Themes

The text of the song "I Remember When I Was a Young Girl" was written by the Russian/Ukrainian poet Yevgeniy Pavlovich Grebenka (1812-1848). I remember the times when I was a young girl, Our army campaigned somewhere, It was getting dark. I was sitting near the gates, I saw cavalry riding along the street. A young nobleman came to the gates, He said: "Beauty, give me water to drink!" He drank water and pressed strongly my hand, Then he bent and kissed me. He went away. I was looking at the road for a long time, He looked back at me--I was greatly confused, I didn't sleep the whole night, I was thinking about the young nobleman. The time passed and I became a widow, And married my four daughters, One day a wounded general came to our village, He was groaning so lamentably. I looked at him and my heart began to beat faster, It was he, my young nobleman! It was his voice, and the same fire in the eyes, The only change that he was gray-haired. I didn't sleep the whole night again, I felt as though I were young again. I dreamed about the young nobleman, It seemed that he was sitting close to me.