I Had a Young Mare lyrics and meaning

Aš turėjau kumelaitę
Žadu joti pas mergaitę
Ek čiuda mara čiura
Čiuda daitum čiudada

Ir nujojau pas mergaitę
Prisirišau kumelaitę
Ek čiuda mara čiura
Čiuda daitum čiudada

Pasispardė kumelaitė
Ir sugriovė kamaraitė
Ek čiuda mara čiura
Čiuda daitum čiudada

I Had a Young Mare: song interpretation

This song can be understood as a humorous courtship song with a comic ending. The meaningless, playful refrain "Ek ciuda mara ciura" immediately shows that the song is meant to entertain rather than to tell a serious story. At the beginning, the narrator has a young mare and intends to ride to see a girl.

After he rides to the girl, he ties up the mare, but she kicks and knocks down the little chamber, a small storeroom or room. This event can be interpreted as a comic failure that spoils the courtship visit. Instead of a romantic meeting, there is disorder and damage.

With its nonsense refrain and unexpected ending, the whole song was probably sung for amusement, perhaps for dancing or evening gatherings. It can be read as a light, comic piece mocking an unsuccessful suitor. This is one possible meaning, but the humorous character of the song is obvious.

I Had a Young Mare: symbols and phrases

Young mare
The narrator's riding mare, used for the visit to the girl. Her mischief becomes the source of the song's comedy.
"Ek ciuda mara ciura"
A meaningless, playful refrain. It gives the song a lively, dance-like character.
Little chamber
A small room or storeroom knocked down by the kicking mare. Its collapse is the comic climax of the failed visit.

I Had a Young Mare: song history

"I Had a Young Mare" belongs to humorous songs with a courtship motif, whose comedy is signaled at once by the meaningless sound refrain "Ek ciuda mara ciura, ciuda daitum ciudada." Such nonsense refrain lines and the short stanza structure built on rhymes are typical of songs meant for amusement, dancing, or evening gatherings.

The exact place and time of recording are not given on the page, so the song is presented by genre. The narrative is brief and comic: the young man rides to see a girl, but his mare kicks and knocks down the little chamber, playfully turning the courtship visit into a failure. This unexpected, funny resolution is the basis of the genre.

sources

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

I Had a Young Mare: sources