The Magic Violin
The Magic Violin (Ukrainian: Чарівна Скрипка, Charivna skrypka) is a folkloric song of Ukraine, also known for the first line "Сіла птаха" meaning "A Bird sat down". The song was composed in 1971 by Ihor Poklad to lyrics by the poet Yuriy Rybchynskyi.
Both met during their duty in the army in 1968, and together wrote musical hits like "Two Wings", "The Magic Violin", "Still Waters", "Wild Geese", "Is it Possible?", and many others. From 1973, Poklad composed for the Theater, including the composition of operettas. Rybchynskyi, whose mother also wrote poetry, has dedicated his life to the study of Ukrainian folklore. Both received many national honours.
Lyrics
| Ukrainian | English |
|---|---|
Сіла птаха білокрила на тополю, |
Over a Poplar tree, a White winged bird sat down, |
Translation
The original song text has been translated to Spanish by Fabián Abdala Marzá, a university teacher from Kyiv dedicated to promote the diffusion of Ukrainian song to the Spanish-speaking world.
Singers
"The Magic Violin" has been interpreted by numerous artist in the music world, from Ukraine and also from the URSS. It was created in 1989 by Lybid Trío, with members Lydia Mihaylenko, Natalia Reshetnyk and Valentina Mikhailova. More recently it was interpreted by the famous Ukrainian singer Taysyya Povaliy.
Symbolism
Like many of Ukrainian songs, "The Magic Violin" contains symbols in its text:
птах (Bird)
Birds represent messengers, with good or bad news; to the tree of the world or the tree of life, the creation of universe, the origin of life (thru the egg); birds connect two worlds ( and in the case of aquatic birds, three): earth and sky; they symbolize sometimes the elements, in their case air, and this comes in all parts and places. Some birds, overall fabulous, symbolise dreams, destiny, fate and luck.
Білий (White)
A symbol of innocence and joy. It's a sign that one person enters the world of light.
ТОПОЛЯ (Poplar)
Symbolizes the young single maid, the image of a girl waiting for her fate. Represents the fine and delicate nature, beautiful since her youth, and that resists itself to grow, to mature.
Сонце (Sun)
The source of life, determines all what happens in nature, even to men. It is believed that sun, moon and stars forma the "celestial family", that symbolizes motherhood, marriage.
Foreign art
The song has become known in the world, including in distant foreign countries like Guatemala, where an artist was inspired by the song to make paintings.