Kalinka

Kalinka (Калинка) isn't a person, rather it's a song. But not just any song, it is arguably the most popular folk song in Russia, but not widely known internationally. Every Russian knows (or can at least hum!) Kalinka, so even if you have a passing interest in Russian culture this is one song you should be familiar with. It's also the theme music you hear on the Listen2Russian.com homepage!

The song is an Ode to the Goddess of Nature, with a speedy tempo and light-hearted lyrics. As you'll see from the video clips, singers and dancers often get into a frenzy while performing this song.

Scroll down for the lyrics and translation of Kalinka.

Kalinka Lyrics

Припев: Refrain / chorus

Калинка, калинка, калинка моя! В саду ягода малинка, малинка моя!

Стихи: Verses

Ах, под сосною, под зеленою, Спать положите вы меня!

Ай-люли, люли, ай-люли, Спать положите вы меня.

Ах, сосенушка, ты зеленая, Не шуми же надо мной!

Ай-люли, люли, ай-люли, Не шуми же надо мной!

Ах, красавица, душа-девица, Полюби же ты меня!

Ай-люли, люли, ай-люли, Полюби же ты меня!

Translation of Kalinka (line-by-line)

Калинка, калинка, калинка моя!

Калинка: If you open up a dictionary, even a great one like Smirnitsky, you won't find the word Калинка listed anywhere. This is because it is actually a diminutive of the word Калина.

Russians use diminutives to say nouns in a cute way. For example, the diminutive of книга is книжка, which means 'a little book'. Often baby books (books for very young children) are called книжка, or plural книжки (little books). You will often come across diminutives with Russian names. For example, a few diminutives (there are many!) of Ирина are Иринка and Иришка.

The word Калина has quite a few interpretations, but only one is correct. A Kalina is a shrub (small tree / leafy bush) with sour red berries, growing up to 3 or 4 metres in height. Its botanical name is Viburnum Opulus, which in English we identify as a Guelder Rose. (Note, that's GueldeR, not gelded :)

Despite the information floating around the Net, it is not a Juniper (another type of tree with berries), nor a Snow-ball tree (derived from a Guelder Rose but doesn't have any berries). Since Kalina is the actual name of the shrub we will call it Kalina here.

Some track listings on music CDs translate Калинка as 'snowfall', but personally I don't think this is a good interpretation (unless there is a similar shrub called a Snowfall?).

моя: my or mine

Translation: Little Kalina, Kalina, Kalina of mine!

В саду ягода малинка, малинка моя!

В: in

сад: garden

В саду: in the garden

ягода: berry. If we say, В саду ягода, "In the garden (is) a berry", it implies "In the garden (grows) a berry".

малинка: you won't find this one in a dictionary either! It's a diminutive of малина, which means "raspberry".

Translation: In the garden grows a berry, a raspberry, a raspberry of mine.

Ах, под сосною, под зеленою

Ах: Ah (same as English)

под: under

сосна: pine-tree

под сосною: under the pine-tree (grammarwise, сосною is written in the instrumental singular because it is preceded by the preposition под,.. more on that later!)

под зелёною: some have translated this as 'under the green pine tree' (with the words 'pine tree' implied), but clearly here зеленою is not written as an adjective, or it would be зеленой (под зеленой сосною). Since colours are written in Russian as adjectives, my impression is that this is an archaic or stylistic version of a noun for "green", since it follows the feminine, singular, instrumental noun declension. (Funnily enough, this would mean there is a noun зелёна, which doesn't exist! The closest is зелень which means "greenery", instrumental зеленью).

So I would translate this phrase as 'under the green one', or more poetically as 'under the green', which implies being enveloped by nature, which is what this song is about.

Translation: Ah, under the pine, under the green,

Спать положите вы меня!

Спать: to sleep

положите вы: 'you put' or 'you lay'

меня: me (accusative case).

Translation: Lay me down to sleep (literally: to sleep lay me)

Ай-люли, люли, ай-люли, люли

Ай: English equivalent is 'Oh' or 'O', as in 'O Lord'.

Люли: old-Slavic goddess of the earth, and of spring, love, and fertility. Люли also features in another famous Russian folksong about nature, "Во поле берёза стояла" ("In the meadow stood a little birch tree"), possibly others too.

Translation: Oh Lyuli, Lyuli, Oh Lyuli, Lyuli

Ах, сосенушка, ты зеленая

сосенушка: little pine tree. This is a very tender diminutive of сосёнка, which itself is a diminutive of сосна (pine tree).

ты: you (informal); in old English, this is 'thou'.

зеленая: green as an adjective describing a feminine noun.

сосенушка ты зеленая: Literally this is "Little pine tree you are green", but poetically it might be better translated as "Little pine tree thou art evergreen" since зеленая used predicatively in long-form after the subject can suggest a more permanent state. Note that this is an interpretation and the technically correct adjective for 'evergreen' is вечнозелёный.

Translation: Ah, little pine tree thou art evergreen,

Не шуми же надо мной

Не шуми: Don't make noise (imperative - a command, informal). Can be translated here as 'Don't rustle' since we are talking about a tree.
It is likely they didn't want to use the actual verb for rustle, не шурши, because in the next line they also ask Люли, the goddess, not to make any noise (she can't rustle!). Here they are trying to show the pine tree is the embodiment of Люли.

же: adds emphasis to the preceding verb. DON'T make noise!

надо: above

me: мной

Translation: Don't make noise above me.

Ах, красавица, душа-девица

красавица: a beauty; beautiful woman

душа: soul

девица: girl; maiden

душа-девица: soul-maiden; maiden of my soul. But in old-fashioned colloquial speech, душа моя! means "my dear!", so душа-девица can also mean 'dear maiden'.

Translation: Oh beautiful woman, maiden of my soul,

Полюби же ты меня

Полюби: fall in love with. This is imperative (a command), informal.

Translation: Fall in love with me*

* Note, in modern Russian you would drop the же and the ты.

Translation Summary:

Little Kalina, Kalina, Kalina of mine!

In the garden grows a berry, a raspberry, a raspberry of mine!

Ah, under the pine, under the green,

Lay me down to sleep.

Oh Lyuli, Lyuli, Oh Lyuli, Lyuli,

Lay me down to sleep.

Ah, little pine tree thou art evergreen,

Don't make noise above me.

Oh Lyuli, Lyuli, Oh Lyuli, Lyuli,

Don't make noise above me.

Oh beautiful woman, maiden of my soul,

Fall in love with me.

Oh Lyuli, Lyuli, Oh Lyuli, Lyuli,

Fall in love with me.

As you can see that while the sentences don't form a comprehensible narrative, this song is deeply poetic and the correct interpretation is what you feel inside you.

PS. If you disagree with any points in this translation please contact us.