helmut satzinger


Bulgarian (dialectal):

Огън гори на Балканa


Did you notice the nice Balkanic seven-to-the bar rhythm ?


Огън гори на Балкана,
Виждам го, гледам го,
Дай ми, мамо, вярен другар
Да ида, да видя.

Ogyn gori na Balkana,
Viždam go, gledam go,
Daj mi, mamo, vjaren drugar
Da ida, da vidja.
(Tentative translation:)
Forest bonfire of the Balkan mountain
I want to see it, I want to look at it.
Mom, give me a reliable companion
to go and to see.
Нати, дъще, вярно братче,
Да идеш, да видиш.
Хем да е вярно, хем да не е
Не щъ го, не щъ го.
Nati, dyče, vjarno bratče,
da ideš, da vidiš.
Hem da je vjarno, hem do ne e
ne šty go, ne šty go,.
Well, daughter, the reliable brother,
for you to go, for you to see!
Whether he is reliable or not:
I don't want him, I don't want him!
Нати, дъще, вярен баща,
Да идеш, да видиш.
Хем да вярен, хем да не е,
Не щъ го, не щъ го.
Nati, dyče, vjaren bašta,
da ideš, da vidiš.
Hem da je vjaren, hem do ne e,
ne šty go, ne šty go.
Well, daughter, the reliable Dad,
for you to go, for you to see!
Whether he is reliable or not:
I don't want him, I don't want him!
Нати, дъще, първо либе,
Да идеш, да видиш.
То ми е вярнo и превярнo
Ще ида, да видя.
Nati, dyče, pyrvo libe,
da ideš, da vidiš.
To mi e vjarno i prevjarno,
Šte ida, da vidja.
Well, daughter, the first love,
for you to go, for you to see!
This one is for me reliable and overreliable
I want to go, to see!


Collected by Mrs. E. V. de Bray, who provided this translation/adaptation:




Copyright 1956, by Novello & Company Limited

From:
Folk Songs of Europe edited by MAUD KARPELES for the International Folk Music Council.
Oak Publications London/New York, 1964, pp. 170 (no. 116).

Original edition published 1956 by
Novello & Co. Ltd., England.


PS.  This is what http://imtranslator.net made of it (just for fun):

“Fire forests of the mountain, I see it, watch it, give me Mom vyaren companion to go to see.
 Ous [= Organization Units] daughter true brother, you go to see. Ham Ham is not true is not it shta not shta it.
 Ous daughter, vyaren father to go to see. Ham to vyaren, yet it is not, it does not shta not shta it.
 Ous, daughter, first love, you go to see. It is my true prevyarno, go, see.”

Ok, vyaren should be veren in decent standard Bulgarian, inter alia.