da gömlek ne güzel yaraşır!

While going to Üsküdar, it began to rain
My secretary’s coat is long, the tail of their coat is muddy.

The secretary has been awoken from sleep, their eyes are bleary.

The secretary is mine, I'm the secretary’s, why do others interfere?

How the shirt fits to my secretary.

While going to Üsküdar, I found a handkerfchief

I put Lokum in my handkerchief and fed it to him

While I was looking for my secretary, I found them nearby.

[nikitsir]

So, basically, this is a song about a Turkish cat from Istanbul and a Greek cat form Sifnos who fell in love and had kittens in Monemvasia. 🙂

[hrnd_hstran]

Farya may not be my local dealer but he always delivers

[MadiLubunya]

Sen mükemmel bir detaysın farya 🤍
Esenlikler komşu 🇹🇷🕊️🇬🇷

[kadirakyuz]

Dear Greek brothers and sisters,
We all know that political tensions exist between our countries. However, when I listen to my heart, I feel nothing but love and respect for you.
Your Komşi:))

[orthochristos]

Greek-Turkish diplomacy for the past 100 years...Farya: "Hold my souvlaki/kebab"...LOL Good one.mate

[liviaplauta]

I like that since the Turkish version is about love for a man and the Greek one is about love for a woman, you chose cats!

[otgunz]

Holy sh*t! Extremely good pronounciations for Turkish, I hope the Hellenic is also that good. Congrats!

[samuelberteferreira]

🇬🇷Η μουσική μπορεί να είναι ένας τρόπος συμφιλίωσης Ελλήνων και Τούρκων. Türkler ve Iunanlar barış içinde yaşasın. 🇹🇷

[IMPOSTER_IR]

An Iranian has made a Greek-Turkish song.
Nice Combo 👍🏻

[catherinekyriakides]

Heard this song from Father 76 years ago … I’m in love .at this man’s knowledge of music

[cagatai]

Greetings from Turkey to my Greek friends! Let's leave aside the experiences of the past and the ambitious rhetoric of politicians.

[turkaltay]

As a Turk from Üsküdar, I listened to the song with pleasure. It's nice to see that there are peaceful and constructive things in a world where bad things are talked about every day. Congratulations, neighbor. 🇹🇷🤝🇬🇷

[georgios_]

Amazing! Absolutely beautiful!
Εξαιρετικά! Πανέμορφο!
Mükemmel! Çok güzel!
❤❤❤

[ljw]

As a Cypriot I absolutely love this! Your Greek pronunciation is top tier - can't comment on the Turkish sadly (I aspire to learn it someday) but I love the idea in the lyrics! It makes me happy to see so many comments from Greeks and Turkish both feeling the unity <3 🇬🇷🇨🇾🇹🇷

[coffeehousedialogue]

Got to love how all these cultures come together to make their music! Even more the sweet little kitty-cats!

[nikossymeonidis]

This is one of my favourite songs from the Eastern Mediterranean and I can say for certain your version is amazing. Your Greek pronunciation has also improved a lot since the last time, especially your s sounds.

[Khorasan_Turco]

As a Turk, you are one of my favorite artists, long live Farya

[heronwireo]

Beautiful song, and smooshable kitties. Must show my daughter.

[Kamarovsky_KCM]

My lovely cat that has been in my life for 12 years has gone away to walk the Fields of Reeds today after complications with her thyroid, and it devastated me, but seeing you play with these sweet kitties, while hearing that enchanting music brought a smile to my face. Thank you Sir, may the spirits bless your days 💜

Aw she looked almost exactly like the one at 3:54 too [*]