I made a very quick visitback to Ukraine last week and boy did it feel good to be there, I swear the best beer in the world is from Ukraine. Wrocław is a surprisinglycomfortable twelve hour train journey from Ukraine and on my return leg back toPoland I decided to translate from Ukrainian and song which has a special placein many Polish and Ukrainian people's hearts (alongside, of course, drinking a few sneaky Ukrainian beers on the train) Like all good literature,its background is slightly murky. The content is about Ukraine but probablyit was penned by Tomasz Padura, a Ukrainian/Polish poet. Despite being clearlyabout Ukraine and Ukrainian women, the song was adopted by Polish troops duringthe Polish/Soviet war and after having its lyrics tweaked slightly, is stillextremely popular today as it is in Ukraine. Interestingly, this song ischanted on terraces in Poland and Ukraine so I wouldn't be surprised if thissong also becomes sort of an unofficial anthem of the Euro competition nextyear.The song in question?Hej Sokoły (Polish Version) Гей,Соколи (Ukrainian Version)And here's my interpretation of the lyrics, from the Ukrainian version....Hey, somewhere, by the Black Sea,A Cossack sits on his colt,And a young girl cries,For he rides from Ukraine.Chorus,Hey, Hey, Hey, Falcons!Through mountains, forests, fields,valleys,Sound, sound, sound the bells,My little country bird.Pity, sorrow, because of her,Because of Ukraine,Pity, sorrow, my heart cries,I'll never see again.Chorus,Crying, Crying, my lover,My little bird,For I'm in a foreign land,My heart can not sleep.Chorus,Drink, Drink, Give to me,If I die, bury me,In faraway Ukraine,Close to my girl.

read more: A little bit of translation - Hej Sokoły, Гей Соколи