THESE ARE THE VRAHASSIANS I CAME TO KNOW AND LOVE

You have probably seen this video, but I thought it deserved a place on my Blog. It was taken high up above the Monastery of St George/St Dimitri, where there is the remains of an old oak forest. The song has words from Erotocritos, which is a 'heroic' verse romance of more than 10,000 rhyming fifteen-syllable lines. It was written by Vitsentzos Kornaros (1553 - 1617), the greatest of all the Cretan poets. He was born near Sitia, the son of a Venetian-Cretan aristocrat. The 'Erotocritos' was written about 1587 and first published in Venice in 1713. It reflects the Cretan civilization and life during the 16th century. Included in its verse are serenades, amorous escapades, stories of courage and the significance of virginal purity in woman. The 'Erotocritos' sets great store by true love, friendship, courage and patriotism. A translation into English was made by Theodore Ph. Stephanides, published by Papazissis Publishers of Athens.