Fires Burn Beyond the Lake lyrics and meaning
Už ežero ugnys dega
Už ežero ugnys dega
Krinta byra kibirkštėlės
Krinta byra kibirkštėlės
Man siratai ašarėlės
Eisiu girion paklausyti
Ar kukuoja gegutėlė
Ar kukuoja gegutėlė
Ar ramina siratėlę
Sunku sodui be karvelio
Man siratai be tėvelio
Sunku giriai be gegulės
Man siratai be motulės
Meaning
This song can be understood as an orphan girl's lament. At the beginning, fires burn beyond the lake, sparks fall and scatter, and for me, the orphan, tears fall. This comparison can be read as an echo between falling sparks and falling tears.
Then the orphan goes into the forest to listen whether the cuckoo is calling, whether it is comforting the orphan. These images can be understood as the search for consolation in nature.
At the end, the song makes a parallel: hard for the garden without a dove, hard for me, the orphan, without father; hard for the forest without a cuckoo, hard for me, the orphan, without mother. These images can be read as orphanhood and loss compared with emptiness in nature. This is one possible meaning, but the motif of orphanhood and the search for consolation is clear.
Symbols
- Fires and sparks
- Fires burning beyond the lake and falling sparks are compared with falling tears.
- Orphan's tears
- The orphan girl's weeping marks the pain of loss.
- Comforting cuckoo
- The cuckoo calling in the forest and comforting the orphan marks a hoped-for bird of consolation.
- "Garden without dove, orphan without father"
- The emptiness of garden and forest compared with loss of parents marks the pain of orphanhood.
History
"Fires Burn Beyond the Lake" belongs to family songs about orphanhood. Falling sparks from the fire are compared with the orphan girl's tears, and she seeks consolation in nature, going into the forest to hear whether the cuckoo is calling. The closing parallelism, hard for the garden without a dove, hard for the orphan without father; hard for the forest without the cuckoo, hard for the orphan without mother, joins natural emptiness with the loss of parents. This is a typical image of orphan songs and laments.
The exact recording place and time are not given on the page, so the song is presented according to genre features. The cuckoo here is a bird of consolation and longing, often connected with orphanhood, while the pairing of nature images, fire, garden, forest, with human pain creates a quiet lament tone.
Sources
- Lietuvių liaudies dainynas, vols. 1-23, Vilnius 1980-2011 (LLTI)
- Lietuvių liaudies dainų katalogas, 6 vols., Vilnius 1972-1986
- Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia: Lithuanian folk songs
- Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia: family songs
- LLTI: Lithuanian Folk Songbook
Common questions
Fires Burn Beyond the Lake: what kind of song is this?
It is a family song, an orphan girl's lament about the loss of parents and the search for consolation in nature.
What does "sirata" mean?
"Sirata" means an orphan, a child left without parents. The song is sung in her voice, so all the nature images are set beside her loss.
Why are fires and sparks compared with tears?
The fires beyond the lake and the falling sparks create an echo with the orphan's falling tears. The natural image reflects grief.
What does the cuckoo mean in this song?
In Lithuanian songs, the cuckoo is often linked with longing and orphanhood. Here the orphan goes into the forest to hear whether it comforts her.