“The kobzar repertoire included longer humorous and satirical songs characterized by a rapid-fire delivery and a loose verse structure that is closer to the tirades of a duma than to a strophic song. Khoma and Yarema, the story of two brothers who fail spectacularly at every possible trade, is one of several examples of this genre and is included in Lysenko’s Veresai transcriptions.
Like The Lazy Wife, I first encountered Khoma and Yarema on a recording by Zynoviy Shtokalko, in this case on an unpublished rehearsal tape preserved by one of his friends. This song is particularly difficult for contemporary concert performance – the texts are long even in an abridged version, and jokes that were uproariously funny to villagers in Veresai’s time are missed by urban listeners today. Accordingly, few modern performers have attempted these songs. For me, the opportunity to get Khoma and Yarema’s misadventures onto CD was one of the great attractions of the Songs of Truth project.” ~ Julian Kytasty, 2015
Lyrics
(English translation by Julian Kytasty below)
Ой послухайте, миряни, православні християни,
А що я вам зговорю за Ярему і Хому!
А що Хома та Ярема та два ріднії браття,
Що на Хомі, на Яремі однаковеє плаття,
Що на Хомі кафтанок, на Яремі – жупанок,
А що Хома обідрався, а Ярема обшарпався.
Ой то ж то вони та посердилися, розпозернилися,
Та зійшли до купочки, та розплакалися,
Розкузьомилися,
Та й оп’ять же ж вони та порадилися:
– Яремушка, брат родной, тільки матки не одной,
Не то, брате, наше діло отак проживати!
Нумо так проживать, таким торгом торгувать:
Нумо соли набирать, на базарі продавать,
Да бариша принімать!
Набрав Хома соли віз, а Ярема – бочку,
Став Хома у ряду, Ярема в куточку,
А що в Хоми не купують, а в Яреми не торгують,
А що в Хоми розікрали, а в Яреми так забрали.
Ой то ж то вони… Та й порадилися:
– Яремушка, брат родной, тільки матки не одной,
Не то, брате, наше діло отак проживати!
Нумо так проживати, таким торгом торговать,
Нумо горшків набирать, на базарі продавать,
Да бариша принімать!
Набрав Хома горшків, Ярема – макітер,
Став Хома у ряду, а Ярема ззаду,
А що в Хоми не купують, а в Яреми не торгують,
А що в Хоми розікрали, а в Яреми так забрали.
Хома з серця покотив та останні побив.
Ой то ж то вони…
Нумо воликів справлять, да хліба пахать,
Да бариша принімать!
Купив Хома п’ятака, а Ярема третяка,
Дав Хома п’ять кіп, а Ярема – та той дурень –
дав цілих дев’ять!
Купив Хома глухого, а Ярема кривого…
Коли Хома гойкнув, а Ярема собкнув,
Коли Хомин не везе, а Яремин так не йде.
Хома свого там убив, а Ярема облупив.
Ой то ж то вони…
Нумо людей розбивать,
Да бариша принімать!
Зрубив Хома дубину, а Ярема свидину,
Сів Хом за кущем, а Ярема – під кущем.
Де узявся на їх да боярський син,
Вдарив Хому дубиною, а Ярему свидиною,
Вдарив Хому носаком, а Ярему вздовжки,
Побіг Хома кричачи, а Ярема мовчки.
Ой то ж то вони…
Нумо в церкву ходить, нумо Богу молиться,
Свою душу спасать!
Пішов Хома у вівтар, а Ярема в крилос,
Взяв Хома книги, а Ярема ризи,
Став Хома читати, а Ярема – та той збісився –
Та став плясати!
Де узявся на них да і паламар.
Вдарив Хому носаком, а Ярему вздовжки,
Побіг Хома кричачи, а Ярема мовчки,
Побіг Хома у вікно, а Ярема в двері.
Ой то ж то вони…
Нумо сіти плести, нумо рибку ловить,
Свою душу живить!
Сів Хома у човен, а Ярема в лодку,
Піймав Хома окуня, а Ярема – плотку.
Ой то ж то вони та ізрадувались!
Аж оп’ять же ж вони да і вивернулись,
Пішов Хома аж на дно, а Яреми не видно,
Тягнуть Хому, як сому, а Ярему – як бочку…
Яким торгом торгували, такою смертію пропадали!
Have a listen lay people, Orthodox Christians,
To what I have to tell you about Yarema and about Khoma.
Oh Khoma and Yarema are two brothers,
And Khoma and Yarema wear the same clothes:
Khoma wears a zhupan and Yarema a kaftan,
Khoma’s is full of holes and Yarema’s is all torn up.
So they got all worked up about this,
And put their heads together and had an idea:
“Yarema, my very own brother, only from a different mother!
This isn’t the way for us to live –
Here is the way for us to live, here is the trade we should take up:
Let’s go buy up all the salt, sell it at the market, make some money.”
Khoma bought a wagon of salt, Yarema a barrel,
Khoma set up shop in front, Yarema in back.
No one bargains with Khoma, no one buys from Yarema,
They stole Khoma’s by the book, and Yarema’s they just took.
So they got all worked up about this and they had an idea:
“Yarema, my very own brother, only from a different mother!
This isn’t the way for us to live –
Here is the way for us to live, here is the trade we should take up:
Let’s take all our empty pots, go sell them in the market,
make some money.”
So Khoma took the pots, and Yarema took the jugs,
Khoma set up shop in front, Yarema in back.
No one bargains with Khoma, no one buys from Yarema,
They stole Khoma’s by the book, and Yarema’s they just took.
Khoma was so angry he broke all that were left.
So they got all worked up about this and they had an idea:
“Yarema, my very own brother, only from a different mother!
This isn’t the way for us to live –
Here is the way for us to live, here is the trade we should take up:
Let’s buy some oxen, go plowing the fields, make some money.”
Khoma bought a poor old beast, and Yarema a worse one still,
Khoma gave a whole fiver and Yarema, the idiot, gave all of nine.
Khoma bought a deaf one, and Yarema a lame one.
So Khoma hitched his up and Yarema got his in hand,
So Khoma yelled “Go!” and Yarema yelled “Whoa!”
So Khoma’s doesn’t pull, and Yarema’s doesn’t move.
Khoma killed his on the spot, and Yarema field dressed it …
So they got all worked up about this and they had an idea:
“Yarema, my very own brother, only from a different mother!
This isn’t the way for us to live –
Here is the way for us to live, here is the trade we should take up:
Let’s beat people up, take their cash, make some money
that way.”
So Khoma cut a hefty oak cudgel and Yarema a thin little reed.
Khoma hid behind a bush, and Yarema under the bush.
When here comes a nobleman’s son.
He hit Khoma with the cudgel and Yarema with the reed,
Hit Khoma right in the nose and whipped Yarema up and down,
Khoma ran away howling, and Yarema ran quietly.
So they got all worked up about this and they had an idea:
“Yarema, my very own brother, only from a different mother!
This isn’t the way for us to live –
Here is the way for us to live, here is the trade we should take up:
Let’s go to the church, let’s start praying to God, save our
sorry souls.”
So Khoma went to the altar, and Yarema to the choir,
And Khoma took the books, and Yarema took the robes.
Khoma pretended to read, and Yarema was seized by
the devil and began dancing.
When here comes the watchman,
He hit Khoma with his fist and beat Yarema up and down.
Khoma ran away howling, and Yarema ran quietly.
Khoma ran out the window and Yarema out the door.
So they got all worked up about this and they had an idea:
“Yarema, my very own brother, only from a different mother!
This isn’t the way for us to live –
Here is the way for us to live, here is the trade we should take up:
Let’s weave nets, catch some fish, feed our sorry selves.”
Khoma got into a boat, Yarema in a canoe,
Khoma caught a perch, and Yarema a little garbage fish.
Oh they were both so glad … until, sure enough, they tipped over.
Khoma went straight to the bottom, and Yarema is
nowhere to be seen,
Khoma they pulled out like a big catfish, Yarema like
a sunken barrel …
Whatever trade they took up, it was bound to be the
death of them.
