Beautiful girl

During the MTV Global Chinese Music Festival (20 July 2017), Dimash sang A Capella part of Polish folk song "Szła dzieweczka do laseczka" (ENG. The girl was going to the woods). However, Dimash sang it in Kazakh. And this is where the threads of history are woven together. This folk song is known in many countries, and also in many languages.

Beginnings are not known. However, originally the song comes from Poland in the first half of XIX century or even before that, in Śląsk (ENG: Silesia) - the Polish Western highlands. Years later, in 1863, the German doctor and amateur of folk songs, Juliusz Roger included it in his book "Pieśni Ludu Polskiego w Górnym Szląsku" (ENG: Songs of the Polish People in Upper Silesia), among 546 other folk songs. He included this song as part of Polish hunter songs. The doctor himself can be a topic of separate story. Let's say he had a golden heart and liked folklore. Even though his mother tongue was German, he published the book in Polish. Nowadays with many translations. In the old times, the song was a little slower with slightly different lyrics (e.g. small grove, instead of forest, and surprising without chorus).

This song is like Upper Silesia, full of paradoxes, contradictions and mixed cultures. The verses are definitely based in urban areas, while the chorus is strictly city-based, as refers to streets, not forests or groves. The song has an idyllic scenery full of greenery. It may reflect a love story or just a random meeting between a girl and a hunter. The girl was singing "I would give you bread with butter, but I've already eaten it", which knowing folk tales it was rather innuendo about giving something totally different.

Bare in mind this is still half of XIX century, the world is before two tragic world wars, during and after which many Poles migrated to other countries, creating one of the largest diaspora in the world (roughly 20,000,000 people of Polish ancestry living outside Poland). Why I am putting some random historical facts? Because this is one of the reasons this song is known in Russia, Kazakhstan, Japan, China, and many more countries. Poles were singing this light, funny, optimistic folk song wherever they lived. Some of them translated it to languages where they lived, and was adopted by local folklore.

However, this is not the end of the story. In 1950. Kazakh singer Roza Baglanova came to Poland with her solo concert. She heard and liked the song a lot, and translated it to Kazakh. She started to sing it in Kazakhstan and became very popular in 60s. Later many other artists were singing it. The most recognition to the song brought Dos-Mukasan (Дос Мукасан) who recorded the song in Kazakh in 1977 on their album called "Дос-Мукасан" as "Сулу кыз" (Sulu kyz - ENG. Beautiful girl). They had also concert in Poland, and when they started to sing it, they were very surprised, as all audience was singing with them.

From the blog of K. Ivanin's School of Folk Harmonic: The history of the Kazakh song "Sulu Kyz" ("Beauty").

I was once with my friend Timur on the anniversary of Yekpyn Abiyevich - it doesn't matter now who he is. They were guests according to Kazakh custom - more than two hundred. We congratulated him, sang songs, ate, danced, everything as usual. And here the surprising thing happened: someone sang a song, and this song was sung by ALL present. Almost all of them. Except, probably, me. It was the first time I ever heard that song. It's a very beautiful waltz. Simple, but soulful. When I started to ask what song it was, it turned out to be "Sulu Kyz" ("Beauty"), which had already become a Kazakh folk song. But it was first performed in Kazakh by the group "Dos Mukasan" in the seventies of the last century.

- Well, we know now, it is not totally true about who performed it for the first time. Kazakh lyrics are not exactly the same in translation as Polish, but we know how it is with translations  similar thing was with Japanese song "Ikanaide" (ENG: Don't go) that we know as Late Autumn or Autumn Strong or Deep Autumn

4th December 2019 there was celebration of Friendship Day in Karaganda in Kazakhstan, where this song was sung both in Polish and Kazakh by Wiktoria Sosnowska, Źuman Ordabajew oraz Helena Mak: [0=AT1YsKdpny3wfpg5mtDptk1ndN17pyLb3OxjJM8sGiV4S\_6i\_VwkkaecrPdU\_sjmCDlRrEFEwlDtsfIFmweQ6hpr26lc3cmIzCsMZo6HtRWbxm2yrRWMZ04RX4wlTGbc9r8HWEnR6H--NYWplYXa3HotNd0pv1U7uQ http://pai.media.pl/pai\_wiadomosci.php?id=6222]

I know that we most love Dimash's version of it, as he makes it always unique and beautiful

3 years ago, in 2017, Monika from Polish Fan Club recorded a video about this song: [0=AT1YsKdpny3wfpg5mtDptk1ndN17pyLb3OxjJM8sGiV4S\_6i\_VwkkaecrPdU\_sjmCDlRrEFEwlDtsfIFmweQ6hpr26lc3cmIzCsMZo6HtRWbxm2yrRWMZ04RX4wlTGbc9r8HWEnR6H--NYWplYXa3HotNd0pv1U7uQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpNcixC3evg]

While wondering how Dimash know the song... Just speculating here. He like folk songs, Roza was well known opera and folk singer, he might have heard her version. Even though their paths never crossed. Roza passed away in 2011, while Dimash was in Kazakh music contest Жас Қанат (Zhas Qanat, ENG: "Young Waves") in 2012. During that year, there were a footage of her singing to commemorise her. Additionally, he probably heard Dos-Mukasan (Дос Мукасан) singing it as well.

## Video

At the 2017 MTV Global Mandarin Music Awards, the host asked Hong Kong based model and actress Lynn Hung to say to Dimash in Cantonese "You are very handsome. You are the male idol in my heart." and Dimash to tell her in Kazakh "You are very pretty. You are the female idol." Lynn obliged first. With his back turn to the audience, Dimash told her "You are very beautiful...” Instead of saying the second thing, he was trying to explain something when the host interrupted and tried to turn him around to face the audience, saying "It looks like you are not experienced in this. Let me teach you--look forward." With a silent laugh, Dimash turned back again, asking the interpreter to translate that Kazakh men would express themselves with songs to pretty girls. Then came "Beautiful Girl":

Dimash:

* [0=AT1YsKdpny3wfpg5mtDptk1ndN17pyLb3OxjJM8sGiV4S\_6i\_VwkkaecrPdU\_sjmCDlRrEFEwlDtsfIFmweQ6hpr26lc3cmIzCsMZo6HtRWbxm2yrRWMZ04RX4wlTGbc9r8HWEnR6H--NYWplYXa3HotNd0pv1U7uQ https://youtu.be/ecD7RNv7wVY?t=361] - YouTube at 6:14
* [0=AT1YsKdpny3wfpg5mtDptk1ndN17pyLb3OxjJM8sGiV4S\_6i\_VwkkaecrPdU\_sjmCDlRrEFEwlDtsfIFmweQ6hpr26lc3cmIzCsMZo6HtRWbxm2yrRWMZ04RX4wlTGbc9r8HWEnR6H--NYWplYXa3HotNd0pv1U7uQ https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Ex411i7FS/?spm\_id\_from=333.788.videocard.33] - bilibi at 8:51

## Lyrics

### Polish "*Szła dzieweczka do laseczka*"

The original Polish folk song has 6 parts, however this song is very popular for creating unique / your own verses, so many more can be found.

Commonly known are only 2 first verses

```
Szła dzieweczka do laseczka
Do zielonego,
do zielonego,
do zielonego.
Napotkała myśliweczka
Bardzo szwarnego,
bardzo szwarnego,
bardzo szwarnego.

Gdzie jest ta ulica, gdzie jest ten dom
Gdzie jest ta dziewczyna co kocham ją?
Znalazłem ulicę, znalazłem dom,
Znalazłem dziewczynę co kocham ją.

Myśliweczku, kochaneczku,
Bardzom ci rada,
bardzom ci rada,
bardzom ci rada,
Dałabym ci chleba z masłem,
Alem już zjadła,
alem już zjadła,
alem już zjadła.

```

### English translation - of original Polish folk song "*A girl was walking to the forest*"

```
A girl was walking to the forest,
to the green, green forest,
to the green, green forest,
to the green, green forest.
There she met a hunter,
a very handsome,
a very handsome,
a very handsome hunter.

Where is this street, where is this house?
Where is this girl that I love?
I found the street, I found the house.
I found the girl that I love.

Oh my dear, oh my hunter,
I like you very much.
I like you very much.
I like you very much.
I'd like to give you some bread with butter,
But I ate it all.
But I ate it all.
But I ate it all.

```

### Kazakh lyrics of it - "*Сулу кыз*" (Sulu kyz)

```
Таңертеңмен бір сұлу қыз (произносится вместо қыз - ғыз)
Суға келеді,
суға келеді,
суға келеді
Ат жетектеп бір жас жігіт
Еріп келеді,
еріп келеді
еріп келеді
(произносится вместо еріп келеді - ері келеді)

Тоқтаңыз сұлу қыз су іздеген (произносится вместо қыз - ғыз)
Танысқым келеді менің сізбен
Айттыңыз атыңыз кім болады
Танысып көрмеген бұрын қызбен

Менің атым неге керек
Айтшы жас жігіт,
айтшы жас жігіт,
айтшы жас жігіт
(произносится вместо жас жігіт - жашжігіт)
Бір көргеннен қалдыңыз ба (произносится вместо көрген - гөрген)
Мені шын сүйіп (произносится вместо сүйіп - сүйі)

Тоқтаңыз сұлу қыз су іздеген (произносится вместо қыз - ғыз)
Танысқым келеді менің сізбен
Айттыңыз атыңыз кім болады
Танысып көрмеген бұрын қызбен

```

### English translation of Kazakh lyrics:

```
Beautiful girl

A beautiful girl in the morning
Comes to the water,
comes to the water,
comes to the water
A young man leading a horse
Melt,
melt,
melt (pronounced instead melt - mate comes)

Stop looking for a beautiful girl
I want to meet you
You said your name
I have never met a girl before
Why do you need my name?
Tell a young man,
tell a young man,
tell a young man

Did you miss one sight
Kiss me with pants
Stop looking for a beautiful girl
I would like to meet you
You said your name
I have never met a girl before
Stop the beautiful girl looking for water
I would like to meet you
You said your name
I have never met a girl before

```

## Other performers

I want to share with you some other artists that performed this song. Unfortunately, I haven't found Roza Baglanova version.

Couple of famous Polish folk group singing it

### Kazakh version Дос-Мукасан "Сулу кыз" (Dos-Mukasan "Syly kyz") - 1977

* recording

* live

### Japanese version

Japanese group singing (and dancing) for Polish Pope in Japan:

## Sources

* https://www.polskatradycja.pl/piesni/weselne/szla-dzieweczka-do-laseczka.html
* [0=AT1YsKdpny3wfpg5mtDptk1ndN17pyLb3OxjJM8sGiV4S\_6i\_VwkkaecrPdU\_sjmCDlRrEFEwlDtsfIFmweQ6hpr26lc3cmIzCsMZo6HtRWbxm2yrRWMZ04RX4wlTGbc9r8HWEnR6H--NYWplYXa3HotNd0pv1U7uQ https://www.antryj.pl/obyczaje/szla-dzieweczka?fbclid=IwAR0U6eLCCtvJkb\_qcyp015-fwWz16KDqP3zbSFDgO6Bo7PN6TxmUFOtKHII]
* [0=AT1YsKdpny3wfpg5mtDptk1ndN17pyLb3OxjJM8sGiV4S\_6i\_VwkkaecrPdU\_sjmCDlRrEFEwlDtsfIFmweQ6hpr26lc3cmIzCsMZo6HtRWbxm2yrRWMZ04RX4wlTGbc9r8HWEnR6H--NYWplYXa3HotNd0pv1U7uQ https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/slask/niezwykle-wykonanie-tradycyjnej-piosenki/v795727?fbclid=IwAR1Rn8CLmoy4\_noadBvbpZG168tttaHYglT0lP9S59HhyCyVATwmeTMeL4w#:~:text=]
* http://kabdolov.kz/aza-sha-sayra/podkasty-video-uchebniki-dlya-izucheniya-razgovornogo-kazakhskog/s-lu-yz-devushka-krasavitca
* https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliusz\_Roger
* [0=AT1YsKdpny3wfpg5mtDptk1ndN17pyLb3OxjJM8sGiV4S\_6i\_VwkkaecrPdU\_sjmCDlRrEFEwlDtsfIFmweQ6hpr26lc3cmIzCsMZo6HtRWbxm2yrRWMZ04RX4wlTGbc9r8HWEnR6H--NYWplYXa3HotNd0pv1U7uQ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roza\_Baglanova]
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish\_diaspora#:~:text=There%20are%20roughly%2020%2C000%2C000%20people,of%20the%20most%20widely%20dispersed.

Some of the information comes from Dimash Multicultural Club / Димаш Мультикультурный Клуб and from Dimash Kudaibergen Fan Club Poland.