Dark Night, Sycamore Grove lyrics and meaning
Tamsioji naktaitė, jovarų giraitė
Toli mano tėviškėlė, toli nežinoma /x2
Jei ir nežinoma reiks man ten nujoti
Reiks man seną uošvužėlį, reiks man atlankyti /x2
O dar neįjojau į pusę kelal
Ir sučiulbo raibi paukščiai, sužvingo žirgelis /x2
O dar neįjojau į pusę giral
Ir sulojo margi kurtai, pragydo gaideliai /x2
O dar neprijojau prie uošvės dvarel
Ir išėjo uošvužėlė atkėlė varelius /x2
O dar neįjojau į uošvės dvarel
Sodin sodin svainužėliai nuo bėro žirgelio /x2
Meaning
This song can be understood as a song about a journey to distant in-laws. At the beginning, a dark night and a sycamore-maple grove are named, and the singer says that the homeland is far away and unknown. This image can be interpreted as a distant, unfamiliar place after marriage.
The singer says that although the place is unknown, he must ride there to visit the old father-in-law. This resolve can be understood as a duty of kinship. On the journey, before he has ridden halfway, birds begin to sing and the horse neighs; through the forest, hounds bark and roosters crow. These signs can be interpreted as stages of approach toward the destination.
At the end, when he reaches the mother-in-law's manor, she comes out and opens the gates, and the brothers-in-law help the guest down from the bay horse. These images can be interpreted as a hospitable reception by the in-laws. That is one possible meaning, but the motifs of journeying to the in-laws and being welcomed are clear.
Symbols
- Far unknown homeland
- A distant, unfamiliar place after marriage. It marks the distance to the in-laws' home.
- Journey to the father-in-law
- The ride to visit the old father-in-law signifies a duty of kinship.
- Singing birds, barking hounds, crowing roosters
- The sounds along the road mark the gradual approach to the destination.
- Mother-in-law opening the gates
- The opened gates and the in-laws helping the guest down from the horse signify a warm reception.
History
"Dark Night, Sycamore Grove" is connected with wedding songs: it names the father-in-law, mother-in-law, and brothers-in-law, and tells of riding to the mother-in-law's manor and being welcomed there. The song is arranged through a formula of gradual approach - "I had not yet ridden... and...": on the road, birds sing and the horse neighs; in the forest, hounds bark and roosters crow; at the manor, the mother-in-law opens the little gates and the in-laws help the guest down from the horse. The dark night and the far, unknown homeland intensify the sense of a place made distant after marriage.
The exact recording place and time are not given on this page, so the song is presented through genre features; motifs of visiting in-laws and being welcomed, together with the gradual-approach structure, are characteristic of wedding and related kinship songs. Variants of such songs exist in different regions of Lithuania.
Sources
- Lithuanian Folk Songbook, vols. 1-23, Vilnius 1980-2011 (LLTI)
- A. Juška, Lithuanian Wedding Songs, 2 vols., Vilnius 1955
- Catalogue of Lithuanian Folk Songs, 6 vols., Vilnius 1972-1986
- Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia: Lithuanian folk songs
- Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia: wedding songs
- LLTI: Lithuanian Folk Songbook
Common questions
Dark Night, Sycamore Grove: what kind of song is this?
It is a wedding-related kinship song about riding to the in-laws and being welcomed at their manor.
Who are the father-in-law, mother-in-law, and brothers-in-law?
They are the wife's kin: the in-laws are her parents, and the brothers-in-law are her brothers or brothers-in-law. Visiting them in the song is part of kinship duty after marriage.
Why do birds sing and hounds bark on the way?
The sounds - birds, horse, hounds, and roosters - mark the rider's gradual approach to the mother-in-law's manor.
What does it mean that the mother-in-law opens the gates?
Opening the little gates means welcoming the guest. Together with helping him down from the horse, it shows an honorable reception.