Lyr Req: Suliko (Georgian folk song)

Subject: suliko
From: GUEST,Sue
Date: 25 Mar 02 - 12:50 PM

I am trying to find a CD/tape/recording of a Georgian folk song(This is the Republic of Georgia, a former Russian republic now independent). The song is "Suliko." I know a Georgian choral group has recorded it, but I've lost the link on which I heard just a couple of lines. My daughter, living in Georgia, has told me about the song. Anybody know this song and where I can get a copy of it? Thanks for the input.

Sue

Subject: RE: suliko
From: Sorcha
Date: 25 Mar 02 - 01:59 PM

Click here for lyrics in Russian, English, and melody at Volkslieder.

Subject: RE: suliko
From: masato sakurai
Date: 25 Mar 02 - 07:11 PM

It's said to have been Stalin's favorite song.

There're other English translations:

Suliko ("Words by Akaki Tsereteli (1840-1915), translated from Georgian to Russian by T. Sikorskaya")

Suliko (From Georgian Poetry site)

~Masato

Subject: RE: suliko
From: masato sakurai
Date: 25 Mar 02 - 09:05 PM

14 CDs are available from Amazon. One of them is Songs From Georgia.

~Masato

Subject: RE: suliko
From: Charlie Baum
Date: 26 Mar 02 - 01:04 AM

I did a search through my Georgian CD collection and found the following renditions of Suliko:

Batonebo/Ensemble Kakheti
Pan Records, 1993
sung by the Kakheti Ensmble (men)

Georgie/Ensemble Aragvelebi
Planett/WMD, 1993
sung by the Ensemble Aragvelebi (men)

Soinari/Folk Music from Georgia today
Haus der Kultur der Welt, 1993
sung by Mzetamze (women)

Georgia/The Resounding Polyphony of the Caucasus
Music of the Earth/Multicultural Media, 1997
sung by the Telavi Ensemble (women)

None of the above are guaranteed to be still in print or available, although--

Perhaps the best way of obtaining something is to do a "song search" on Amazon.com., which brings up most of the above, and the last two of them are still listed as available. Most of the other amazon.com listings are actually by Russian or Soviet performers.

There are more versions on my Soviet-era vinyl LPs from Melodiya, but the song was overdone in the the past and seems to be taking a well-deserved rest in relative obscurity in the post-Soviet (and now CD) era.

--Charlie Baum

Subject: RE: suliko
From: Lepus Rex
Date: 26 Mar 02 - 09:46 AM

Just a (sort of off-topic) note about the Batonebo/Ensemble Kakheti cd: Pan Records can sometimes be a pain to find on Amazon or CDnow, etc. But you can get pretty much any record in the Pan catalogue from Arhoolie Records. (Or you can order them direct from the Netherlands, but the postage is a bitch. And no, I don't work for Arhoolie. :P)

---Lepus Rex

Subject: RE: suliko
From: GUEST,Sue
Date: 26 Mar 02 - 11:18 AM

Many, many thanks for the help with "Suliko" -- such a hauntingly beautiful song. I have two CDs en route. Would you believe that within minutes of posting my request, I was looking for material for a history class I teach, and up on the screen popped a site that somehow fit some of my search words, and they had several versions of the song, including the Soinari. I also ordered a Russian version -- it used to be the Red Army Chorus, I think. It was the Ensemble Kakheti I heard originally. I will try now to find that version, and maybe when I get there this summer I'll be able to sing with my hosts in the Caucusus. My daughter tells me almost everyone plays an instrument and sings in her village.

Again, many thanks; I'm amazed to find people who know this much about Georgian music. I guess I'm just ignorant in this area, but having heard some of it, not for long. Incredible stuff.

Sue

Subject: RE: suliko
From: GUEST,Loving
Date: 07 Jul 08 - 04:19 PM

May be someone could please write georgian words in latin letters, i'd like to learn original version- thank you!

Subject: Lyr Add: SULIKO (Georgian folk song)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 07 Jul 08 - 08:11 PM

Hi, Loving -
Check out ingeb.org - is their transliteration (copy-pasted below) to your liking?
-Joe-

---

Ja mogilu miloj iskal; Serdce mne sorvala toska. Serdcu bez ljubvi ne legko - Gde zhe ty, moja Suliko ? Sredi roz dushistyh, v teni Zvonko pesenjku pel solovej. Ja u solovja togda sprosil, Suliko gde on pritail. Solovej vdrug zamoltchal, Rozu kljuvom tronul slegka: "Ty nashol, tchto ishchesh", on skazal, "Vetchnym snom zdes' spit Suliko."

I was looking for my sweetheart's grave, And longing was tearing my heart. Without love my heart felt heavy - Where are you, my Suliko? Among fragrant roses, in the shadow, Brightly a nightingale sang his song. There I asked the nightingale Where he had hidden Suliko. Suddenly the nightingale fell silent And softly touched the rose with the beak: "You have found what you are looking for", he said, In an eternal sleep Suliko is resting here."

Subject: RE: Suliko (Georgian folk song)
From: GUEST,HRL
Date: 22 May 09 - 04:46 PM

The lyrics of song "SULIKO" in Georgian (phonetic):

sahvarlis saflavs vetshebdi,
ver vnakhe dakarguliho,
gulamoskvnili vtirodi,
sada khar tshemo suliko?

ekaltshi vardi thevnishne,
oblad rom amosulikho,
gulis fantskhali vkhithkvadi
tshen khom ara khar suliko?

sheifr tkhiala mgosanma,
vavils niskarti tsheakho
tshaivnes tshai tshitshikwika
tikhos tskvadiah, diakho!

sahvarlis saflavs vetshebdi,
ver vnakhe dakarguliho,
gulamoskvnili vtirodi,
sada khar tshemo suliko?

English version:

I was looking for my sweetheart's grave,
And longing was tearing my heart.
Without love my heart felt heavy -
Where are you, my Suliko?

Among fragrant roses, in the shadow,
Brightly a nightingale sang his song.
There I asked the nightingale
Where he had hidden Suliko.

Suddenly the nightingale fell silent
And softly touched the rose with the beak
"You have found what you are looking for," he said,
In an eternal sleep Suliko is resting here.

And the most accurate translation of the lyrics:

I was looking for the grave of my darling,
Could not find it.
Was harrowingly crying where are you my Suliko?

I noticed a rose among the blackthorn
Which was grown lonely
With a fast heartbeat I asked maybe you are Suliko?

Songster flushed and touched a flower it's beak
Moaned and twittered
As if answered 'yes'!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Suliko (Georgian folk song)
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Aug 09 - 04:02 AM

Yikes! Georgia has never been a Russian republic!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Suliko (Georgian folk song)
From: GUEST,tomacz
Date: 19 Jan 12 - 04:58 AM

sue re suliko,this is sung on a cd recorded by the soviet army band & chorus,the title in MOONLIGHT OVER MOSKOW,,,,
THERE IS ALSO A VOCALIST,NOW RETIREd nana mouskouri,she sings this
on a small website under 'souliko',on wiki ,or google,the song she sings in french

this song does haunt one

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Suliko (Georgian folk song)
From: GUEST,Sue Frank
Date: 28 Jul 20 - 11:47 AM

Thank you for the amazing blast of great information about the song "Suliko." I was listening to my Red Army Chorus CD and kept getting caught by one song's yearning magic. Of course, it was "Suliko." And thanks to you all, I now have many versions to sample. My own favorite is the Basiani Ensemble-- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPjf8E6tk78
And a thousand thanks to the poster who brought the transliteration of the Georgian lyrics. I had so wanted to sing along!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Suliko (Georgian folk song)
From: leeneia
Date: 28 Jul 20 - 05:45 PM

Thank you for the link, Sue. That's beautiful!