Stanza 3.) 4. 5. 6. (Page 68)

Core message: This is a deeply melancholic folk-style love lament. The speaker is overwhelmed by grief and longing caused by a woman’s “black eyes” (a classic Ukrainian folk symbol of captivating yet painful beauty). He urges a “little gray cuckoo” (зазуленко сивенькая) — a traditional Slavic emblem of sorrow, a sad maiden, or unfulfilled love — to forget him early so his own grieving heart can somehow remain faithful. The verses then shift to the cuckoo herself falling in love (like a shining “star-girl”), a moment of dark-water imagery, and the painful admission that the girl he loves is “not good” (не хоро). It ends with an existential sigh: how long must he wander this world carrying such sorrow?

Main theme: The bittersweet torment of romantic love — its beauty, its betrayal, and its inescapable sadness. The poem uses classic Carpathian/Ukrainian folk symbols (black eyes, the cuckoo, starry beauty, dark water) to express how love both elevates and destroys the heart, blending longing, fidelity despite heartbreak, and quiet resignation about life’s brevity. It’s a perfect example of the notebook’s overall collection: raw, traditional songs of love’s joy mixed with its inevitable pain.