Introductory Hello from Wolodymyr

Hi, my name is David Wolodymyr Bilyk, I live in Scotland and am the son of a Ukrainian DP who came to England at the end of WWII.
Although I never learned to speak Ukrainian, I am familiar with the Cyrillic font and get by sometimes!
As I grew up, there were many Ukrainian songs, and my Uncle Kostya was a choirmaster in Ukraine, we used to sing a lot together on his few visits to us. So I can sing some songs, know the approximate meaning, yet not know exactly how it translates. My interest is in older folk songs and I do have a Ukrainian collection of songbooks in paper and digital form.
To give you an idea, some songs that mean something personal to me are, in no particular order;
Коли розлучаються двоє
Сонце низенько
Дивлюсь я на небо
Думи мої
Од Києва до Лубен
Розпрягайте, хлопці, коні

As far as artists go, I have old records and some transferred to digital, Anatoly Solovianenko, Dmitriy Hnatyuk, Marenich trio and others.
Maybe translations for some of these are already on the site and I will do some searches when I have time.
For now I would just like to introduce myself and ask: does anyone here have a similar experience or taste in Ukrainian folk songs?

In honour of my father I would like to use my middle name Wolodymyr on this site

best regards
Wolodymyr

Hello Wolodymyr, nice to meet you. My name is Tania, I'm from Ukraine actually. I'll be happy to help you with translations, if you provide your source text, because lots of folk songs have variations in different regions, and I believe you've got versions older than that we hear in UA now.

I do like Ukrainian folk songs, may be I'll be able to share with you some beautiful songs you don't know yet - I'm not a musician personally, but I have acquaintances who are interested in original folk music - how it's sung on the place (not the "coiffured" versions they put on stage & TV last 50 years). Several of my favorite songs are "Туман яром", "Так соловейко щебетав" & of course the anthem of my country. It became rather popular during last months' events in Kiev & other UA regions.

Ласкаво просимо до ATL forum!

Hi Tania,
and thanks for your welcome.
You are correct that I have older versions, and love that style, and the 'coiffured' versions as you put it, do not impress me. I suppose that is because I listened to my father's records, sent to us from Ukraine in the 60's and 70's when I was a child.

One of the great things about the modern internet, is that it is possible to find many songs on the internet, youtube included. For example I heard Коли розлучаються двоє on a vinyl record, I loved it and it stuck in my mind but the record was lost. It was only a couple of years ago that I was delighted to find it on youtube.
"Туман яром", is very beautiful and harmonious and I downloaded from youtube.
I am not sure about "Так соловейко щебетав", but maybe it is Ой, у вишневому саду . A beautiful rendition by Таисия Повалий http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX5jkTqLLSs

As for translation, I could do with help for Дивлюсь я на небо I understand the first verse, then begin to struggle. I would like to recite at least two verses for my father's service next week because it was a favourite of his. I am working on it.

Дивлюсь я на небо та й думку гадаю:
Чому я не сокіл, чому не літаю,
Чому мені, Боже, Ти крилець не дав?-
Я б землю покинув і в небо злітав!


Далеко за хмари, подалі від світу,
Шукать собі долі, на горе - привіту,
І ласки у зірок, у сонця просить,
У світі їх яснім все горе втопить.

Бо долі ще змалку здаюсь я не любий,-
Я наймит у неї, хлопцюга приблудний;
Чужий я у долі, чужий у людей!
Хіба ж хто кохає нерідних дітей?..

Кохаюся лихом і щастя не знаю.
І гірко без долі свій вік коротаю;
Й у горі спізнав я, що тільки одна -
Далеке небо - моя сторона...

І на світі гірко, як стане ще гірше, —
Я очі на небо, мені веселіше!
Я в думках забуду, що я сирота,
І думка далеко, високо літа.

Коли б мені крилля, орлячі ті крилля,
Я б землю покинув і на новосілля
Орлом бистрокрилим у небо польнув
І в хмарах навіки от світу втонув!

Wolodymyr

Hi there!

Wolodymyr, here's my translation; if something is still unclear - please, ask. (sometimes I'm not sure which synonym to chose, so it may have strange meaning to you)

Дивлюсь я на небо та й думку гадаю:
Чому я не сокіл, чому не літаю,
Чому мені, Боже, Ти крилець не дав?-
Я б землю покинув і в небо злітав!


I look at the sky and think a thought:
Why am I not a falcon, why do not I fly ,
Why to me, Oh God, hadn't given Thou wings ? -
I'd have left the ground and flew into the sky !


Далеко за хмари, подалі від світу,
Шукать собі долі, на горе - привіту,
І ласки у зірок, у сонця просить,
У світі їх яснім все горе втопить.


Far beyond the clouds , away from the world,
To seek my fortune, to my grief - consolation,
And grace from the stars, from the Sun to ask
In their bright (lucid?) light to drown all the sorrow.


Бо долі ще змалку здаюсь я не любий,-
Я наймит у неї, хлопцюга приблудний;
Чужий я у долі, чужий у людей!
Хіба ж хто кохає нерідних дітей?..


For the fate seems not to like me from my very childhood -
I'm a hired servant of hers, stray cuss (strange guy);
Strange I'm to fate, strange to people!
Indeed, does anyone love unrelated children? ..


Кохаюся лихом і щастя не знаю.
І гірко без долі свій вік коротаю;
Й у горі спізнав я, що тільки одна -
Далеке небо - моя сторона...


In love with misfortune and happiness do not know.
And bitterly without luck I while away my life ;
And in this misery I learned that only one -
The distant sky - is my side (home land?)...


І на світі гірко, як стане ще гірше, —
Я очі на небо, мені веселіше!
Я в думках забуду, що я сирота,
І думка далеко, високо літа.


And the world is bitter, if it becomes even worse -
I look up to the sky and become merrier!
In my thoughts I forget that I am an orphan,
And my thought flies far away, so high


Коли б мені крилля, орлячі ті крилля,
Я б землю покинув і на новосілля
Орлом бистрокрилим у небо польнув
І в хмарах навіки от світу втонув!


If I had wings, aquiline those wings ,
I'd have left the land and to the new dwelling
As a swift-winged eagle to the sky I'd have flown
And in the clouds forever from the world I'd have drown!

------------
PS. As to that song, of course it's "Ой у вишневому садочку". Eventually I'll share some links (when or if I'll find the content over the internet - because I remember them on audio tapes)

Tania, thank you so much.
This is a beautiful song and last year I found a video of Anatoly Solovianenko singing it from the very depths of his soul!
The translation is mostly clear and I only wondered a little on verse 3, I will suggest a few changes later. I am now departing to my father's home to prepare for the service on monday, so it means a lot to me that I will be able to read some of this as a poem.
Thank you!

Wolodomyr

You're most welcome!

And yes, I'll be happy to discuss this 3rd verse. Indeed, it reminds to me of (weak) translations of Japanese poetry, especially the last line. I've got little of actual language practicing, so all the synonyms get me at loss sometimes.

The song is beautiful indeed, thanks for putting it up here on this forum. How was your service?

Wolodymyr, welcome to ATL

I found a link to "Дивлюсь я на небo" by Анатолій Солов'яненко
I hope you like it, but there are other renditions on Youtube.



If you link to the song, there are other versions that you may also enjoy.

Tania I have heard that thing are bad in Kiev and Skype is shut down. Hopefully will everything work out in Ukraine peacefully.

Tania, thank you for asking. It was a very sad day for us, but we gave my father a very proud and Ukrainian goodbye. I read Divlus ya na Nebo in Church, then at crematorium we played Rebe ta Stogne Dnipr Shiroki to enter and a recording of my Uncle Kostya singing Ishov vid vaszne Hayovee to leave. The day was so sunny and beautiful with masses of spring flowers on the ground and birdsong in the air. I am so sad but happy at the same time.

Wolodymyr

Feuersteve, thanks for the welcome. We'll done, that is the version I was referring to. Thanks for the other video links, I am in touch with my nephew in Kostopil, but he has not reported anything there. We can only be hopeful that things will not turn out badly.

Wolodymyr