Bitele, Ryto

Traditional Lithuanian sutartine dedicated to the honeybee.

Sutartines (“to be in accord”) are polyphonic chants that come from the Northeast region of Lithuania. These chants are often about everyday encounters with the natural world and are very tied to the traditional culture, which still preserves it’s pagan roots, rather than the Christianized culture of many of it’s neighboring countries. This song is specifically a keturine (meaning 4 parts), but we sing it here with 3.

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Lyrics (in Lithuanian):  

Bitele, ryto,
To ryto tata,

Saldų midutį,
To ryto tata,

Iš kur tu jėmei?
To ryto tata,

Gražaus darželio,
To ryto tata,

Rūtų kvietkelio,
To ryto tata.

Counterpoint:

Bite,    ryte,   to ryto tata     :||

- -  x   - -  x  -  - - x  x  -

1  2  3  1  2  3  1 2  3  1  2  3

English translation:

Honeybee, morning,
In the morning, tata

Sweet nectar,
In the morning, tata

Where did you get it from?
In the morning, tata

A beautiful garden,
In the morning, tata

A path of wild Rue,
In the morning, tata

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