Zajdi, zajdi, jasno sonce ("Set, Set, O Clear Sun"; Macedonian: Зајди, зајди, јасно сонце) is a contemporary Macedonian folk song written and composed by Aleksandar Sarievski in the style of newly composed folk. Different versions of the song are sung in other neighbouring Balkan countries.
| "Zajdi, zajdi, jasno sonce" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Aleksandar Sarievski | |
| Language | Macedonian |
| English title | "Set, Set, O Clear Sun" |
| Written | Unknown |
| Genre | Macedonian folk song |
| Songwriter(s) | Aleksandar Sarievski |
Though Sarievski composed the melody, he did acknowledge that the text of Zajdi, zajdi was adapted from another source, saying:
The song Zajdi, zajdi, jasno sonce emerged from the folk song Černej, goro, černej, sestro. In listening to that song and occasionally singing it, I came up with the idea to make something similar in terms of content, but with a completely different melody. So, I gradually began to sing the song, which would soon after become very popular everywhere I sung it. That song means a lot to me because it was received well by many individuals interested in folk music, but above all it means a lot to me because it was accepted by the people. Every time I'd go somewhere I think everyone present expected me to sing it.[1]
Apart from Crnej, goro, crnej, sestro,[citation needed] the song's lyrics also bear a similarity to another Macedonian folk song (Žali, goro, crni, sestro).[original research?] Motifs from these songs are also frequent in folk songs and oral poems across North Macedonia,[2][3][4] Bulgaria[5][6][7] and Serbia.[8][original research?]
Other lines are also comparable to those from Bulgarian writer and revolutionary Lyuben Karavelov's collection of folk songs and poems published in 1878 in Veliko Tarnovo such as the songs and poems in "New Songbook",[9] compiled by Lyuben Karavelov and published by the newspaper "Knowledge". The first verse is taken from the poem "Gather are, maidens, brides (By Vasil Levski) ",[10] and the second and third - from the folk song "Bride walks through a green forest" which are both from Karavelov's New Songbook.[11][12][13] In an interview relating to the subsequent dispute, Bulgarian folklorist Nikolay Kaufman stated that formulae analogous to those in Zajdi, zajdi are recurrent in Lyuben Karavelov's collection and claimed they were adapted from it.[14] In the same interview, another prominent Bulgarian folklorist, Georgi Kraev, states that the song belongs to a tradition of Balkan tavern songs.[14] Therefore in Bulgaria, the song is seen as Bulgarian.
| Modern text | Text of the original verses by Lyuben Karavelov | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Zajdi, zajdi, jasno sonce, | Slunce jarko, slunce svetlo, | third verse of the poem "Sbirajte sa, momi, bulki (or "To Vasil Levski")" |
| Zajdi, pomraci se, | Zajdi, pomraci se, | |
| I ti, jasna le mesecino, | A ti, jasna mesecinko, | |
| Begaj, udavi se. | Begaj, udavi sa! | |
| Cernej, goro, cernej, sestro, | Cernej, goro, cernej, sestro, | forth and fifth row of the folk song "Bulka varvi iz gora zelena" |
| Dvajca da cerneeme, | Dvama da cernejme, | |
| Ti za tvoite lisja le, goro, | Ti za tvoite listi, goro, | |
| Jas za mojta mladost. | Az za purvo libe..." | |
| Tvoite lisja, goro sestro, | tvoite listi, gore-le sestro, | sixth and seventh row of the folk song "Bulka varvi iz gora zelena" |
| Pak ke ti se vratat, | Pak stat da pokarat, | |
| mojta mladost, goro-le (sestro), | mojta mladost, goro-le sestro | |
| Nema da se vrati. | Ne ste se povurne. | |