Oi Khodyt Son Kolo Vikon

"Oy Khodyt Son Kolo Vikon" is a Ukrainian lullaby. The title is usually translated into English as "The Dream Passes by the Windows".

The song is a traditional lullaby, composed of three verses in a minor tone. However, as it is a folk song, there are many popular versions of both the lyrics and the melody.

Lyrics
Ukrainian Translated into English Transliterated into English

Ой ходить сон, коло вікон.
А дрімота коло плота.
Питається сон дрімоти:
"Де ж ми будем ночувати?"

Де хатонька теплесенька,
Де дитина малесенька,
Туди підем ночувати,
І дитинку колисати.

Там ми будем спочивати,
І дитинку присипляти:
Спати, спати, соколятко,
Спати, спати, голуб'ятко.[1]

The Dream passes by the window,
And Sleep by the fence.
The Dream asks Sleep:
"Where should we rest tonight?"

Where the cottage is warm,
Where the tot is tiny,
There we will go,
And rock the child to sleep.

There we will sleep,
and will sing to the child:
Sleep, sleep, my little falcon,
Sleep, sleep, my little dove.

Oy khodyt' son, kolo vikon.
A drimota kolo plota.
Pytayetsya son drimoty:
De zh my budem nochuvaty?

De khaton'ka teplesen'ka,
De dytynka malesen'ka,
Tudy pidem nochuvaty
I dytynku kolysaty.

Tam budem spochyvaty,
I dytynku prysypl'yaty:
Spaty, spaty, sokol'yatko,
Spaty, spaty, holubyatko.


Ukrainian Lyrics (most popular version)

Ой ходить сон коло вікон,

А дрімота — коло плота.

Питається сон дрімоти:

— Де ж ми будем ночувати?

— Де хатонька теплесенька,

Де дитинка малесенька,—

Там ми будем ночувати,

І дитинку колиcати.

Ой на кота та воркота,

На дитину та й дрімота,

Котик буде воркотати,

Дитинонька буде спати.


Poetic Translation into English

Wondering dreams look for windows with gleams.

Stars in the skies sing lullabies.


Dreams ask a pale moon to throw light on a dim path to a sweet child.

Where’s a place so warm and quiet?

We’ll rest there with that child.


Purr, kitty-cat by rocking bed.

Peaceful be night, baby, sleep tight.


Translated by Iryna Vasylkova ®

Los Angeles CA 01.12.2020

Possible "Summertime" connection

When, after a performance, the Ukrainian-Canadian composer and singer Alexis Kochan was asked about the similarity of (the first line of) this lullaby and the melody of George Gershwin's aria Summertime (composed in December 1933), Kochan suggested that "Gershwin was deeply affected by the Ukrainian lullaby when he heard it sung by the Koshetz Ukrainian National Choir at Carnegie Hall in 1929 [1926?]." [2]

gollark: Interesting!
gollark: What's your question exactly?
gollark: Or just visualised as one and have geometry specific operators.
gollark: Maybe you could have program state be the geometric thing.
gollark: I see. I believe you could probably work out some sort of thing and stuff.

References
  1. http://www.magley.org/content/view/293/48/ (dead link)
  2. Helen Smindak DATELINE NEW YORK: Kochan and Kytasty delve deeply into musical past, The Ukrainian Weekly, 24 May 1998
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