Little birch tree folk song lyrics

Subject: DTADD: The Birch-Tree^^
From: masato sakurai
Date: 12 Jun 03 - 12:48 PM

Transliterated lyrics and translation of "The Birch Tree" are found HERE.

"The Birch Tree" (Traditional) sung by The Slavyanka Men's Slavic Chorus is HERE.

	The birch-tree
	Vo polye byeryoza stayala, vo polye kudryavaya stayala, lyuli, lyuli, stayala, lyuli, lyuli, stayala.	On the field there stood a birch-tree, on the field there stood the curly birch-tree, Lyuli, Lyuli, there it stood. Lyuli, Lyuli, there it stood.
	Nyekomu byeryozu zalomati, nyekomu kudryavu zashtshipati, lyuli, lyuli, zalomati, lyuli, lyuli, zashtshipati.	Nobody shall break down the birch-tree, nobody shall tear out the curly birch-tree, Lyuli, Lyuli, break down, Lyuli, Lyuli, tear out.
	Paidu ya v lyes, pagulyayu, byeluyu byeryozu zalomayu, lyuli, lyuli, pagulyayu, lyuli, lyuli, zalomayu.	I will go into the forest, I will go, I will fell a white birch-tree, Lyuli, Lyuli, I will go, Lyuli, Lyuli, I will fell.
	Srezhu ya z byeryozyý tri prutotshka, zdyelayu iz nyikh ya tri gudotshka, lyuli, lyuli, tri prutotshka, lyuli, lyuli, tri gudotshka.	I will cut off three little twigs from the birch-tree and make three little pipes of them, Lyuli, Lyuli, three little twigs, Lyuli, Lyuli, three little pipes.
	Tshetvertuyu balalaiku, staromu dyedu na zabavku, lyuli, lyuli, balalaiku, lyuli, lyuli, na zabavku.	The fourth thing I make is a balalaika, to make my old grandfather pleasure. Lyuli, Lyuli, balalaika, Lyuli, Lyuli, for pleasure.
	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. Transcription and analogous translation: Kai Kracht Comment:        This simple song obviously is very old and a good example, how laws and behaviour rules were learned by heart and handed down from generation to generation in illiterate societies in form of a song:        The first two verses tell the law: The birch-tree on the clear field outside the village must not be touched! It obviously is - like the thor's oak of our germanic ancestors - a sacred place for holy rituals, judicial trials, and public meetings.        The next verses tell the behaviour rule which is sung in the first person and sounds like a vow: Whenever I should need birch-wood, for a balalaika or pipes or anything else, I will go the long way to the forest and cut a birch-tree there.        Lyuli, an old-slavic goddess of the earth which is well known from the famous song "Kalinka" and several other Russian folksongs, is invoked in each verse to be a guardian of this law and a witness of its fulfillment. So the law and the vow are sacred and provided with heavenly glory. © Kai Kracht 2002

^^

Lyrics copy-pasted from the link cited above.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: Lyr Add: THE BIRCH TREE
From: Stewart
Date: 12 Jun 03 - 08:00 PM

Slightly different version.

THE BIRCH TREE

See the lovely birch in the meadow,
Curly leaves all dancing when the wind blows,
Loo-lee, loo-lee, the wind blows
Loo-lee, loo, in the meadow

No one here would hurt you, o birch tree
Where is he who does not love the birch tree
............, o birch tree
............, lovely birch tree

I will go alone to the meadow
I will cut the white birch in the meadow
............, in the meadow
............, in the meadow

Oh, my little tree, I need branches
For three silver flutes, I need three branches
............., three branches
............., three branches

From another branch I will make now
Yes, I'll make a tinkling balalaika
............., balalaika
Sweetly tinkling balaika

When I play my new balalaika
I will sing of you, my litle birch tree
............., I'll be playing
............., little birch tree.

Cheers, S. in Seattle

Subject: Lyr Add: IN THE MEADOW STOOD A LITTLE BIRCH TREE
From: masato sakurai
Date: 13 Jun 03 - 11:32 AM

From A Russian Song Book (Dover, 1989, pp. 20-22):

   IN THE MEADOW STOOD A LITTLE BIRCH TREE

1. In the meadow stood a little birch tree,
    In the meadow stood a leafy birch tree.
    Liuli, liuli a birch tree;
    Liuli, liuli a birch tree.

    CHORUS:
    Ding-dong rang the village bell then,
    White, the snow flakes softly fell then.
    Little rabbits ran pell-mell then,
    As the hunters through the dell then
    Sent their dogs to wish them well then,
    And they startled pretty Nell then.

    Oh, my pretty, stay, stay, stay, stay!
    Stay and sing a song with us today,
    Day, day. Oh, fol diddle, oh!
    Di I diddle, diddle, oh!
    What a marvelous ocurrence,
    I was there, I saw it all.
    What a marvelous ocurrence,
    I was there, I saw it all.

2. No one put an ax to the birch tree.
    No one harm the little leafy birch tree.
    Liuli, liuli a birch tree;
    Liuli, liuli a birch tree.
         (Chorus)

3. In the woods today I am going,
    All to end the silver birch tree's growing.
    Liuli, liuli a birch tree;
    Liuli, liuli a birch tree.
         (Chorus)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Birch Tree (Russian)
From: GUEST,Volgadon
Date: 24 Jan 08 - 04:46 AM

The Song is actually much longer. There are several versions.
//a-pesni.golosa.info/rus/vopolebereza.htm Notes can be found here.


Âî ïîëå áåðåçà ñòîÿëà,
Âî ïîëå êóäðÿâàÿ ñòîÿëà,
Ëþëè, ëþëè ñòîÿëà.

Íå êîìó áåðåçó çàëîìàòè,
Íå êîìó êóäðÿâó çàëîìàòè,
Ëþëè, ëþëè çàëîìàòè.

Êàê ïîéäó ÿ â ëåñ, ïîãóëÿþ,
Áåëóþ áåðåçó çàëîìàþ.
Ëþëè, ëþëè çàëîìàþ.

Ñðåæó ñ áåðåçû òðè ïðóòî÷êà,
Ñäåàþ ñåáå ÿ òðè ãóäî÷êà,
Ëþëè, ëþëè, òðè ãóäî÷êà.

×åòâåðòóþ áàëàëàéêó,
Ïîéäó íà íîâûå ñåíè.
Ëþëè, ëþëè, íà ñåíè.

Ñòàíó â áàëàëàå÷êó èãðàòè,
Ñòàíó ÿ ñòàðîãî áóäèòè,
Ëþëè, ëþëè, áóäèòè:

"Âñòàíü òû, ìîé ñòàðûé, ïðîñíèñÿ,
Ïîðîäà ñåäàÿ, ïðîáóäèñÿ,
Ëþëè, ëþëè, ïðîáóäèñÿ.

Âîò òåáå ïîìîè, óìîéñÿ,
Âîò òåáå ðîãîæêà, óòðèñÿ,
Ëþëè, ëþëè, óòðèñÿ.

Âîò òåáå ëàïîòêè, îáóéñÿ,
Âîò òåáå øóáåíêà, îäåíüñÿ.
Ëþëè, ëþëè, îäåíüñÿ.

Âî ïîëå áåðåçà ñòîÿëà,
Âî ïîëå êóäðÿâàÿ ñòîÿëà,
Ëþëè, ëþëè, ñòîÿëà.

Íåêîìó áåðåçó çàëîìàòè,
Íåêîìó êóäðÿâó çàëîìàòè,
Ëþëè, ëþëè, çàëîìàòè.

Êàê ïîéäó ÿ â ëåñ, ïîãóëÿþ,
Áåëóþ áåðåçó çàëîìàþ,
Ëþëè, ëþëè, çàëîìàþ.

Ñðåæó ñ áåðåçû òðè ïðóòî÷êà,
Ñäåëàþ ñåáå ÿ òðè ãóäî÷êà,
Ëþëè, ëþëè, òðè ãóäî÷êà.

×åòâåðòóþ áàëàëàéêó,
Ïîéäó íà íîâûå ñåíè,
Ëþëè, ëþëè, íà ñåíè.

Ñòàíó â áàëàëàå÷êó èãðàòè,
Ñòàíó ÿ ìèëîãî áóäèòè,
Ëþëè, ëþëè, áóäèòè:

"Âñòàíü òû, ìîé ìèëûé, ïðîñíèñÿ.
Òû, äóøà ìîÿ, ïðîáóäèñÿ,
Ëþëè, ëþëè, ïðîáóäèñÿ.

Âîò òåáå âîäèöà, óìîéñÿ,
Âîò òå ïîëîòåíöå, óòðèñÿ,
Ëþëè, ëþëè, óòðèñÿ.

Âîò òåáå áàøìà÷êè, îáóéñÿ,
Âîò òåáå êàôòàí÷èê, îäåíüñÿ,
Ëþëè, ëþëè, îäåíüñÿ..."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Birch Tree (Russian)
From: Artful Codger
Date: 28 Feb 08 - 05:50 PM

The versions I've heard have a long chorus with two sections, as in Masato's post. Here's a transliteration of the Russian (per spelling, not phonetics):

Tarybary, rastabary,
Snezhki bely vypadali,
Sery zajtsy vybegali,
Oxotnichi vyezzhali,
Vse sobak svoix spuskali,
Krasnu devku ispugali.

Ty, devitsa, stoj! Stoj, stoj, stoj!
Krasavitsa s nami pesnju poj, poj, poj!
Chuvil', moj chuvil',
Chuvi[ra]l', vil', vil', vil'!
Eshchjo chudo, pervo chudo, chudo rodina moja!
Eshchjo chudo, pervo chudo, chudo rodina moja!


Talk and gossips,
White snowflakes fell,
Grey rabbits ran out,
Hunters rode out,
Let all their dogs loose,
Frightened a beautiful girl.

You, girl, stop, stop, stop, stop!
Beauty, sing a song with us, sing, sing, sing!
Bird, my bird, birdie-dee-dee-dee!
What a wonder, the foremost wonder, the wonder of my homeland! [2x]

Each section begins slowly and accelerates into a tongue twister.

Also, the title and first line usually contain the diminutive "berjozon'ka" (phon. beer-YO-zuhng-ka) instead of "berjoza"; this is metrically consistent with the other verses.

Do svidane!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Birch Tree (Russian)
From: Artful Codger
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 05:04 PM

Here (at long last) is the chorus section properly rendered in Cyrillic.

Тарыбары, растабары,
Снежки белы выпадали,
Серы зайцы выбегали,
Охотничи выезжали,
Все собак своих спускали,
Красну девку испугали.

Ты, девица, стой! Стой, стой, стой!
Красавитца с нами песню, пой, пой, пой!
Чувиль, мой чувиль,
Чувираль, виль, виль, виль!
Ещё чудо, перво чудо, чудо родина моя!
Ещё чудо, перво чудо, чудо родина моя!