What, Little Bee? lyrics and meaning
Ką, bice, ką, bice, ką dauja, ką dauja
Tu, bitela, dabilia
Šilkuonėla, dabilia
Ką neskridai, dabilia
Paskum sava, dabilia
Bitinėlį, dabilia
Būcia skridus, dabilia
Nepaklydus, dobilia
Ir sulijo, dabilia
Šilko rūbus, dabilia
Tu bitela, dabilia
Šilkuonėla, dabilia
Kur dziovincis, dabilia
Kur purtincis, dabilia
Šaly kelia, dabilia
Un grikelia, dabilia
Tu bitela, dabilia
Silkuonėla, dabilia
Meaning
This keturinė sutartinė with the refrain "dabilia" can be understood as a song about a bee separated from her drone. The little bee in silk is asked why she did not fly after her own drone; she would have flown and not lost her way, but rain soaked her silk clothes. The image can be interpreted as separation caused by an obstacle.
In folk poetics the bee often symbolizes the soul, a maiden, or a beloved person, while the drone can stand for her mate or lover. The question of why she did not follow the drone can be understood as regret over separation caused by rain that drenched the silk garments.
A second reading hears the separation of bee and drone as a wedding or love-loss image. The little bee in silk, dressed like a bride, cannot follow her partner because rain holds her back: an obstacle prevents union. Since the bee in Lithuanian belief is also associated with the soul, the sutartinė may suggest a separation beyond human control. Rain, road, and buckwheat field become boundaries dividing lovers. The "dabilia" clover refrain adds a tone of life and flourishing, as if hoping that the separation is not final.
Symbols
- Little bee in silk
- A bee dressed in silk clothes; in folk poetics she can signify a maiden, a soul, or a bride.
- Drone
- The bee's male counterpart, whom she did not follow; he signifies a lover or close companion.
- Rain-soaked silk clothes
- The silk garment drenched by rain marks the obstacle that prevents reunion.
- Drying beside the road on buckwheat
- The place where the bee dries and shakes herself off marks the effort to recover after the obstacle.
History
"Ką bice" belongs to keturinės sutartinės with a bee and the refrain "dabilia," clover. Bee imagery is very common in sutartinės: in Lithuanian tradition the bee is associated with the soul, the maiden, diligence, and the human bond called bičiulystė. Sutartinės flourished in northeastern Aukštaitija from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries and were inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010.
The dialectal forms in the text, such as dabilia, dziovincis, and grikelia, point to a Dzūkian or southeastern Aukštaitian recording. The exact location and collector of this variant could not be confirmed from the publicly accessible Slaviūnas index, so no district data is given here.
Sources
- Z. Slaviūnas, Sutartinės, vols. 1-3 (1958-1959)
- D. Račiūnaitė-Vyčinienė, Sutartinės: Lithuanian Polyphonic Songs (2002)
- Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia: sutartinės
- UNESCO: Sutartinės, Lithuanian multipart songs
- LLTI: Lithuanian Folk Songbook
Common questions
What is the sutartinė "What, Little Bee?" about?
It is about a bee who did not fly after her drone because rain soaked her silk clothes.
What does the bee symbolize?
In folk poetics the bee can signify the soul, a maiden, or a close person; here she may suggest a bride or loving partner.
What does the refrain "dabilia" mean?
It is a clover-related refrain, from dobilas, adding a tone of life, greenery, and flourishing.
Why is the text dialectal?
Forms such as dabilia, dziovincis, and grikelia point to a Dzūkian or southeastern Aukštaitian recording.
How is the dialectal "Ką, bice" performed?
It is a keturinė, so two pairs sing in alternation. Forms such as dabilia, dziovincis, and grikelia identify the Dzūkian or southeastern Aukštaitian language of the recording, not its performance type.