In 1745, the German Lutheran pastor Philipp Ruhig included three traditional songs in his book about the Lithuanian language, among the earliest examples of the country’s folk poetry to appear in print. One tells of a mother questioning her daughter about the morning mist on her wreath and a secret meeting.
Below is the song in modernized Lithuanian spelling, with my attempt at an English translation that doesn’t do the original justice at all. Lithuanian folk songs, or dainos, are full of poetic imagery, metaphors, repetitions, and diminutives upon diminutives.
Anksti rytą rytužį
anksti (adv.) early · rytą (m., acc. sg.) morning · rytužį (m., acc. sg., dim.) dear morning
Early, early in the morning,
Saulužė tekėjo,
saulužė (f., nom. sg., dim.) sun · tekėjo (past, 3rd pers.) was rising
As the sun was rising,
O po stiklo langužačiu
o (conj.) and · po (prep. + instr.) beneath · stiklo (m., gen. sg.) glass · langužačiu (m., instr. sg., dim., old form) little window
By the glass-paned window
Močiutė sėdėjo.
močiutė (f., nom. sg.) mother · sėdėjo (past, 3rd pers.) sat
Mother sat waiting.
– Klausčia tave, dukruže,
klausčia (old/dialectal verb form) I would ask · tave (pron., acc. sg.) you · dukruže (f., voc. sg., dim.) dear daughter
– I’d ask you, dear daughter,
Kur tu vaikštinėjai,
kur (adv.) where · tu (pron., nom. sg.) you · vaikštinėjai (past, 2nd sg.) walked about
Where have you been today?
O kur tavo vainikėlį
o (conj.) and · kur (adv.) where · tavo (pron., gen. sg.) your · vainikėlį (m., acc. sg., dim.) little wreath
And where did your little wreath
Miglužė užkrito?
miglužė (f., nom. sg., dim.) mist · užkrito (past, 3rd pers.) fell upon
Catch the morning dew?
– Anksti rytą rytužį
anksti (adv.) early · rytą (m., acc. sg.) morning · rytužį (m., acc. sg., dim.) dear morning
– Early, early in the morning,
Vandenėlio ėjau,
vandenėlio (m., gen. sg., dim.) water · ėjau (past, 1st sg.) I went
I went to fetch some water,
O tai mano vainikėlį
o (conj.) and · tai (dem.) that · mano (pron., gen. sg.) my · vainikėlį (m., acc. sg., dim.) little wreath
And it was there that my wreath
Miglužė užkrito.
miglužė (f., nom. sg., dim.) mist · užkrito (past, 3rd pers.) fell upon
Caught the morning dew.
– Tai netiesa, dukruže,
tai (dem.) that · netiesa (f., nom. sg.) untruth · dukruže (f., voc. sg., dim.) dear daughter
– Oh, that’s not true, dear daughter,
Tai nevierni žodužiai:
tai (dem.) those · nevierni (adj., nom. pl., old borrowing) untrue · žodužiai (m., nom. pl., dim.) words
Those words are not true.
O tu savo bernužėlį
o (conj.) and · tu (pron., nom. sg.) you · savo (refl. poss.) your own · bernužėlį (m., acc. sg., double dim.) sweetheart
You went to meet your sweetheart
Lauku palydėjai.
lauku (m., instr. sg.) through the field · palydėjai (past, 2nd sg.) you accompanied
Out in the open fields.
– O tai tiesa, močiute,
o (conj.) and · tai (dem.) that · tiesa (f., nom. sg.) truth · močiute (f., voc. sg.) dear mother
– Oh, but it is true, dear mother,
O tai vierni žodužiai:
o (conj.) and · tai (dem.) those · vierni (adj., nom. pl., old borrowing) true · žodužiai (m., nom. pl., dim.) words
Every word is true:
Aš su savo bernužėliu
aš (pron., nom. sg.) I · su (prep. + instr.) with · savo (refl. poss.) my own · bernužėliu (m., instr. sg., double dim.) sweetheart
To my young sweetheart,
Žodužį kalbėjau.
žodužį (m., acc. sg., dim.) little word · kalbėjau (past, 1st sg.) I spoke
I merely said a word.
The wreath is no ordinary ornament. In Lithuanian folk tradition, it symbolized a young woman’s purity and virginity. What looks like an innocent exchange between mother and daughter is also about the traditional societal expectations placed on young women.
Take rytužis (morning), saulužė (sun), dukružė (daughter), bernužėlis (lad), and žodužis (word). These diminutives don’t necessarily indicate smallness. Often, they simply make the words more affectionate. Bernužėlis even combines two diminutive suffixes, -už- and -ėl-.
There are Slavic borrowings, too. Vierni and nevierni (true and untrue) are related to Polish wierny. Modern standard Lithuanian doesn’t use these forms.
The daughter admits to having accompanied her lover across the fields, but insists she merely spoke a little word to him: žodužį kalbėjau. Whether her mother believed her, the song doesn’t tell.
Sources
Philipp Ruhig, Betrachtung der Littauischen Sprache (Königsberg, 1745). Digitized original.
Lietuvių tautosakos rinktinė, p. 59. Digitized original.
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