This may seem to you like an odd question, but:
Do you have a Song?
Mr A and I have a Song. There’s no way I’m telling you what it is, coz you’ll laugh: my sister teases me relentlessly about it.
Today though, I’m talking about Miss Bee’s and my song. Not a silly song we like to rock out to together (for that sort of carry on, we tend to choose Eric Herman); I’m talking about a special song that I carry in my soul … as a little vignette of several things: what my life was like when I was pregnant, what I was thinking about in that hazy special time, when I was waiting to meet her, and the immeasurable love I already had for her, in that waiting period. It still strongly speaks to me about the special magic of newborns in general, and Miss Bee in particular.
This song is by a Hungarian band, Kafkaz. It’s actually very non-figurative: it quite literally welcomes a baby into the world. The magical thing is this though: I don’t speak Hungarian perfectly; I used to hear this on the radio a lot the summer I was pregnant here (it came out in 2010), and liked it for the music alone. When I found out what it was actually talking about, and went and researched the lyrics, I was enchanted.
Here is my translation of the lyrics:
Kafkaz: ‘Földlakó’ (‘Earthling’)
She [or he] is born! She’s arrived! How wonderful!
The absolute newest little earthling.
We all greet you with love: ‘ha-ho!’
Be welcome, little earthling!
You’ve been born to humans: you have to laugh.
You travelled far to get here.
This is your body; it will also one day be your spaceship …
Well, try it out! What are all these different parts good for?
Eat, drink, play … a lot.
Live joyfully, love others.
Hello, hello little earthling,
You can’t even guess yet what all these different parts are good for.The sun is shining on the house over there,
A little bird lands on an antenna
And the wind spins a leaf round in a circle
How wonderful, that you came to earth. (Repeat)You are born, you’ve arrived! How wonderful.
Here on earth there are many awesome things.
Don’t worry, there’s heaps of work here:
You too will have things to do, little earthling.
Most people are pretty nice,
And everybody loves everybody else … almost.The sun shines on the house over there
A little bird lands on an antenna
And the wind spins a leaf round in a circle
How wonderful that you came to earth. (Repeat)
What’s your song?
Daisy
My special Mama & Koko song is The Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun. I listened to it loads when I was pregnant, & we listen to it together often. One of my nicknames for her is sunshine.
Aw I was hoping this posts would elicit stories like this!! That is so sweet
“Today while the blossoms still cling to the vine,
I’ll taste your strawberries, I’ll drink your sweet wine,
A million tomorrows shall all pass away,
Ere I forget all the love we have today.
Oh I’ll be a dandy, and I’ll be a rover,
You’ll know who I am by the songs that I sing,
I’ll feast at your table, I’ll sleep in your clover,
Who cares what the morrow may bring…
Today…
I can’t be contented with yesterdays glories
I can’t live on promises winter to spring
Today is my moment, and now is my glory,
I’ll laugh and I’ll cry and I’ll sing…”
Nice!
God Hungarians are cute.
aren’t they though?