“Na scre mi leži, mila mamo”
(На срце ми лежи, мила мамо)
Macedonian Traditional Folk Song
SONG INFO & LYRICS
In this lovely Macedonian folk song a young man confides in his mother about his admiration for a young woman Sevda. He has apparently developed deep feelings for this beautiful girl, nothing short of an obsession – so strong that he feels as if an angry serpent is lying coiled on his heart, hence the song title “It lays on my heart, dear mother”.
Perhaps he is longing for her so much that each time the girl’s image pops up in his mind, this young man feels like his heart has been bitten by an angry serpent. He goes on with passionately describing her striking beauty by likening her eyes to black cherries, her eyebrows to sea leaches, and by admiring her strength and her slim, tall figure.
Our young protagonist then proceeds with a plea to his mother to go and ask for the young woman’s hand. He continues with instructing his mother to bring the girl back to him in a luxurious carriage or, if her father refuses her, to just take a moment and look at the girl to admire her beauty.
На срце ми лежи мила мамо
(Macedonian folk song)
На срце ми лежи мила мамо
на срце ли лежи,
ај на срце ми лежи, мила мамо
една лута змија.
Не ми била змија мила мамо
не ми била змија,
ај не ми била змија, мила мамо
тук’ е кара Севда.
Севдините очи, мила мамо
Севдините очи,
ај Севдините очи, мила мамо
црни черешови.
Севдините веѓи мила мамо
Севдините веѓи,
ај Севдините веѓи мила мамо
морски пијавици.
Севдината снага мила мамо
Севдината снага,
ај Севдината снага мила мамо
тенка ем висока.
Оди посакај ја, мила мамо
оди посакај ја,
ај ако ти ја дадат, мила мамо
в’ пајтон донеси ја.
Ај ако не ја дадат, мила мамо
постој, погледај ја.
English translation:
On My Heart Lies, Dear Mother
(Macedonian folk song)
On my heart lies, dear mother,
It does lie on my heart.
Ah, on my heart lies, dear mother,
A fierce wild serpent.
But it’s not a serpent, dear mother,
No, it’s not a serpent.
Ah, it’s not a serpent, dear mother,
It is the dark Sevda.
Sevda’s eyes, dear mother,
Sevda’s eyes,
Ah, Sevda’s eyes, dear mother,
black cherries.
Sevda’s eyebrows, dear mother,
Sevda’s eyebrows,
Ah, Sevda’s eyebrows, dear mother,
leeches from the sea.
Sevda’s figure, dear mother,
Sevda’s figure,
Ah, Sevda’s figure, dear mother,
Slender and tall.
Go ask for her, dear mother,
Go and ask for her.
Ah, if they give her to you, dear mother,
Bring her in a carriage.
Ah, if they don’t give her, dear mother,
Just stand and look at her.
Just as I previously noted in my essay about the folk song “Oj golube, moj golube” here we have another instance of a borrowed poetic element:
Ah, Sevda’s eyebrows, dear mother,
Like leeches from the sea.
(ај Севдините веѓи мила мамо
морски пијавици.)
We can find these same metaphoric comparisons in many older folk songs. One example is an old Serbian folk song “Sisters without a brother” that has been recorded by a famous Serbian philologist, anthropologist and linguist Vuk Karadžić who researched and compiled hundreds of old folk songs and poems.
Сестре без брата
(Serbian folk song)
Двије сеје брата не имале,
Па га вију од бијеле свиле,
Од бијеле и још од црвене;
Струк му мећу дрво шимширово,
Црне очи два драга камена,
Обрвице морске пијавице,
Ситне зубе два низа бисера;
Залажу га медом и шећером:
„То нам једи, па нам пробесједи.“
English translation:
Sisters Without A Brother
(Serbian folk song)
Two sisters had no brother,
So they wove him from white silk,
From white silk and also red,
For his waist they placed boxwood,
His dark eyes – two precious stones,
His eyebrows – leeches from the sea,
Tiny teeth – two rows of pearls;
They fed him honey and sugar:
“Eat this for us, then speak to us.”
Source:
Karadžić, V. S. 1824. Narodne srpske pjesme. Knjiga prva. Lipisca. Str. 57–58.
(source link)
Yet another example of an older folk song using the same motif:
An excerpt from
Удаја сестре Љубовића
(Serbian folk song)
“…
(line 13) Очи су јој два драга камена,
(line 14) А обрве морске пијавице,
(line15) Трепавице крила ластавице,
…”
English translation:
An excerpt from
The Wedding of Ljubovic’s sister
(Serbian folk song):
“…
Her eyes are two precious stones,
And her eyebrows sea leeches,
Her eyelashes the wings of a swallow.
…”
Source:
Sabrana dela Vuka Karadžića, Srpske narodne pjesme, izdanje o stogodišnjici smrti Vuka Stefanovića Karadžića 1864-1964 i dvestogodišnjici njegova rođenja 1787-1987, Prosveta. Pjesme junačke srednjijeh vremena, knjiga treća 1846, Beograd, 1988., str. 383-385.
(source link)
In these two poems another recurring motif appears:
His dark eyes – two precious stones
(Црне очи два драга камена)
Her eyes are two precious stones
(Очи су јој два драга камена)
These examples are showing a transmission of powerful poetic elements through different periods and between authors. Ultimately, such motifs have the ability to cross over ethnic or cultural borders due to their universal symbolism.
– – –
Apparently Sevda’s eyebrows are strong, full, wide and long, perfectly formed and gently arched above those dark “black cherries”. These are indeed some lovely comparisons, but they reveal much more than just the admiration for a natural beauty of her facial features.
In Zoology leeches are classified in two categories: freshwater and marine leaches. In all the examples above we have metaphors with specific references to the marine type – sea leeches, and while this could be explained as a common or practical poetic figure, it is more likely that these identical references are suggesting an intentional choice and that they are actually indications of an underlying deeper awareness. In all these examples our poets, perhaps somewhat subconsciously, reveal a common folk knowledge of marine creatures which clearly implies the experience with living near the sea and a direct knowledge of the coastal environment.
Although at first it might seem like a far-fetched theory, it is quite obvious that such comparisons would be constructed only from firsthand experience and genuine knowledge. After all, it would be quite surreal to hear a poetic reference to “a white, snowy mountain caps” from a Brazilian rain forest native, or some metaphor involving a “kangaroo” from indigenous inhabitants of the Arctic circle.
These Slavic inhabitants, although in present times confined to small, fragmented and virtually insignificant states, once inhabited much larger lands and formed great kingdoms encompassing virtually all of the Helm region and beyond.
Today, modern states such as Serbia and Macedonia have been compressed in landlocked patches and have been denied their historic territorial access to the seas. These hidden poetic motifs serve as subtle reminders to forgotten historical facts to which countless other suppressed historic documents and oral traditions transmitted through generations point as well.
– – –
The young woman’s name in this song – Sevda, is a feminine name of Turkish or Persian origin meaning “love or “passion” and the word “sevda” most likely stems from the Arabic word “sawda” which means black bile, melancholy, sadness. Feminine name Sevdina and its masculine counterpart Sevdin are used in various Balkan ethnic groups of Muslim faith and are likely modifications of a Turkish feminine name Sevdiana.
Just as we have seen with the sea leaches, here we have another such case of firsthand knowledge or experience. A foreign personal name in this folk song is a consequence of the actual contact between different ethnic groups – in this case the native Slavic population and their foreign occupiers, the Ottomans. Although it is highly possible that the young woman in this song is indeed of Turkish origin, the name still marks an external influence on the local folk tradition and culture.
– – –
Compared to most of the other folk songs that I’ve recorded and written about, I suspect that this one is of a relatively recent origin. I haven’t found enough relevant information about it so that I could pinpoint the exact time but we can at least determine the earliest possible period of its origin. For this we have to look no further than just a little bit closer into its lyrics. We will have to rely here on a single-word clue that is conveniently hidden in plain sight, as it lies within these lines:
ај ако ти ја дадат, мила мамо
в’ пајтон донеси ја.
English translation:
Ah, if they give her to you, dear mother,
Bring her in a carriage.
In my English translation this information is absent but the original Macedonian lyrics refer to a specific type of carriage called “пајтон” (pronounced similarly to: python).
Пајтон (Pajton) is a luxurious, open roofed, horse-drawn carriage for passenger transport. This type of chariots appeared in the early 19th Century and they were drawn by one or two horses.
Photo: Milton Manaki on a carriage, photographed on the road between Grevena and Sorovikj. 1913.
Source: Wikipedia, link here.
While this clue still leaves us with a potential time frame of nearly 200 years, we can safely establish that this song originated, at the earliest, sometimes in the early 19th Century.
With the rapid development of modern transportation technologies, especially in the mid 20th Century, chariots and carriages assumed new roles. Instead of their initial usage as a passenger, luggage and postal transport vehicle, in more recent times they have primarily become regarded as an extravagant, luxurious or festive symbol. Such change of function seems to be a gradual process for many new inventions – starting from novelty to a status symbol, then from common tool to an obsolete technology and eventually to becoming a museum piece. Given the social circumstances in the entire Balkan region, I wonder if the later years of the 19th Century or sometimes in the early 20th Century could be a more likely time period of this song’s origin?
“Today, pythons are used as a tourist attraction and for entertainment. As a sign of extravagance, they are sometimes used by the graduates to arrive at the prom or the newlyweds for a wedding.”
(Source: Wikipedia – link here).
Another intricate play of words lies within the 8th line:
тук’ е кара Севда.
English translation:
It is the dark Sevda.
This intentional play of words is employed here as a poetic tool for emotional amplification. Indeed, кара Севда (kara Sevda; pronounced: kah-rah sev-dah) means dark Sevda and the girl could have easily had dark, black hair. However, the word kara in Turkish means black and the word sevda means love, passion, longing, rapture. Put together, we get kara sevda which is a Turkish phrase meaning dark love, blind love and it refers to a deep, passionate love, heavy melancholia or deep sadness most often related to unrequited love.
Apparently, our witty unknown poet cleverly named the girl Sevda and gave her black hair so he could strengthen the feeling of deep, dark love and longing that is tormenting our poor protagonist.
Not surprisingly, in some modern lyrics sheets for this song the text in line 8 is written as: karasevda and not kara Sevda, recognizing this alternative meaning.
Kara sevdah (also karasevdah) is also a dominant mood and theme in Sevdah music, also known as Sevdalinke – traditional genre of folk music originating in Bosnia and Herzegovina and also spread and cherished all across the former Yugoslav states.
– – –
There are numerous versions and recordings of this folk song out there, so the following examples below serve as a brief survey with a few standard, traditional performances followed by a couple of interesting, unconventional arrangements.
Kevser Keti Selimova and Đorđe Želčeski – Na srce mi leži
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGsth8v9T6E
Petranka Kostadinova – Na srce ni leži
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY9ZNNQCwSw
Esma Redžepova – Na srce mi leži, mila mamo
Interpretation by Esma Redžepova, a world famous Macedonian Romani singer. Released by Jugoton Records in 1964.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgOSByQaUIM
Folk Music Ensemble Vreteno (Etno ansambl Vreteno) – Na srce mi leži
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7j784ef5Wg
And finally my all-time favorite arrangement by the music group Etna, from their album Musis released in 1999 for the French record label Le Loup de Faubourg:
Etna – Na srce mi leži
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuUISjSF1N8
– – –
A BRIEF MUSICAL ANALYSIS:
The structure of the song is quite simple, consisting of the alternating instrumental and vocal melodies. Harmonic foundation is very basic as it involves only the Tonic, Dominant and Subdominant chords (I, IV and V) of the tonal center.
It is actually the rhythmic structure that can easily create a state of confusion to the listener’s ears, if unaccustomed to the music based on odd meters. The song is built around the 9/8 time signature, with the metric subdivision of 2 + 2 + 2 + 3.
This 9/8 meter features prominently in folk music of the Helm (aka Balkan) region and in Turkish folk music. In Turkish Ottoman music theory odd meters are generally known as Aksak rhythms, although the term itself, in the more strict meaning, refers specifically to this type of 9/8 meter (2+2+2+3). Interestingly enough, Aksak in Turkish means “limping” and it indeed perfectly describes the irregular nature of this meter.
The most challenging rhythmic part is the unusual placement of the ending note in each melodic line (as shown in the notation example above, highlighted with red arrows). It falls on the fifth beat, which is two beats earlier than the naturally expected seventh beat endings of previous three measures. This is, of course, a consequence of the lyrical structure – a shorter last line of the lyrics, but it also creates an illusion of a melody rushing ahead of the rhythmic foundation and seemingly being followed by a longer pause before the start of the next melody line.
For a performer and especially for a singer – this little trick forces you to count the downbeats as you go over this part and to be absolutely aware of your rhythmic whereabouts in the song – of course, until you get it “in the pocket” – as musicians often refer to something that becomes a second nature and that feels natural.
In 2017 I have released my solo piano arrangement of this folk song on my second album “Under the Sacred Tree”.
Na srce mi leži, mila mamo – Koshanin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74yXgSRzXpA
Na srce mi leži, mila mamo – solo piano by Koshanin – available for download at:
https://koshanin.bandcamp.com/track/na-srce-mi-le-i-mila-mamo
In my piano arrangement, I have extended the vocal sections by repeating the first and then the second vocal lines, turning them into virtual verse-chorus cycles. In addition, a pseudo-bridge middle section has been created by modulating into a relative minor key. The instrumental melody has also been allowed to distance itself somewhat from the traditional folk ornamentation so it could fit a little bit more comfortably into the new cut – perhaps like a shirt made with the same material but in different colors and with subdued decorations.
An alternate version in the 432 Hertz tuning has been released on a separate CD album “Under the Sacred Tree [The 432Hz Edition]” in 2018 and it is available for download at my online music store:
https://koshanin.bandcamp.com/album/under-the-sacred-tree-432hz-edition
Sheet music in PDF format is also available for download:
https://koshanin.bandcamp.com/merch/na-srce-mi-le-i-mila-mamo-sheet-music-mp3-download
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