Εμένα οι φίλοι μου [Eména oi fíloi mou] [English translation]

My friends 1 are black birds

My friends 2 are tight wires

My friends are black birds

who seesaw on the terraces of houses that are ready to collapse

Exarcheia, Patission, Metaxourgeio, Mets 3

They do whatever

Sell recipe books and encyclopedias

They fix roads and unite deserts

Interpreters at the cabarets of Xenon 4

Professional revolutionaries

In the past, they pressured them and took them down

Now they take pills and alcohol in order to sleep

but they have dreams and do not sleep

My friends are black birds

My friends are tight wires

My friends are tight wires

on the terraces of old houses

Exarcheia, Victoria, Koukaki, Gyzi

On them you have hung your guilt in the form of

millions of iron clothespins

decisions of congress,

borrowed suits,

cigarette burns,

strangemigraines,

threatening silences

vaginal infections

they fall in love with homosexuals

trichomonads

delay

the telephone

broken pieces of glass

the ambulance

No one…

My friends are black birds

My friends are tight wires

They do whatever

they are always traveling, my friends

because you have not left them a hand's breadth of space

All of my friends paint with black

because you have ruined red for them

They write in a language of catchwords

because yours is only good for flattery 5

My friends are black birds and wires

around your neck, on your hands

My friends...

My friends are black birds

My friends are tight wires

1. they first refer to male friends 2. here they refer to female friends 3. neighborhoods of Athens 4. street named after the ancient philosopher/ Byzantine emperor (474-491 ACE) 5. lit: licking