Fly high, birdie | Fly high, birdie, fly high

Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.

It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.

Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.

from Volkslieder (Folksongs)

Translation © by Patrick John Corness

Veleť, vtáčku

Language: Czech (Čeština)

Our translations: DUT DUT ENG

Veleť, vtáčku, veleť 
přes te hore, dole,
Veleť, vtáčku, veleť 
přes ten zábrdovské les,

Ach, kýž je mně možná,
k tomu věc podobná 
s mým synečkem,
s mým synečkem mluvit dnes!

A mně néní možná,
ani věc podobná,
a mně néní možná,
daleko sme vod sebe!

Ty můžeš mět hinó,
já také hiného,
zapomenem na sebe.

Text Authorship:

from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , from a collection of Moravian folk songs compiled by František Sušil [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Antonín Dvořák (1841 - 1904), "Veleť, vtáčku", op. 29b no. 2, B. 60 no. 2 (1876) [ duet for soprano and alto with piano ], from Moravské dvojzpevy II. rada, no. 2, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]
by Antonín Dvořák (1841 - 1904), "Veleť, vtáčku", B. 107 no. 4 (1880) [ women's chorus ], from Ženské sbory, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Josef Srb-Debrnov (1836 - 1904) ; composed by Antonín Dvořák.

Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Lidy van Noordenburg) , "Vlieg, vogeltje, vlieg", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Corien Sleeswijk) , "Vlieg, vogeltje...", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English [singable] (John Bernhoff) , "Speed thee, swallow..."
ENG English (Patrick Corness) , "Fly high, birdie", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 15
Word count: 56

Fly high, birdie

Language: English after the Czech (Čeština)

Fly high, birdie, fly high 
over hill, over dale. 
Fly high, birdie, fly high 
over woodlands where you dwell. 

Ah, if I could only, 
ah, if only I could 
see my dear lad, 
see him, talk to him today. 

No, it cannot be, no, 
it cannot, cannot be, 
no, it cannot be, no, 
we are very far apart 

You can find someone new, 
I can find someone too, 
we’ll both forget, you and I.

Text Authorship:

Translation from Czech (Čeština) to English copyright © 2023 by Patrick John Corness, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in Czech (Čeština) from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , from a collection of Moravian folk songs compiled by František Sušil
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2023-06-27
Line count: 15
Word count: 74