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  • Bosnian War Songs
    Bosnian War Songs – Bježi Mile Preko Drine Eto Ide Alija

    English translation

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Bosnian
Original lyrics

Bježi Mile Preko Drine Eto Ide Alija

U Bosni su htjeli gnijezdo sviti
I duše umjesto vina piti
U Bosni su htjeli ostariti
 
Sabah je, sabah je
 
Bježi mile preko Drine
Eto ide Alija
Reci kevi i ćaletu
Da je kriva Srbija
Kevo moja, kevo moja, kevo moja
 
U Bosni su htjeli gnijezdo sviti
I duše bolom ispuniti
U Bosni su htjeli ostariti
 
U Bosni su htjeli gnijezdo sviti
I ljiljana cvijeće pogaziti
U Bosni su htjeli ostariti
 
English
Translation

Mile, flee across the Drina, Alija is coming to get you!

They wanted to weave their nest in Bosnia
And drink down souls instead of wine.
They had been hoping to grow old in Bosnia..
 
It is sabah*, it is our dawn!
 
Mile**, flee across the Drina***,
Alija**** is coming to get you!
Go tell your mommy and daddy
That it's all Serbia's fault.
My mommy, my mommy, my mommy!
 
They***** wanted to weave their nest in Bosnia
And fill souls with pain.
They had been hoping to grow old in Bosnia.
 
They wanted to weave their nest in Bosnia
And stomp on lily flowers******,
They had been hoping to grow old in Bosnia..
 

Translations of "Bježi Mile Preko ..."

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Comments
MeraklijaMeraklija    Tue, 03/05/2022 - 09:38

Thank you for beautiful translation! It's always fascinating to see the fighting spirit and a kind of bravura in war songs. How people "strengthen" themselves psycologycally and work up the courage before they go to combat.

By the way, this song reminded me of an "opposite" song of Baja Mali Knindža — "Knindže krajišnice". :D
"Ide Mile, ide Mile kroz bosanske trave,
A dušmani, a dušmani beže preko Save".
I see, warriors craved to drive the foe away across rivers...

Grobarka001Grobarka001
   Tue, 03/05/2022 - 13:58

Well, actually this song is an "adaptation", so to speak, of a love song by Nada Topcagic called "Jutro je" - or, in other words: Sabah je (It's morning). In fact I wasn't sure whether to translate this part "sabah je" as "it's morning" or the way I did... I'll think about it.. Might change it again.
Here, you can compare the songs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvP_U6tnt7s ..and Jutro je: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtPM_nGNaNc

But yes, the lyrics are also somewhat akin to those of Baja Mali's song "Knindže krajišnici", and to those of the several other war songs which go on those lines. I think they're all based on the old Serbian folk song (not a wartime song) "Ide Mile lajkovackom prugom", which might in turn be based on some other... who knows.
However, in the song "Knindže krajišnici", the song's spirit is rather different from what you took it as. The context is different to this one, because in that one, "driving the foe across the Sava river" is referring to driving off the Croatian troops which had gone over to Bosnia and were taking part in the Bosnian and Croatian joint attack there against the Serbs. You see, there Mile is most probably referring to Milan "Mile" Martic, who commanded the 700 or so Kninska Krajinan volunteers who also went over from Croatia (Kninska Krajina, in fact) to take part in Operation Koridor '92 in aid of the Bosnian Serbs. Pay attention to the lyrics, and you'll see.
On the other hand, in this song "Bježi Mile Preko Drine Eto Ide Alija", it's talking about kicking out the ethnic Serbs (driving them across the Drina into Serbia) from Bosnia, where they had been born, and which is precisely one of the main reasons why Operation Koridor '92 was necessary for the Serbs, not only from a military, but also from a humanitarian (and human) point of view.

I just wish none of these things had taken place. I'm sick of war to the point of agony. It doesn't seem possible to me that so-called "human beings" can be so full of hate. I look around myself and want to weep. I guess the laugh's on me.

I'm glad you like my translation, btw. Thanks Alisa. Take care

MeraklijaMeraklija    Tue, 03/05/2022 - 14:16

Thanks for interesting facts of both songs!
Yes, if look up, this song is more about kicking off rather than about fighting the foe.

I'm totally agree with every your word about the war. War is terrible in every its guise, and the last events (the war against Ukraine) prove it well. So much hate, so much pain and tears. It's hung over your head all the time, like a sword, amd it's too depressing to read news every day and wait: maybe, there are any steps to peace? Maybe, a little beam of light in this deadly gloom? And it's hard to digest: there are places where wars last for long years, and places where the bright sun shines upon people's heads... I wish all these escalations will calm down, because all the hate, all the fright are suppressing.
Tomorrow there's The National Day of Memory of Victims of Wars and Terroristic Acts in Israel. And it reminds us every year, how terrible is war and how many lives it takes.
You are welcome! Let the peace be upon all the world...

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