TRAGIC LOVE: The most beautiful Greek song was written by a Serbian soldier leaving for the Thessaloniki front! (VIDEO)

One such romance—great yet tragic—has been immortalized in the beautiful Greek song “Mi Mou Thimonis Matia Mou” (“Don’t Be Angry with Me, My Eyes”).

According to legend, the most beautiful Greek love song was written on the island of Corfu by a Serbian soldier as he parted from his Greek beloved before heading to the Thessaloniki Front.

“After the Serbian army withdrew from Corfu and was transferred to the Thessaloniki Front, marching toward the ultimate liberation of Serbia, a Serbian soldier gifted these words to Corfiot Hondrojanis Haru. She later made slight modifications and turned them into a song.

The song underwent minor changes, and the version recorded by Eftihia Papagiannopoulos (Ευτυχία Παπαγιαννοπούλου) eventually reached the well-known Greek composer Dimitris Kougioumtzis (Κουγιουμτζής Δημήτριος). He arranged and composed the music, with one of the most beautiful performances delivered by the singer Georgios Dalaras (Γιώργος Νταλάρας).

KRF: Mesto susreta Grkinje i srpskog vojnika

The island of Corfu became a crucial refuge for the Serbian army during World War I, as the exhausted troops, under pressure from Germany and Bulgaria, were forced to leave their homeland and take shelter on this Greek island.

Among those who found love on Corfu was the future Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Aleksandar Cincar Marković, who fell for a Corfiot woman named Idalia. However, not all loves had happy endings. One such great yet tragic romance was immortalized in the beautiful Greek song “Mi Mou Thimonis Matia Mou” (“Don’t Be Angry with Me, My Eyes”).

In those times of suffering and hardship, love blossomed between a Greek woman and a Serbian soldier. Their feelings were strong, but his duty to his homeland was even stronger, separating him from the woman he loved. He left her behind, setting off for the Thessaloniki Front, fully aware that he might never return. In one letter, the soldier promised his beloved that he would come back to her. Even if he perished, he vowed to return in the form of a bird, asking her to open her window so he could bid her goodnight one last time.

The young woman transformed her lover’s words into poetic verses. From that moment on, the song was sung by many, becoming a symbol of the unbreakable bond between Corfiots and Serbs. It was also embraced as an anthem of Greek-Serbian friendship.

“Don’t be angry with me, my eyes,
Don’t be angry with me, my eyes,
Don’t be angry with me, my eyes, for leaving to a foreign land,
I will become a bird and return to you once more.

Open your window, my blue basil,
And with a sweet smile, wish me goodnight.

Don’t be angry with me, my eyes,
For I must leave you now, but come for a moment,
Let me see you, let me bid you farewell.

Open your window, my blue basil,
And with a sweet smile, wish me goodnight.”