.'Mother they stuck a knife into me’. Here is an invitation from a son to his mother, to come weep on Sunday at his tomb. The final verse is steeped in the culture of knife-crime and honour killing, the violent ambience in which Markos lived his life. His brother was imprisoned for murder, his sister in law was stabbed to death. It’s the very opposite of the Christian message, but the opening verses call up the powerful image of the Mater Dolorosa – the eternal mother weeping over the sufferings of her son. Markos’ Catholic upbringing, the hymns, the confessionals, the processions, made a strong impact on his imagination. Here he describes the Good Friday procession:
'On Good Friday they got out the Epitaphios. It’s a big thing for us, this Epitaphios. It pulls together all the spiritual stuff and all the symbols of Christ’s passion like the ladders they hung him up on, the ropes they dragged him with, the gall they gave him to drink and the bloodstained robes they stripped off him. Every Christian who follows behind the Epitaphios carries the weight on his back. All the sufferings of Christ are paid up and done with. Clean slate. Then everyone sings psalms. All the Epitaphios tunes were sad. We kids went and listened to the church service with lanterns and candles and waited for the Epitaphios to come out. It was decorated with the first flowers of the year. All the housewives in Syra picked flowers and brought them to the church for the Epitaphios.'
'On Good Friday they got out the Epitaphios. It’s a big thing for us, this Epitaphios. It pulls together all the spiritual stuff and all the symbols of Christ’s passion like the ladders they hung him up on, the ropes they dragged him with, the gall they gave him to drink and the bloodstained robes they stripped off him. Every Christian who follows behind the Epitaphios carries the weight on his back. All the sufferings of Christ are paid up and done with. Clean slate. Then everyone sings psalms. All the Epitaphios tunes were sad. We kids went and listened to the church service with lanterns and candles and waited for the Epitaphios to come out. It was decorated with the first flowers of the year. All the housewives in Syra picked flowers and brought them to the church for the Epitaphios.'
Mother they knifed me Mother they have killed me dead With two thrusts of a knife With spite and envy in their head They stole away my life. Weep for me mother, weep for me Now I’m going to die. On Sunday you must come and see My tomb where you can cry. I want you both to come, yes both, You and my brother too. To shed your hopeless tears for me, My pointless death so cruel. My little brothers too when they Have grown up into men, Oh let them find that murderer And stab and kill him then. | Μάνα με μαχαιρώσανε Μάνα μου με σκοτώσανε δυο μαχαιριές μου δώσανε αυτοί που με ζηλεύουμε και το κακό μου θέλουνε Κλάψε με μάνα κλάψε με τώρα που θα πεθάνω και να'ρχεσαι την Κυριακή στον τάφο μου από πάνω. Θέλω να 'ρχόσαστε κι οι δυο εσύ κι ο αδελφός μου να κλαίτε απαρηγόρητα το τζάμπα σκοτωμό μου. Τα δυο μικρά τ' αδέρφια μου όταν θα μεγαλώσουν να παν να βρούνε το φονιά να τονε μαχαιρώσουν. |