Besedilo (Lyrics)
Celotno besedilo pesmi »Sijaj, sijaj, sončece« z angleškim prevodom.
Sijaj, sijaj, sončece, oj, sonce rumeno! Kako bom s'jalo sonce, k' sem zmeraj žalostno!
#Sonce zgodaj gori gre, dekleta jokajo, bi rade še ležale, pa vstati morajo.
#Sonce pozno doli gre, pastirci tarnajo, domov bi radi gnali, pa črede nimajo.
#English translation
Shine, shine, little sun, oh, yellow sun! How shall I shine, the sun replies, when I am always sad! The sun rises early, and the girls are weeping; they'd gladly lie in longer, but they have to get up. The sun sets late, and the shepherd boys lament; they'd gladly drive the herds home, but they have no herds at all.
#Sijaj, sijaj, sončece at a glance
- Country of origin
- 🇸🇮 Slovenia
- Sung in
- Slovenian
- Words by
- Traditional
- First known
- Slovenian folk song; author unknown
- Best for ages
- 2–7
- Mood
- traditional, lullaby
- Last updated
- 25 July 2026
Meaning and origin
This song has the shape of a bright sun-greeting but the heart of something wistful. It begins by coaxing the sun to shine — sijaj, sijaj, sončece, “shine, shine, little sun” — but then, unexpectedly, the sun answers that it can hardly shine when it is always sad. From there the melancholy spreads gently outward across an ordinary day.
Each verse finds a small sorrow. When the sun climbs early, the girls weep, because they would rather stay in bed but must get up; when it sinks late, the shepherd boys lament, because they would drive their herds home but have no herds to drive. Nothing dramatic happens — it is simply the quiet, tired ache of country life, the too-early mornings and the too-long days. That soft wistfulness, folded into what sounds like a sunny song, is very characteristic of Slovenian folk music. It has no known author; it has simply been carried down, sun-bright and sad-hearted at once.
Common questions
- What is "Sijaj, sijaj, sončece" about?
- A gentle plea to the sun, and a touch of melancholy. The singer begs the yellow sun to shine — but the sun answers that it can hardly shine when it is always sad. When the sun rises early the girls weep, because they would rather stay in bed; when it sets late, the shepherd boys lament, because they would drive their herds home but have none.
- Is "Sijaj, sijaj, sončece" a happy song?
- It is bittersweet. It has the shape of a bright sun-song but a wistful heart, dwelling on early mornings, long days and small sorrows. That gentle wistfulness is very characteristic of Slovenian folk song.
- Where is "Sijaj, sijaj, sončece" from?
- It is a Slovenian folk song ("ljudska pesem") with no known author, carried down through the country's traditional repertoire.
