Moon at Half Past Noon

Freedom is never absolute, yet who are we when we are in fetters or under a yoke. When someone else decides what we think and how we live, is no living at all. Of course, we negotiate our freedom every minute. We ought not settle for anything less, but continue to fight to be free—from ignorance, arrogance, manipulation, and indignity.

Yesterday, March 25, Greece celebrated its Independence Day. On that day in 1821, after nearly 400 years of Ottoman rule, Greeks across the land declared, “Freedom or Death!” It started in the Peloponnese, but soon every corner—mountains, villages, and islands—joined the fight. Brave shepherds, sailors, and priests turned into warriors, determined to be free. Islands like Crete, Hydra, and Samos jumped in with ships and spirit.

Samos, a small Aegean gem, rose up by April 1821, led by Lycurgus Logothetis. They battled Ottoman attacks, even surviving a fierce 1824 assault. It took years of struggle, but by 1830, entire Greece won its freedom—though Samos joined fully only in 1912.

March 25 means parades, flags, and songs like “Samiotissa,” honoring a shared past and culture! I found Nana Mouskouri’s version. “Samiotissa” is a happy, bouncy song about a girl from Samos. She is strong and pretty. She makes everyone’s heart skip a beat. It’s an old legend, passed down from grandparents to kids, and it’s like a musical hug from Greece’s past!

I enjoyed the beat and the melody, and decided to give it a new twist. I hope you enjoy reading the next lines.

Oh Samiotissa, lass of the brine,

Eyes like the deep where the caiques align.

Up on Vathi’s cliffs, where the kleftes cry,

You stoke the flame ‘neath a March-lit sky.

Samiotissa, queen of the swell,

Reel with the waves where the pomegranates dwell.

Samiotissa, spark of the free,

Gleam like the bells over Moni Vronta’s lea.

With hair like the night on Psili Ammos shore,

You weave the songs that the elders bore.

Through olive groves and the cannon’s din,

You call the heroes of ’21 in.

Samiotissa, queen of the swell,

Reel with the waves where the pomegranates dwell.

Samiotissa, spark of the free,

Gleam like the bells over Moni Vronta’s lea.