Singing the Hymn to Love

After my post yesterday of 1 Corinthians:13 ("Hymn to Love"), I wanted to get the original Greek text, its transcription in Roman, and an audio of its recitation, so that I could learn to sing this.

I was delighted to discover that in the film Three Colours: Blue, by Krzysztof Kieslowski, the finale of the film features the Song for the Unification of Europe. Composed by Zbigniew Preisner and sung in Greek, this is an abridged version of 1 Corinthians:13 . The music is performed by the Sinfonia Varsovia, conducted by Wojciech Michniewski, with Elzbieta Towarnicka, soprano, and The Silesia Philharmonic Choir.



Here are the lyrics, in Greek.

Εάν ταις γλώσσαις των ανθρώπων λαλώ και των αγγέλων
αγάπην δε μη έχω, γέγονα χαλκός ηχών ή κύμβαλον αλαλάζον.
Και εάν έχω προφητείαν και ειδώ τα μυστήρια πάντα
ώστε όρη μεθιστάνειν, αγάπην δε μη έχω
ουδέν είμι.
Η αγάπη μακροθυμεί, χρηστεύεται,
η αγάπη ου ζηλοί, η αγάπη ου περπερεύεται, ου φυσιούται.
Πάντα στέγει, πάντα πιστεύει, πάντα ελπίζει, πάντα υπομένει,
η αγάπη ουδέποτε εκπίπτει
είτε δε προφητείαι καταργηθήσονται
είτε γλώσσαι παύσονται
είτε γνώσις καταργηθήσεται
Νυνί δε μένει, πίστις, ελπίς, αγάπη,
τα τρία ταύτα,
μείζων δε τούτων η αγάπη.

In transcription:

Ean tais glosais toon antropoon lalo
kai toon angeloon,
agapen de me echo,
gegona chalcos echoon e kumbalon alaladzon

Kai ean echo profeteian,
kai eido ta mysteria panta,
pistin ore metistanai,
agapen de me echo, outen eimi

He agape makrotumai, chresteuetai
he agape ou dzelloi, ou perpereumai, ou fysioutai.

panta stegei, panta pisteuei, panta elpizei, panta upomenei.

He agape oudepotte piptei
eite de profeteiai, katargetezontai,
eite glosai, pausontai,
eite gnossis katargetesetai

Nuni de menei, pistis, elpis, agape,
ta tria tauta, meidzoon de toutoon, he agape.

In translation:

Though I speak with the tongues of angels
If have not love, my worlds would echo like a gong, and a clanging cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries
And though I have all faith so that I could move mountains
If I have not love I am nothing.
Love is patient, full of goodness,
Love tolerates all things, aspires to all things
Love never dies.
While the prophecies shall cease
Tongues shall be silenced
Knowledge shall fade
Thus then shall remain only
Faith, hope and love
But the greatest of these is love.