Dionysios Solomos, On the Death of Lord Byron; Greek Independence Day, Εθνική εορτή ανεξαρτησίας. Διονύσιος Σολωμός - Εἰς τὸν θάνατον τοῦ Λόρδου Μπάϋρον.

 Greek Independence Day, 25 March, 2020

"Freedom fighters, lay down your swords,

Weep a while by Byron's corpse!"

(my free paraphrase).

Lord Byron on his death bed (Wikimedia Commons)

"Liberty, cease for a moment

Striking hard with your sword;

Now approach here to lament

By the body of this noble lord".

Translations of the first and forty-fifth stanzas by M. Byron Raizis

Stanza 45:

"In Greece now people rejoice,
For the Man she was seeking
Is seen coming, and his voice
Like a war drum is beating".

"For a moment, Liberty,
Let the war, the bloodshed sleep;
Hither come and silently
Over Byron's body weep".

Translation of the first stanza by Romilly Jenkins

.

1.

Λευτεριά, γιὰ λίγο πάψε

νὰ χτυπᾶς μὲ τὸ σπαθί.

Τώρα σίμωσε καὶ κλάψε

εἰς τοῦ Μπάιρον τὸ κορμί.

2.

Καὶ κατόπι ἂς ἀκλουθοῦνε

ὅσοι ἐπράξανε λαμπρά.

ἀποπάνου του ἂς χτυποῦνε

μόνο στήθια ἡρωικά.

3.

Πρῶτοι ἂς ἔλθουνε οἱ Σουλιῶτες,

καὶ ἀπ᾿ τὸ Λείψανον αὐτὸ

ἂς μακραίνουνε οἱ προδότες

καὶ ἀπ᾿ τὰ λόγια ὁποῦ θὰ πῶ.

166.

«Ἡ Διχόνοια κατατρέχει

τὴν Ἑλλάδα. Ἂν νικηθεῖ,

ΜΑ ΤΟΝ ΚΟΣΜΟ ΠΟΥ ΜΑΣ ΕΧΕΙ,

τ᾿ ὄνομά σας ξαναζεῖ».

http://users.uoa.gr/~nektar/arts/tributes/dionysios_solwmos/eis_ton_8anaton_toy_lordoy_mpayron.htm

My earlier posting, from 2018

M. BYRON RAIZIS THE GREEK POETS PRAISE “THE BRITANNIC MUSE”

From Adrian Mitchell's Byron is one of the dancers


Pylos

The castle at Navarino
commands the battle scene
where Codrington delivered
what Byron had begun.

(JP)