7.
Вовік присягав.
10. Хоч би було дівчат десять
На жадну не гляну
Бо не хочу щоб він зрадив
Дівчину кохану .
11. Будь здорова і щаслива
Моє миле одно
Бо не найдеш в цілім світі
Над мене вірного .
12. Як си знайде щасливіший
Дай не мені знати
Щоб додому не вертати
В дорозі вимирати .
Непешка’
Bucowina
7.
Forever I swear.
10. Even if there were ten girls
I will not look at any
Because I do not want to betray
My beloved girl.
11. Be healthy and happy
Perhaps mine is the only one
Because you will not find in the whole world
One more faithful than me.
12. If she finds a happier one
Just let me know
So that I do not return home
But perish on the road.
Hrenivka
His
I. T.
Bucowina
Theme & Emotional Core
It’s an intense oath of eternal fidelity (“Vovik prysiahaiu” = “I swear forever”).
The speaker, most likely a young man (possibly a soldier or someone about to leave home), vows never to betray his beloved girl no matter how many other girls he might meet. He wishes her health and happiness, but dramatically declares that if she ever finds someone “happier,” she should simply tell him — so he can die on the road rather than return home heartbroken and betrayed. This hyperbolic willingness to perish rather than face disloyalty is a hallmark of Ukrainian romantic folk songs of the era.
