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— BETROTHAL CUSTOMS
107
him and fire it off as often as he Hked, as soon as the first song was begun. Latterly this has been put down by the Turkish government. The first song, which is Greek, is :
The maiden from the east and the youth from Stamboul, the two strangers have met in a strange garden. You are a stranger and I am a stranger, let us two meet. I have a thousand gold pieces and five hundred piastres. Come maiden let us stay, let us spend the evening. I have three hundred and two gold pieces in a golden handkerchief. Take them maiden and count them, take them, reckon them.
The second song is in Vlach and seventh in Appendix IV. The third and last song is Greek :~-
given below as the
is
rock to rock I walk, from stone to stone. Wlaere am I to good mate, good and honourable, like a swift horse, like a fast plough ox, like a good wife who honours her husband, like two affectionate brothers who love one another ? And now an attempt is made to part them. And what cause can be found to part them ? You have vineyards and fields to divide. All that are in the middle and are good, take them master and all that are on the border and are bad give them to your brother. Find such cause against him that you may go and kill him.
From
find a
;
who has published an account of the Samarina and wedding ceremonies, gives a different song instead of this. We have never heard it sung ourselves at this point, but it is still known in the village and is sung during the merrymaking that follows the formal ceremony. Papayeoryiu,
betrothal
After the singing of these songs the bridegroom's party departs on sing loudly Bright streets
way back to his house. On and joyfully this Greek song
its
little
and
their
way back they
:
moon
light
me on my
cross the bridges.
road.
I
hasten to pass the
Far away there on Olympus an aged
stag pastures, and his eyes ever weep. and green, and tears all blue.
He
pours forth red tears, red
Each member of the party takes a handful of flour with when they arrive at the house and are received by the bridegroom, they throw the flour over his head and face and say " May you grow white like the flour " by way of
him, and
!