Long live Constantinople

[Tsontos]

Today's the 555th anniversary of the fall of Constantinople.

Aυτές τες μέρες διάβαζα δημοτικά τραγούδια,
για τ’ άθλα των κλεφτών και τους πολέμους,
πράγματα συμπαθητικά· δικά μας, Γραικικά.

Διάβαζα και τα πένθιμα για τον χαμό της Πόλης
«Πήραν την Πόλη, πήραν την· πήραν την Σαλονίκη».
Και την Φωνή που εκεί που οι δυο εψέλναν,
«ζερβά ο βασιλιάς, δεξιά ο πατριάρχης»,
ακούσθηκε κ’ είπε να πάψουν πια
«πάψτε παπάδες τα χαρτιά και κλείστε τα βαγγέλια»
πήραν την Πόλη, πήραν την· πήραν την Σαλονίκη.

Όμως απ’ τ’ άλλα πιο πολύ με άγγιξε το άσμα
το Τραπεζούντιον με την παράξενή του γλώσσα
και με την λύπη των Γραικών των μακρινών εκείνων
που ίσως όλο πίστευαν που θα σωθούμε ακόμη.

Μα αλίμονον μοιραίον πουλί «απαί την Πόλην έρται»
με στο «φτερούλν’ αθε χαρτίν περιγραμμένον
κι ουδέ στην άμπελον κονεύ’ μηδέ στο περιβόλι
επήγεν και εκόνεψεν στου κυπαρίσ’ την ρίζαν».
Οι αρχιερείς δεν δύνανται (ή δεν θέλουν) να διαβάσουν
«Χέρας υιός Γιανίκας έν» αυτός το παίρνει το χαρτί,
και το διαβάζει κι ολοφύρεται.
«Σίτ’ αναγνώθ’ σίτ’ ανακλαίγ’ σίτ’ ανακρούγ’ την κάρδιαν.
Ν’ αοιλλή εμάς, να βάι εμάς, η Pωμανία πάρθεν.»

http://www.kavafis.gr/poems/content.asp?id=200&cat=4

[Mygdonia]

Years just seem to fly by.

HAIL THE QUEEN CITY.

[Mygdonia]

Greek corner of Constantinople

[kostas68]

Our hearts will allways beat for Constantinoupolis and we shall always remember the last heroic emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos and his answer to Muhammad's request for surrender:<Το δε την πόλιν σοι δούναι ουτ'εμόν εστίν ουτ'ενός άλλου των κατοικούντων εν ταύτη.Κοινή γαρ γνώμη πάντες αυτοπροαιρέτως αποθανούμεν και ου φεισόμεθα της ζωής ημών>.(It's impossible to give you the city neither me nor anyone else of its inhabitants.According to our common decision we will all die by our own will and not spare our life. )
What a pity that this brave man was almost alone!When i think that out from a total population of 500.000 inhabitants only 3.000-4.000 were intended to defend the city(with the help of tantamount Genovans and Venicians)....and all this due to this stupid religious dispute between the enotics and anthenotics.I can't also forget the traitor Loukas Notaras,the leader of the anthenotics and what he said : <κρειττότερον εστίν ειδέναι εν μεση τη πόλει φακιόλιον βασιλεύον Τούρκων ή καλύπτραν Λατινικήν> (It's better to see in the center of the city reigning the Turkish turban than the Latin coif.)Fortunately he was awarded by the punishment of he was worthy.
Anyway,Byzantium's end was inevitable,actually it was already dead before the Turkish conquest of Constantinople.The empire's dominion was consisted only of Consatantinople,its environs and the Despotat of Mystra in Peloponnesos.If the Turks couldn't conquer Constantinople at that time,probably they would be able to do it after 30-40 years

[Truth Bearer]

Notaras paid for his insolence anyway.......

[kostas68]

Originally Posted by Truth Bearer

Notaras paid for his insolence anyway.......

The worst is that there were many Notarades in Byzantium at that time but only a few of them paid.In the last years of Byzantine Empire the most of the youngsters became monks in order to avoid the military duty and therefore the defenders of Constantinople during the Turkish besiege were only 3-4.000(without the other 3.000-4.000 Genovans and Venetians.)

[Ariadni_Nefeli]

Σώπασε Κύρα Δέσποινα και μην πολυδακρύζεις, πάλι με χρόνια με καιρούς....


http://www.agiasofia.com/emperors/conpaleo.html

''The Polis has fallen''

[Euklid]

Simera ginetai i teleti, sto Mystra: Ta Paleologeia(Παλαιολόγεια)

http://www.mystras.gr/gr/mayors_message.htm

[kostas68]

Originally Posted by Ariadni_Nefeli

Σώπασε Κύρα Δέσποινα και μην πολυδακρύζεις, πάλι με χρόνια με καιρούς....


http://www.agiasofia.com/emperors/conpaleo.html

''The Polis has fallen''

This song reminds me the myth of the <marble king> and if you don't know it,
the Turks seem to believe this myth.When i visited Constantinople,i noticed that a small door in St.Sophia churche was built by them,because,according to the legend,thence would come the marble king when he would wake up and drive them out of Constantinople!

[Ariadni_Nefeli]

Yes I know the door... So it is still there, build?

Not weird at all, strangely they still afraid that one day something might happen and they will lose the City again from the Greeks.