Juniper on the hill


 
     
 

Kak na gorye kalina,
kak na gorye kalina ...
Nu shtozh, komu dyelo, kalina?
Nu komu kakoye dyelo, kalina?

As juniper grows on the hill,
as juniper grows on the hill ...
Whose business is it, that there's juniper?
Whose business is this, that there's juniper?

 
 

Pod goroyu malina,
pod goroyu malina!
Nu shtozh, komu dyelo, malina?
Nu komu kakoye dyelo, malina?

So the raspberry grows underneath,
so the raspberry grows underneath!
Whose business is it, that there grows the raspberry?
Whose business is this, that there grows the raspberry?

 
 

Tam dyevitsý gulyali,
tam krasnýe gulyali.
Nu shtozh, komu dyelo, gulyali?
Nu komu kakoye dyelo, gulyali?

There went the young girls,
there went the beautiful girls.
Whose business is it, where they went?
Whose business is this, where they went?

 
 

Kalinushku lomali,
kalinushku lomali.
Nu shtozh, komu dyelo, lomali?
Nu komu kakoye dyelo, lomali?

They broke twigs from the juniper bush,
they broke twigs from the juniper bush.
Whose business is it, what they broke?
Whose business is this, what they broke?

 
 

Na dorozhku brosali,
na dorozhku brosali.
Nu shtozh, komu dyelo, brosali?
Nu komu kakoye dyelo, brosali?

They strewed them on the path,
they strewed them on the path.
Whose business is it, what they strewed?
Whose business is this, what they strewed?

 
 

Yekhal parin udaloi,
yekhal parin udaloi.
Nu shtozh, komu dyelo, udaloi?
Nu komu kakoye dyelo, udaloi?

A daring lad on horseback came along,
a daring lad on horseback came along.
Whose business is it? He was a daredevil!
Whose business is this? He was a daredevil!

 
 

Mignul dyevke maladoi,
mignul dyevke maladoi.
Nu shtozh, komu dyelo, maladoi?
Nu komu kakoye dyelo, maladoi?

He gave one of the young girls a wink,
he gave one of the young girls a wink.
Whose business is it? She was young!
Whose business is this? She was young!

 
     
 

Words and Music: Russian folksong
Pronunciation:
       a as in "bar", e as in "bed", i as in "bid", o as in "bore", u as in "blue"
       y = as in "yellow" / ý = dull i, as in "bill"
       s = always voiceless, as in "son" / z = voiced, as in "zone"
       sh = voiceless, as in "mesh" / zh = voiced, like the s in "measure"
       kh = mostly rough, like the ch in Scotch "loch", but smooth when "e" or "i" follows
       a, e, i, o, u, y = the underlined vowel signifies the stressed syllable of a word.
Musical notation, transcription and analogous translation: Kai Kracht
Comment:
       "Kalina" (juniper) and "malina" (raspberry) obviously were the traditional offerings to an old-slavic goddess of love, who is still alive in quite a lot of folksongs, as in "Kalinka", and in this song, too:
       Here the young girls strew juniper branches on the path, and the understanding goddess of love sends a daring young man riding along and winking at the girls ... and the rest of the story is really none of anyone's business.
© Kai Kracht 2002