Φως σ’ ομμάτια σ’ – Light to Your Eyes – Konstantinos D. Pataridis – Κωνσταντίνος Δ. Παταρίδης

From the author:

The late Christos Antoniadis, neurosurgeon and song writer of some of the most well known Pontian songs of the last few decades such as Την πατρίδα μ’ έχασα and Πατρίδα μ΄ αραεύω σε, once famously stated ‘This dialect which Jason loaded on to the Argo some 2700 years ago, and carried it there, and lived there for 27 centuries, why should it die now? Why should this regrettable and wretched fact happen during my generation, why should it be that I am an eye witness of such an imminent death…’ 

This publication is a humble attempt to ensure that our generation does not bear witness to the demise of the dialect which links us to our ancestors. The intention of this publication is to provide individuals who have English as their first language the opportunity to interact with the Pontian dialect in an accessible manner, using songs and lyrics as the vessel to introduce the reader to the history, culture and traditions of Pontos. Culture is to be passed down, from generation to generation. It is not anyone’s personal inheritance to profit from. 

Dedicated to all those gone far too soon… 

Κατ’ έπαθεν ο Θεόν, (Something is wrong with God) 
και ντο ευτάει ΄κί ξέρει (and he does not know what he is doing)
παίρ’ και τεμόν τ’άνθρώπς (He takes my people)
χωρίς να δι’ χα(μ)πέρι (without giving any notice/news of it) 

Light to your eyes Φως σ΄ ομμάτιας Part 1 History – Culture – Traditions
Konstantinos D. Pataridis 1st Edition – August 2024 (Melbourne, Australia)

Published online at
https://www.radiotrapezounta.com and
https://www.trapezounta.com

To my beloved friends Sophy Kyvelidis and Helen Jasonides, it was a humbling moment when you both identified me as an individual who could undertake such an important task of creating a publication which would be accessible to English speakers. To my koumbaro, Pantelis Krestas, who from a very young age always would say to me ‘you should put all this knowledge into a book’, here it is. My heartfelt appreciation is extended to my dear friend Diogenes Ainatzis for the time he took to edit the Pontian lyrics. To Ioannis Apazidis, operator of Radio Trapezounta Boston, I thank you for your trust and support in assisting with the distribution of this publication in digital format. To my two treasures, my sons, Dimitri and Pierre, you were the inspiration of this work. To my rocks, my parents, Dimitri and Sophia, nothing I do could be possible without your dedication in my formative years to ensure I fell in love with my heritage, and for everything you have done, do and continue to do for me. Finally, to you the reader, I thank you for taking the time to access and read this publication, indicating your appreciation of such a body of work and your conscious effort to also participate in the preservation of our dialect and cultural heritage.

PLEASE NOTE: Reproducing any part of this publication on any platform for the benefit of our culture is permitted and encouraged. All that is requested, is that the publication or any other books/articles/websites that are referred to within, are referenced appropriately. 

Konstantinos D. Pataridis