Composition Details
- Composed by: Traditional Greek
- Arranged by: Malcolm Dalglish
- Canadian Work: No
Performed in Concert
In Collections
Text:
This piece is sung in both Greek and English. The text provided here is part translation from the Greek, part English text as sung, and part of the Greek. This is what we printed in our concert program:
It is the beginning of the month,
the beginning of the year;
my fine incense from the trees
burns at the Bishops’ Throne in the church.
It is the dawning of the year in own town,
And all the children in the street gather ’round.
Listen to the noise.
We wish you all the joys
Of a long life with the singing of our blessing.
St. Basil is coming
And he doesn’t even notice us.
That is because he is coming from Caesaria
To see you, my noble lady.
He is walking with a young man
Who holds the icon of Christ the Savior
And paper and a quill pen in his hand.
It is the dawning of the year.
All the children in the street
sing a blessing on Saint Basil’s Day.
We wish you many, many years of joy
with our blessing.
Hronia pol’la! Yeiasas! Na’saste ka’la!
Na ta’kato’steesees!
Many Years! To your health! May you be well!
May you live to be a hundred!