What a Maiden I Once Was lyrics and meaning
Nebelkokia aš mergelė buvau,
Nenelkokį bernelį dabojau,
Nenelkokį bernelį dabojau.
Vainikuota aš mergelė buvau,
Čebatuotą bernelį dabojau,
Čebatuotą bernelį dabojau.
Kaip aš ėjau su berneliu šokti,
Tai po manim žemelė drebėjo,
Tai po manim žemelė drebėjo.
Tai po manim žemelė drebėjo,
Ant galvelės rūtelė žydėjo,
Ant galvelės rūtelė žydėjo.
Ant galvelės rūtelė žydėjo,
Ant rankelės žiedelis žėrėjo,
Ant rankelės žiedelis žėrėjo.
Kaip aš ėjau su našlaliu šokti,
Tai po manim žemelė ingriuvo,
Tai po manim žemelė ingriuvo.
Tai po manim žemelė ingriuvo.
Ant galvelės rūtelės nudžiūvo,
Ant galvelės rūtelės nudžiūvo.
Ant galvelės rūtelės nudžiūvo,
Ant rankelės, žiedelis rudijo,
Ant rankelės, žiedelis rudijo.
What a Maiden I Once Was: song interpretation
This song can be understood as contrasting a dance with a young man and a dance with a widower. At the beginning the singer says that she was no ordinary maiden, but a special, wreathed girl, and that she watched a young man in boots. These traits can be read as signs of youth and chastity.
When she went to dance with the young man, the earth trembled beneath her, rue bloomed on her head, and a ring shone on her hand. These images can be understood as signs of vitality, blooming, and joy.
In contrast, when she went to dance with the widower, the earth caved in beneath her, the rue dried up, and the ring rusted. This contrast can be interpreted as a warning that marriage to a widower brings withering rather than blossoming. That is one possible meaning, but the opposition between the young man and the widower is clear.
What a Maiden I Once Was: symbols and phrases
- Wreathed maiden
- The girl wearing a wreath is not ordinary. She signifies youth and chastity.
- Trembling earth
- The earth trembling beneath the dancing couple signifies vitality and joy with the young man.
- Blooming rue and shining ring
- The rue blooming on the head and the shining ring on the hand mark blossoming and happiness.
- Collapsed earth, withered rue, rusted ring
- The signs that wither or fail while dancing with the widower warn that he brings decline.
What a Maiden I Once Was: song history
"What a Maiden I Once Was" belongs to youth and love songs in which a girl's fate is measured through her dance partner. The song is built on a strict contrast: dancing with a young, booted man is set against dancing with a widower, and the same set of images - trembling earth, rue on the head, ring on the hand - is inverted in the second part into its opposite: collapsed earth, withered rue, rusted ring. Rue and the wreath here, as in other youth songs, mark the girl's youth and chastity.
The specific recording place and time are not given on the page, so the song is presented by genre. The stepwise repetition, where the second line of one stanza opens the next, is an old singing technique that helps create the double mirrored structure between blooming and decay.
sources
- Lithuanian Folk Songbook, vols. 1-23, Vilnius 1980-2011 (LLTI)
- Catalogue of Lithuanian Folk Songs, 6 vols., Vilnius 1972-1986
What a Maiden I Once Was: sources
What a Maiden I Once Was: frequently asked questions
What is the main idea of the song?
The song contrasts dancing with a young man and with a widower: with the young man everything blooms and shines; with the widower everything withers and collapses. It is like a warning about marrying a widower.
What do the wreath and rue on the head mean?
The wreath and blooming rue signify the girl's youth and chastity. When they wither, the flourishing of maidenly fate disappears.
Why does the earth first tremble and then cave in?
The trembling earth shows vitality and joy with the young man, while the earth caving in signals decline and misfortune beside the widower.
What does "nebelkokia" mean?
It is a dialectal form meaning something like "not just any" or "no ordinary." It emphasizes the singer's self-worth as a wreathed maiden.