I Fed the Horse lyrics and meaning

Šėriau žirgytį
Savo juodbėrytį,
: Auginau mergytę
Svetimoj šalelėj.:

-Kelk, sens tėveli,
Žabok man žirgelį,
: Josiu pas mergytę
Jauną negelkytę.:

-Labs ryts, labs vakars,
Uošvi bei uošvuže,
: Ar namie mergytė,
Mano negelkytė?:

-Dėkui, ženteli,
Sėsk ir nuo žirgelio,
: Pareis ir mergytė
Iš mėronų daržo. :

Parsineš kvietkelių,
Vienų mėronėlių,
Aukso pumpurėliais,
Sidabro lapeliais.
Tai graži mergytė,
Mano nėgelkytė!

I Fed the Horse: song interpretation

This song can be understood as a courtship song about a young man riding to a young woman. At the beginning he feeds his dark bay horse and says he is raising a young woman in a foreign land, then asks his old father to bridle the horse so he can ride to the bride. These images can be interpreted as preparation for courtship.

When he arrives, he greets the father-in-law and mother-in-law, asking whether the young woman is at home. They graciously invite him to dismount and say that the young woman will return from the marjoram garden. This welcome can be understood as the hospitable reception of a suitor.

At the end the young woman brings back flowers, marjorams with golden buds and silver leaves, and the song says: such a beautiful young woman. These images can be interpreted as exalting the girl's beauty and worth through flowers. This is one possible meaning, but the courtship and maidenly beauty motifs are clear.

I Fed the Horse: symbols and phrases

Dark bay horse
The horse fed and bridled by the young man. It signifies the courtship ride to the young woman.
Father-in-law and mother-in-law
The young woman's parents who welcome him kindly. They mark the suitor's hospitable reception.
Marjoram garden
The garden from which the young woman returns. It marks her space of work and herbs.
Flowers with golden buds
Marjoram flowers ornamented with gold and silver. They signify the young woman's beauty and worth.

I Fed the Horse: song history

"I Fed the Horse" belongs to love and courtship songs in which a young man rides to a young woman in a foreign land. The song is composed as a sequential narrative: the young man feeds the dark bay horse, asks his father to bridle it, arrives and greets the in-laws, asks whether the young woman is at home, and at the end the girl's beauty is sung through flowers with golden buds and silver leaves.

The exact place and time of recording are not given on this page, so the song is presented through genre features, above all the motifs of riding to a young woman and courtship greeting. The gracious welcome by the in-laws, the marjoram garden, and the gold and silver floral imagery are typical of courtship lyric, where the young woman is elevated as precious and desired.

sources

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

I Fed the Horse: sources