“You Will Come as Lightning” - Hymn to Constantinople
A Greek song about the fall of Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire and a major holy site. The fall of Constantinople marked the end of the Roman Empire.
Song by Stamatis Spanoudakis.
“God forbid that I should live as an Emperor without an Empire. As my city falls, I will fall with it. Whosoever wishes to escape, let him save himself if he can, and whoever is ready to face death, let him follow me.”
- Constantine XI
English Lyrics:
You will come as a lightning
The country will have feast
The sea, the earth and the sky
In your light
I will wear white clothes
To touch you again
You light and, my heart, me
How much I love you
King of Kings Help the King
Mercy, mercy, God, of Heaven
Constantine Dragases Palaiologos
By the grace of God, Emperor of Romans
In the Gate of Saint Romanus
Astride on his whitelegged horse
Four Betas, mercy, mercy, Marmaras
Bosphorus and Black Tuesday
The sun shone, the earth sighed