Vassilis Michaelides' "The 9th of July 1821"

1. Introduction




When the secret winds began to blow
And the fog started to spread over Turkey
And the clouds rolled from four quarters
Until the air grew thick and heavy,
Like the others so did Cyprus have its secret,
In those secret winds, it had its lot.
And when lightning flashed over Morias
And its thunder roared and was heard all over,
And everything was lit up, the seas and the lands,
Like the others so did Cyprus have its woes.

One night, soundless night, in the month of July,
One Friday night, when millions of stars
Glowed from above, and no soul could be seen
In Lefkosia's alleys, at Lefkosia's streetcorners,
Stillness, you couldn't hear a tree rustle,
Neither a dog's bark, nor a cock's crow.
It was a muffled night, a wry night,
That seemed to be hiding from God's judgment.
On such a quiet night, the Turks shut themselves away
In the Sarayio holding a great council.
This translation © 1997 Tefkros Symeonides. All rights Reserved.
This translation may not be reproduced in part or in whole and in any form without the explicit written permission of the copyright owner.






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This page was last updated on 5 April, 1998, Lefkosia, Cyprus.
© 1997 Tefkros Symeonides & Constantinos Symeonides

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