Sárig es kit kígyó

Sárig es kit kígyó (also known as 'Sárga kicsi kígyó' (Small Yellow Snake) or 'Sárga sárkánykígyó' (Yellow Dragon) the original title, however, somewhat roughly translates as 'Yellow-Bodied Snake') is a Csángó folk ballad. Many alternative lyrics exist but they all tell the tale of a shepherd whose chest the abovementioned snake crawls into. The snake cannot be removed without a sacrifice: the snake will consume one of the arms of the person removing it from the shepherd's chest. The shepherd tries to find somebody willing to sacrifice his arm for him but fails. Then his sweetheart comes to rescue him: she removes the snake which - instead of eating her arm - turns into gold thus rewarding the self-sacrificing bride.

The original lyrics consist of 25 verses. However, longer and shorter versions exist.

Trivia

The song is an unofficial anthem of the prestigious Hungarian secondary grammar school, Révai Miklós Gimnázium, located in the city of Győr.

External links

[http://www.napvilag.net/index.php?module=iras&show=1351 A shortened version of the lyrics - in Hungarian]