[home]                     [song list]                     [about miriam]

LIČKO KOLO

(learned in 1957 from Dick Crum; it is an example of a dance without instrumental
- accompaniment; it arose when the Turks occupied Croatia and would not let the
- natives play musical instruments or dance but they found a way to do it anyway)

Pjevaj mi, pjevaj, sokole
    (Sing to me, oh, sing, oh, falcon)//
Salaj, sokole
    (Please, oh falcon, sing)

Ka'o što si sinoc pjevao
    (Like last night, when oh, you sang)//
Salaj, pjevao
    (Like you sang last night)

Pod moje draga pendžerom
    (Under my sweetheart's open window)//
Salaj, pendžerom
    (Underneath her window)

Moja je draga zaspala
    (There did my sweetheart fall asleep)//
Salaj, zaspala
    (There she fell asleep)

Studen joj kamen pod glavom
    (Cold was the stone beneath her head)//
Salaj, pod glavom
    (There beneath her head)

Ja sam joj kamen iz mak'o
    (So I removed the stone from there)//
Salaj, iz mak'o
    (I removed the stone)

A svoju ruku, pod mak'o
    (I put my hand beneath her head)//
Salaj, pod mak'o
    (There I put my hand)

(Translation based on Dick Crum's,
- with some poetic license of my own)

(from miriam berg's folk dance song collection)