Did I Not Tell You, Sister? lyrics and meaning

Ar aš tau, sese, nesakiau,
Ar aš žodelio netariau?
Iššluok kiemelį subatoj,
Atjos bernelis nedėlioj.

Atjojo ponai devyni
Ir jų tarnaičiai septyni.
Atjos ir šelmis bernelis,
Kiek jis iškados padarys.

Pririšo žirgą prie tvoros,
Prie lelijėlės, prie rūtos.
Žirgas pamuistei galvelę,
Išlaužė uosio tvorelę.

Oi bėgsiu, bėgsiu tekina
Pas motinėlę verkdama:
O motinėle mylima,
Ką man daryt su rūtele?

Palaistyk rūtą vyneliu,
O lelijėlę pieneliu.
Prigis rūtelė prie šaknų,
O lelijėlė prie laiškų.

Did I Not Tell You, Sister?: song interpretation

This song can be understood as a courtship song with a note of warning, in which a sister is warned about an arriving young man. The elder tells the younger to sweep the yard on Saturday, because on Sunday the young man will ride in. Such preparation for guests creates an atmosphere of expectation and courtship.

Nine lords and seven servants arrive, and with them the rogue young man, who is said to cause harm. The tethered horse tosses its head and breaks the ash fence, trampling the lily and rue. This image may be interpreted symbolically: damage to the rue garden often means a threat to a girl's chastity or honor.

The young woman runs weeping to her mother to ask what to do with the injured rue. The mother advises watering the rue with wine and the lily with milk so that they will take root again. This advice can be understood as hope that the harm can be repaired and order restored. This is one possible reading, but the motif of courtship, damage, and restoration is clear in the song.

Did I Not Tell You, Sister?: symbols and phrases

Subata and nedelia
Dialect words for Saturday and Sunday. They mark the time of preparation and the young man's arrival.
Rogue young man
The word selmis names a mischievous or sly young man. In the song he is associated with possible harm and anxiety.
Ash fence
The fence made of ash wood, broken by the horse. Its breaking symbolizes a breach of protection.
Rue watered with wine
Watering rue with wine and lily with milk is an image of repairing harm. It expresses hope that the young woman's honor and order can be restored.

Did I Not Tell You, Sister?: song history

"Did I Not Tell You, Sister?" belongs to love and courtship songs with a warning tone: an elder sister warns the younger about the arriving "rogue young man," and the action develops through dialogue among the sisters and the mother. The number formula of nine lords and seven servants, together with the gradual narration, are common features of lyric songs, creating a mood of waiting and anxiety.

The exact place and time of recording for this version are not given on the page, so the song is presented by genre traits. The central image, the horse breaking the ash fence and trampling rue and lily, is a symbolic formula: damage to the rue garden often means a threat to a girl's chastity or honor, while the mother's advice to water the rue with wine and the lily with milk expresses hope that the damage can be repaired.

sources

  • Lietuvių liaudies dainynas, vols. 1-23, Vilnius 1980-2011 (LLTI)
  • Catalogue of Lithuanian Folk Songs, 6 vols., Vilnius 1972-1986

Did I Not Tell You, Sister?: sources