Spring Willow from Kyiv Soul by Nastasia Y
Spring is a season of renewed hope and love's awakening. This song is from the Gorani people of the Balkans, often sung around Djurdjevdan (Saint George’s Day), a spring celebration. As nature blooms, so does young love (usually alongside the caution of the scolding mother!). I'm often fascinated by the commonalities in folk songs from Eastern Europe and beyond. In this one, as nature awakens, a girl falls asleep while waiting for her lover.
Tracklist
| 6. | Spring Willow | 2:47 |
Lyrics
ORIGINAL (Gorani/Macedonian)
Vrbice, vrbo zelena
Vrbo zelena
Šo si se rano razvila?
Šo si se rano razvila
Vrbo zelena Đurđevdenova
Ne li si gajle imala?
Ne li si gajle imala
Vrbo zelena Đurđevdenova
Ne li te majka karala?
Ne li te majka karala
Vrbo zelena Đurđevdenova
Ovčara sum go imala
Vrbice, vrbo zelena
Vrbo zelena Đurđevdenova
Do ponoć sum go čekala
Do ponoć sum go čekala
Vrbo zelena Đurđevdenova
Od ponoć som prespivala
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
Little green willow, little green
Oh green willow
Why have you flowered so early?
Why have you flowered so early
Little green willow, on St. George’s Day
Didn’t you have any worries?
Did you not have any worries?
Little green willow, on St. George’s Day
Didn’t your mother scold you enough?
Didn’t your mother scold you
Oh Little green willow, on St. George’s Day
I had a shepherd boy
Little green willow, little green
Little green willow, on St. George’s Day
I waited for him till midnight
I waited for him till midnight
Little green willow, on St. George’s Day
From midnight on I slept
Credits
Traditional Gorani song arranged by Nastasia Y and KC Roberts
License
All rights reserved.
Nastasia Y is a Ukrainian-born artist in Toronto on a mission to sing to the world about Ukraine, combining jazz, funk, rock, pop, and electronic elements with Slavic folk.
Her album ‘Kyiv Soul’ (May 2024) features Juno and Grammy award nominated musicians, exploring themes of resistance, generational trauma, and ancestral magic.
Pronunciation: nas-TA-s’yah