# Guardian in the sky, forever by my side



## Zeus7

Can someone please translate 'Guardian in the sky, forever by my side' to Greek. I am getting a Greek mythology tattoo done.

Thanks.


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## Perseas

Here's an attempt in Modern Greek:
_Φύλακας στον ουρανό, για πάντα στο πλευρό μου._


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## Tassos

ΦΥΛΑΚΑΣ ΣΤΟΝ ΟΥΡΑΝΟ, ΓΙΑ ΠΑΝΤΑ ΣΤΟ ΠΛΕΥΡΟ ΜΟΥ (more literal)
ΦΥΛΑΚΑΣ Τ' ΟΥΡΑΝΟΥ, ΓΙΑ ΠΑΝΤΑ ΣΤΟ ΠΛΕΥΡΟ ΜΟΥ (more poetic) or (if you prefer lowercase)

Φύλακας στον ουρανό, για πάντα στο πλευρό μου
Φύλακας τ' ουρανού, για πάντα στο πλευρό μου

(oops! crossed with Perseas )


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## Αγγελος

I would suppose "Guardian" is a vocative, i.e. that you are invoking a guardian angel. In that case it should be "φύλακα", without the final sigma. Also, "ουράνιε φύλακα" (heavenly guardian) would be better than the suggested forms.


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## radagasty

Αγγελος said:


> I would suppose "Guardian" is a vocative.



I'm not so sure that 'guardian' should be vocative, since there is no imperative.

How about simply: Φύλαξ εν τῷ οὐρανῷ, παρ᾽ἐμοὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων


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## velisarius

That's the trouble with trying to translate this type of phrase; in English it's impossible to tell whether it's indicative or imperative.


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## Αγγελος

Very clever. By using ancient Greek, you avoid having to decide between nominative and vocative, as in that particular word the two are identical (which is not the case in modern Greek).
You could also say Φύλαξ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, since if the guardian is by my side, he can't be in the sky at the same time!


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## radagasty

> You could also say Φύλαξ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, since if the guardian is by my side, he can't be in the sky at the same time!

True! I have to say, though, that the English original doesn't quite make sense to me, or, at least, it is not clear what exactly it means.


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