Beyond Seas, Lagoons, and Waters lyrics and meaning
Už jūrių, už marių, už vandenėlių
Be vėjo ievelė šakeles lenkė. /x2
Be vėjo ievelė šakeles lenkė,
Bernytis mergytę jau perkalbėjo. /x2
Bernytis mergytę jau perkalbėjo,
Aukso žiedelį padovanojo. /x2
Aš aukso žiedelį kasdien nešiosiu,
Bernyčio vardelį vis minavosiu. /x2
Beyond Seas, Lagoons, and Waters: song interpretation
This song can be understood as a love and courtship song. At the beginning it says that beyond seas, lagoons, and waters, a bird cherry bent its branches without wind. This image can be interpreted as an unusual sign, placed in parallel with the young woman's persuasion.
Then it says that the young man has persuaded the young woman and given her a little gold ring. These images can be understood as a courtship and engagement scene.
At the end the girl promises to wear the little gold ring every day and always remember the young man's name. This promise can be interpreted as a sign of fidelity and remembrance. That is one possible meaning, but the courtship and engagement motif is clear in the song.
Beyond Seas, Lagoons, and Waters: symbols and phrases
- Bird cherry bending without wind
- A bird cherry bending its branches without wind. It marks an unusual sign, parallel to the girl's persuasion.
- Persuaded young woman
- The girl persuaded by the young man. She marks the success of courtship.
- Gold ring
- The gold ring given as a gift. It marks betrothal and commitment.
- Remembering the name
- The promise to keep the young man's name in memory. It marks fidelity and remembrance.
Beyond Seas, Lagoons, and Waters: song history
"Beyond Seas, Lagoons, and Waters" belongs to love and courtship songs. The genre is shown by the main motifs: the young man persuades the young woman and gives her a little gold ring, while she promises to wear the ring and remember his name. The parallel opening is also characteristic: the bird cherry bending without wind prepares the human event through an image from nature, a common structure in lyric love songs.
No exact recording place or time is given on this page, so the song is presented by genre features. The formula of distant place, "beyond seas, lagoons, and waters," and the repetition of each line are typical of sung folk lyric; the gold ring functions here as a sign of betrothal and fidelity.
sources
- Lietuvių liaudies dainynas, vols. 1-23, Vilnius 1980-2011 (LLTI)
- Lietuvių liaudies dainų katalogas, 6 vols., Vilnius 1972-1986
Beyond Seas, Lagoons, and Waters: sources
Beyond Seas, Lagoons, and Waters: frequently asked questions
What kind of song is this?
It is a love and courtship song about successful persuasion by a young man and the girl's promise of fidelity.
What does the bird cherry bending without wind mean?
It is a parallel nature opening: the windless bending of the bird cherry is an unusual sign, compared with the girl's heart being persuaded.
What does the gold ring mark?
The little gold ring is a sign of betrothal and commitment, and wearing it every day becomes a promise of fidelity.
What does "I will remember his name" mean?
It is a promise to remember and honor the young man's name, an expression of fidelity common in courtship songs.