A Glossary of Greek Romany as spoken in Agia Varvara (Athens)

19. Texts

In order to give something of the flavor of this dialect, I
append a few short connected texts with an English translation. I
am grateful to the noted Gypsy singer and composer, Lefteris
Konstandinides, and to the Greek scholar and teacher, Evangelos
Marselos, for their assistance in working out the first two passages
on the basis of a Greek original supplied by myself.

a. AngM due bres^ndar (1), me dad^ke pheike {or
phralfeke) tsey (2), sas-la tsingard (3) pe rom^.
KodovA sas dsJuvlidris (4). Sev^ras (5) pe romnyA (6)
voi-da kerdds Ifeke trin^n tsa(v)^n, ali (7) vov sas but
sukar rom th'(ay) arakh^las but drom amalin^n. I
romni l^ki azardlas(8)-les; phen^las l^ke: "In
seversfn-man tha in lad^dilan hits, mang^ te dzdstar
tlike kat4r amar6 kher. Ama kay devl^ko aldv (9), ma
ker kadavd! So ka kerdv me tha e tsa(v)^, kana k'atsas
kdrkoru?" Hits omos o bezbet^ri (10) in mang^las te
asun^l. So(v)nd (11) voi phend^, "Dzandv but sukdr
kay asuker^l ttike ekh6 thanfete yek lubnf, tha
mang^-la mdndar (12) dahd but. Latsfe, dzAtar tha te
na b61des-tut hits." Soni kadal^ tsingardtar airlidilAr
(13) e dui, ama sond eb<ika gyes^ndar vov boldids-pes
kher6 ka pi romnf.

(1) Ablative plural, lit. 'before by two years.'

(2) Periphasis for 'cousin': 'my father's sister's (or brother's)
daughter'; but it would be possible also to use the Greek
word, ^adtpipT).

(3) Or belaves; pe romisa is associative or instrumental, 'with her
husband', pe reflexive in force since it refers back to subject.

(4) From dzuvli and perhaps a caique on Gk. 7wat/c6c<^
'woman-chaser'. It might equally well be a caique on South

INTRODUCTION 31

Slavic ztnkar.

(5) From the Turkish-type verb severim but given by exception
a Romany imperfect ending.

(6) Accusative sing, of romni as Ua(v)6n is ace. pi.

(7) ala is Greek; ama from Turkish is used in next sentence with
the same meaning.

(8) Romany preterite from Turkish verb azmak.
Murmisar6laa-les from Gk. tov jjLOvpfioijpa-ye could also
have been used.

(9) Oath, 'in God's name', i.e. 'for God's sake.'

(10) In Greek, o TraXi6LV'9p<i>iro<; 'wretch, monster'. Hits here, as
often, strengthens the negative: 'not at all, not in the least.'

(11) See entry. The Turkish word $onra is variously rendered.

(12) Lit. 'than me much more.'

(13) Turkish aytrmak 'separate.'

Translation

Two years ago, my cousin (female) had a big fight with her
husband. He was a lady-killer. He loved his wife and had had
three children by her (lit. and she made him three children), but
he was a very handsome man and he often found girl friends. His
wife bawled him out. She said to him, "You don't love me and
you're not the least bit ashamed. You want to go away from our
home, but for God's sake, don't do that! What will I and the
children do when we are (lit. will remain) all alone?" However, the
brute was not willing to listen. Then she said, 'I know very well
that a whore is waiting for you somewhere and you love her better
than me. All right, beat it and don't ever come back." After this
row the two separated, but after a few days he returned home to
his wife.

b. Mo pdpo, o K6sta (1) sas ask^ri kay yek (2)
(dunyavdki) tsingdr. Vorbisar^las mange but drom e
trasan^ buky^nge kay (3) dikhlds. Xasardds yek kan tha
yek partsdva pe nakfeke. Yekh^ yagalydtar sas phagl
16ski yek(h) tsank. Yek amdl thay dui aver ask^rya
and^-les kay (3) hastandva. Kot6 o hekfmo(s) dikhl^
16ske phugnyA; o rat t(h)avd61as katdr l^ko tsikdt.
Ama, sar devl^ke bukyitar (4), e phugnyA latsardil^
sona dui tson^ndar. Atslld 6mos ebdka bang6 sa e

32 INTRODUCTION

breS^nge (5).

(1) Greek nominative would be K6xTTa^', many Greek nouns are
fitted into Romany patterns by losing a final -e.

(2) Cardinal for ordinal.

(3) First kay \s relative pronoun, second kay, three lines below, is
more likely to be ka for some speakers (so also the first kay
in the very first sentence).

(4) Lit. 'as by God's work' i.e. 'as if by a miracle.'

(5) Lit. for all (his) years' i.e. 'for the rest of his life.'

Translation

My grandfather, Kosta, was a soldier in the First (World)
War. He would talk to me often about the terrible things he had
seen (lit. saw). He lost an ear and a part of his nose. He had a
leg broken by a bullet. A friend and two other soldiers brought
him to a hospital. There the doctor looked at his wounds: blood
was flowing from his forehead. But by a miracle hb wounds
healed after two months. However, he remained a little lame for
the rest of his life.

Transcribed conversations:

I. Discussion with two Greek Gypsies; A, Tasos, is a man and B,

Anna, a woman.

A. Am^n e Romd akat^, avilim and'o Yundno but^
bres6ndar (1). Sam kay peihda bres kat^ ka o
Balamanip^ (2).

B. Sel bres, sel.

A. Peihda bres. Amar^ manusd aviM avrH. Katdr
Indies. Av^r manusa, m61i naslim katar Indfes, av^r
manus4 d2el^ ka o Xoraxanip^, av^r manusi d2eM ka i
AngUa, av^r manusd S6fya....kay sa e themd.

B. I bukf l^ngi sas o tsorip^. Iklen-da te ker^n bukf,
ta tsor^na.

A. O Rom nastflc (3) pakydl aver^. Nanastfk (4).
Nastfk pakyAl averts, so ka phenyl l^ske te ker^l.
Mangel te ker^l vov, so tsinel leski gogl (5), te ker^l
vov.

INTRODUCTION

B. In mangel averts pa po soro (6).
A. Te na ker^n tdingard i dunda, k'av61 sa i dunda (7)
barab^ri, te na xan-pes (8), te na mundar6n-pes; adai
mangel o JElom. In mang61 t§ingard, beldes. Mangel te
traisar^l el^fiJera (9).

Questioner: So pakyis tu e Fitsir^nge?

A. V6n-da si amar^ manusd. Romd si v6n-da....sar
train? Sar traysards am^nda. V6n-da manusi si.
In-nay-len(lO) l^nge thand te beS^n, ta bes^n
and'c.And'o miliy phir6n....and'o mildy s6ske phir^n.
Phir^n ta d^an ker^n bukf ka e tarlies. Ker^n buk(
ot^. Asun, phenav tuke (11). Nay side Romi tiord ta
xoxavdzfa, si e balam^-da, e alam^a-da. Nay side

Romi tsorA Me alustirum te bikindv kod te traysariv.

V6n-da kaddl tsor^n te traysar^n. Ute (12) d2an te
mundar^n.

(Questioner): Kaz6m Romd si afendikd (13)?

A. Sarfi si.

B. Peske.

A. Afendikd pir^ buky^nge.

B. Peske, pe tserfeke (?pe khereake?), kay po kher.
A. But latso si adad.

II. Opinions of a third Gypsy, C, a woman:

£ guruv^ki tsang ka bat4r and'o rat. Kana ka mar^ e
guruvfeiki tsang and'o rat, ka batdr sa i
dunydva....PakyAv, soske diklyfeas mi de kadyil...
Diklydsa(s) pe yakh^nsa, odo6 bukf. Av^l yek pari
diuvli, tsalel lak6 vuddr. "Ade tse avri!" (In)kald-la
avrf. Ta ikald4s-la avrf. "Soske tse kal68-man avrf?"
"Ale tse, ka sikdv tuke kdti (14). Dik its okot^
opr6....Diky^l opr^, yek galben6sko stefdni. And'e
galben6sko stefini, yek guruv tsikn6 galben<5sko. Ala
but sirldr, but sirl4r, afu si galbendsko. Kana ka div
(?) guruv t'av^l o rat, ka Ifeko (15) astra7alos (16), o
zomin ka batar sa i dunydva. Ka tas^l i dunydva e

34 INTRODUCTION

but^ rat^tar.

(1) Ablative, 'from many years', and so 'many years ago'.

(2) Normally, -»pe forms abstract nouns, so this word could mean
'Greekness, Hellenism', but here synonymous with Yunano.

(3) Lit. 'is not possible that'.

(4) Intensive of nastik.

(5) Modelled loosely on Greek, although /c6/?ct to /j,vaX6 tov
means 'he is very smart' (lit. 'his brain cuts').

(6) 'On his head', cf. Gk. k6lvu tov KC(paXLoi) tov 'he does as
he pleases'.

(7) Equivalent of Gk. 6>.o<; o k6(t/xo<; 'all the world' (=
'everybody'); elision of -v- in duna(v)a.

(8) Balkanism, see xav in glossary.

(9) Greek adverb.

(10) Note multiplication of negatives.

(11) Caique on Gk. 6ckov va aov ttco 'let me tell you something.'

(12) Greek conjunction; afu in next text is Greek aipoi).

(13) Gk. av^(vTr)<; 'master', related to Eng. authentic, passed
into Turkish as efendim (respectful term of address) and was
then reborrowed by Greek as a^cyTt/c6 'boss,' used here in
plural.

(14) Greek pronoun; (h)its in next sentence is used loosely.

(15) Romany pronoun, Usko, pronounced as if with Turkish vowel.

(16) Gk. a<TTf>6c'ya\o<; 'ankle-bone.'

Translation:

A. We Gypsies here, we came to Greece many years ago. We
are (=have been) here in Greece about fifty years.

B. A hundred years, a hundred.

A. Fifty years. Our people came from outside (=abroad). From
India. Some, as soon as we left India, others went to Turkey,
others went to England, others to Sophia to all countries.

B. Their profession was stealing and they go out to do (their)
work and steal.

A. A Gypsy cannot believe in anyone else. He cannot. He
cannot believe in anyone else, whatever he will tell him to
do. He wants to do what he feels like doing, he wants to
do.

B. He doesn't want anyone else to control him.

INTRODUCTION 35

That people not make wars, that everybody come together,
that they don't get into fights, that they dont murder one
another— that (is what) the Gypsy d^ires. He doesn't want
wars, troubles. He wants to live in freedom.

Questioner: What do you think of the Fitsiri?
(wandering Gypsies)

A. They too are our people. They are also

Gypsies How do they live? Just as we live. They too

are (our) people. They do not have places of their own

to occupy, and they live in the in the summer they

wander about....why do they wander about in the
summer? They wander and go work in the fields. They

work there Listen to what I'm telling you. It's not

just the Gypsies (who are) thieves and liars. The
Greeks are too and the Germans. Not just the Gypsies

are thieves I am learning to sell (this) in order to

live. They steal thus (that way) in order to live. And
they don't kill (people).

Questioner: How many Gypsies are their own boss^?

A. They all are.

B. Their own.

A. Bosses of their own affairs.

B. Their own, of their house, in their house.
A. This is very good.

C. The bull's foot will sink in blood (i.e. the world
will be destroyed). When you will hit the bull's foot in
blood, then the world will sink.. ..I think (so), because
my mother saw (it) like that. She saw it with her own
eyes, that business. An old woman comes (and) knocks
at her door. "Hey, come on outside," she gets her
outside. And she got her outside. "Hey, why are you
getting me outside?" "Come on, I'll show you
something. Look up there a bit." She looks up, a
golden crown. Inside the golden crown a little golden
bull. But it was shining a lot, shining a lot, since it is
golden.... When the bull will — (?), the blood will come

INTRODUCTION

on his foot, then all the world will sink. The world
will drown from (so) much blood.

A GLOSSARY
OF GREEK ROMANY

As Spoken in

Agia Varvara (Athens)

Gordon M. Messing

Slavica Publishers, Inc.

ISBN: 0-89357-187-3

Copyright © 1987 by Gordon M. Messing. All rights reserved.