Created by Dimitris Tsaganos – Artist: Melina Mercouri – Lyrics: Richelle Dassin and Claude Lemesle – Music: Vangelis 1973 – Album: “Si melina…m’etait contée”
____________________________________________________
Correction of the title on first image: *Dirais*
____________________________________________________
Back in the good old days in the early 70’s and just after the split of “Aphrodite’s Child” group, artists from all over the world walked in and out the Parisian studios, and Vangelis played with a lot of them. Among them was Greek actress and singer Melina Mercouri, and Vangelis contributed to her album “Si Melina….m’etait contee”, oriented to the French market. Melina, who was already a star in Greece as an actress, had just had a break-through in France with her performance in the popular TV show of Pierre Jordan. After this album, she became very popular in France and released several other albums there. Melina Mercouri was one of the fighters in the resistance against the Greek military regime during 1967 to 1974. When the regime had passed, she returned to Greece and got more and more involved in politics. She was appointed to Minister of Culture for over eight years, during which time she is known for her efforts to return the sculptures of the Parthenon (in the possession of the British Museum in London) to Athens. The “Melina Mercouri Foundation”, which was founded by her husband Jules Dassin after her death, keeps Melina Mercouri’s visions alive. Melina Mercouri, cherished and passionately loved by the Greek people, died on March 6th 1994.
____________________________________________________
Melina Mercouri (Greek: Μελίνα Μερκούρη), born as Maria Amalia Mercouri (Μαρία Αμαλία; 18 October 1920 — 6 March 1994), was a Greek actress, singer and politician.
As an actress she made her film debut in Stella (1955) and met international success with her performances in Never on Sunday, Phaedra, Topkapi, and Promise at Dawn. She won the award for Best Actress at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival, and she was also nominated for an Academy Award, a Tony Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and two BAFTA Awards.
A political activist during the Greek military junta of 1967–1974, she became a member of the Hellenic Parliament in 1977 and the first female Minister for Culture of Greece in 1981. Mercouri was the person who, in 1983, conceived and proposed the programme of the European Capital of Culture, which has been established by the European Union since 1985.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melina_Mercouri
____________________________________________________
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou (Greek: Ευάγγελος Οδυσσέας Παπαθανασίου [evˈaɲɟelos oðiˈseas papaθanaˈsiu]; born 29 March 1943), professionally known as Vangelis (/væŋˈɡɛlɨs/), is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock, and orchestral music. He is best known for his Academy Award–winning score for the film Chariots of Fire, composing scores for the films Antarctica, Blade Runner, 1492: Conquest of Paradise, and Alexander, and the use of his music in the PBS documentary Cosmos: A Personal Voyage by Carl Sagan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vangelis
____________________________________________________
Ecoute Je te dirais les mots les plus beaux des mots d’amour que je connais et que jamais je n’oublierai des mots qui t’emmèneront comme un bateau jusque à la terre la terre qui les a inventés
Ecoute je te appellerai par le noms les plus tendres et ces noms je les connais c’ est une chanson Que tous les amoureux du monde pourront chanter Car c’est l’amour l’ amour qui les a les inventés
** Παλληκάρι(*) μου πικρό, αγοράκι τρυφερό, αχ καρδιά μου, η ζωή όνειρο αναπνοή αγάπη μου, αγάπη μου…
Ecoute je te dirais παλληκάρι μου, mon gars, ma beauté αγοράκι μου, mon garçon μάτια μου, mes yeux ζωή μου, ma vie όνειρο, αναπνοή, mon rêve, mon souffle αγάπη μου, mon amour, mon amour, mon amour…
** Παλληκάρι(*) μου πικρό, αγοράκι τρυφερό, αχ καρδιά μου, η ζωή όνειρο αναπνοή αγάπη μου, αγάπη μου, αγάπη μου, mon amour…
_____________________________________________________
**[English translation]: My bitter boy(*) tender little boy ah, my heart, life is a dream, a breath my love, my love
(*) “Palikari” is a difficult to translate word, as it is unique to Greek language. Actually, the translation is “brave man”. Here, the word is used as a compliment to the qualities of the “man” nature, the overall power, natural “manly” beauty and muscular power.
source