34.

Core and theme of page 34 This is a classic Ukrainian folk parting/lament song (likely a recruit’s or Cossack farewell ballad, common in early 20th-century handwritten songbooks).

Core message: A young man is being forced to leave his beloved “Мила” (My Dear / Darling). The “stealing of the horse” is a traditional metaphor for involuntary departure — most often military conscription or war service. The speaker accepts his fate, offers tender blessings of health, and expresses deep mutual sorrow over the years of youth that will be lost and the separation that follows.

Main themes:

• Separation and lost youth — “Літа втратио” (the years will be lost) repeats as the emotional heart of the song.
• Fate and acceptance — “Як я скажу так най буде” (As I say, so let it be) and the “dry oak” image (a symbol of steadfastness, ritual, or barren endurance after love is taken away).
• Love and grief — The refrain-like health wishes (“Будь здорова моя Мила”) are tender yet heartbreaking; the final stanza questions the pain each has caused the other.
• Folk symbolism — Horses represent freedom, journey, and loss; the dry oak is a recurring motif in Ukrainian songs for unchanging loyalty or the withering of hope.

Overall, page 34 captures the bittersweet essence of countless Slavic folk songs from the era: love that must yield to duty, war, or destiny, while the heart still clings to the beloved. It’s a beautiful, aching expression of reluctant farewell.