Farewell lyrics and meaning
Kai aš tavęs norėjau,
Tu manęs nenorėjai.
Verksi, mergyte,
Verksi, jaunoji,
Kad aš kitą parvesiu.
Ant žirgužio besėdint,
Kepurėlė nupuolė.
Eik šen artyn,
Jauna mergyte,
Paduok man kepurėlę.
Kepurėlę ji davė,
Tai labai graudžiai verkė.
Ai, tič, neverki,
Jauna mergyte,
Dar aš ir vėl pargrįšiu.
Pro vartužius išjojant,
Žirgužis sužvingo.
Pasilik sveika,
Jauna mergyte,
Jau aš daugiau negrįšiu.
Farewell: song interpretation
The falling cap is a small plot device that forces the young woman to come closer. She hands him the cap and begins to weep, so the departure becomes openly emotional. Yet the young man's words are ambiguous: he consoles her by saying he will return, but as he rides away he says the opposite.
The horse's neigh at the gate intensifies the impression of a final departure. The gate is the last boundary of home and relationship. Beyond it begins a road in which the young woman no longer has a place.
Farewell: symbols and phrases
- Cap
- A small object that creates a final contact. Through it, the young woman touches the departing man one more time.
- Gate
- The boundary between home and road. Once he rides through it, the farewell becomes final.
- Horse
- A sign of departure. Its neigh seems to confirm that the journey cannot be undone.
- "I will not return"
- The final turn that contradicts the earlier consolation. It gives the song its bitter tone.
Farewell: song history
Rhesa's "Atsisveikinimas" is a song from Lithuania Minor about love missing its moment: when the young man wanted the girl, she did not want him; when he rides away, she weeps. The title is general, so archives also contain other farewell works under it, including later choral or patriotic texts.
This particular song is not a patriotic farewell to the homeland. It is more intimate: the gate, the cap, the horse, and the final words create a personal moment of departure in which the promise to return is immediately denied.
Farewell: sources
Farewell: frequently asked questions
Is this the same song as "Farewell to the Homeland"?
No. Rhesa's "Atsisveikinimas" is a love-and-departure song, while "Atsisveikinimas su tėvyne" belongs to a different, later patriotic repertoire.
Why does the cap fall?
It is a plot detail that allows the young woman to approach and meet the departing young man one last time.
Why does he first promise to return and then say he will not?
The song depends on an emotional turn. The consolation is brief, while the final farewell appears at the gate.
What does the horse's neigh mean?
The horse emphasizes the moment of departure. Its voice in the song acts as a sign that the journey has begun.
Is the young woman portrayed as guilty?
The song recalls that she did not want the young man earlier, but it focuses less on blame than on timing that failed to meet.
Why is the title so general?
In folk collections, titles were often assigned by editors. "Farewell" names the scene, but it is not the only work of this type.