Why Did You Not Grow, Little Birch lyrics and meaning

Pritarinys:

Lioi, ko tu berželi,
Lioi, ko neaugai,
Lioi, ko neaugai?

Rinkinys:

Ko tu, kad, berželi,
Ko neaugai, lylia,
Ko neaugai, lylia?

Kas gi tau valalas,
Valalas nedeve,
Valalas nedeve?

Argi tau žiemela
Valalas nedeve?
Ko neaugai, lylio?

Argi vasarėla
Valalas nedeve?
Ko neaugai, lylio?

Ko tu, ko, berželi,
Ko neaugai, lylia,
Lapelių neklostei?

Ko tu, kad, sesiula,
Ko neaugai, lylia,
Ko neaugai, lylia?

Ar gi tau matute
Valalas nedeve?
Ko neaugai, lylia?

Ar gi tau tėvelis
Valalas nedeve?
Ko neaugai, lylia?

Ko tu, kad, sesiula,
Ko neaudei, lylia,
Plonųjų drobelių?

Why Did You Not Grow, Little Birch: sutartinė interpretation

This keturinė sutartinė, with the refrain "lylia, lylio," can be understood as a song in which the fate of a birch and a sister are set in parallel. In the first part the birch is asked why it did not grow, whether winter or summer failed to give it valia - the freedom or possibility to grow. The question can be heard as concern for a tree that did not unfold its leaves.

In the second part the same question moves to the sister: why did she not grow, did mother or father not give her the chance, and why did she not weave fine linen cloths? This pairing identifies the birch with the girl: the ungrown tree corresponds to youth that has not opened fully, or to work not yet completed.

A second reading treats the ungrown birch and the sister who has not woven her cloths as one image of immaturity and unpreparedness. Just as the seasons must give the tree permission to leaf out, time and parents must give the girl the conditions to mature and prepare for marriage through weaving and dowry work. The gentle reproach - why did you not grow, why did you not weave - can therefore be heard as a ritual reminder of the threshold of maturity, much like courtship songs that test whether a daughter already knows how to weave. The birch, one of the clearest equivalents of the maiden in Lithuanian songs, is not merely a comparison here; it is another face of the girl herself.

Why Did You Not Grow, Little Birch: symbols and phrases

The birch that did not grow
The birch that did not grow or spread its leaves marks the girl with whom the tree is identified.
Valia not given by winter or summer
The missing freedom or possibility to grow. It points to the conditions needed for maturity, and by extension for a girl's preparation.
Spreading leaves
The birch unfolding its leaves represents maturity and opening.
The sister who did not weave fine cloths
The girl who has not woven linen cloths represents unfinished work and incomplete preparation for marriage.

Why Did You Not Grow, Little Birch: sutartinė history

"Ka tu kad, berželi" is a keturinė sutartinė with pritarinys and rinkinys voice parts and the refrain "lylia, lylio." It is built on the parallel pairing of birch and sister: the same questions - why did you not grow, why were you not given freedom or possibility - are asked of both the tree and the girl. The identity between tree and human being is one of the oldest layers of Lithuanian song poetics.

Sutartinės flourished in northeastern Aukštaitija from the 16th to the 19th century; keturinės are sung by two pairs in alternation. In 2010 sutartinės were inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The exact place and collector of this variant could not be confirmed from the publicly accessible Slaviūnas index.

sources

  • Z. Slaviūnas. Sutartinės, vols. 1-3 (1958-1959)
  • D. Račiūnaitė-Vyčinienė. Sutartinės: Lithuanian Polyphonic Songs (2002)

Why Did You Not Grow, Little Birch: sources