Oh Bing Bing Bing

OMG. Seriously, Bing. This is just embarrassing. Even though I'm sure you don't have as much experience with Ukrainian, this is just ... Well, look at it.

I was hunting lyrics to a music video I'm going to use in class, because that's faster than me transcribing them, plus the videos don't always credit the songwriters. This is the song, dedicated to the Heavenly Hundred Maidan martyrs, "Мамо, не плач. Я повернусь весною." (Mamo, ne plach. Ya povernus' vesnoyu. - Mother, don't cry. I'll return in the spring.)

Присвячується Небесній сотні... Вічна слава Героям!
Автор тексту:Оксана Максимишин-Корабель.
Автор музики і виконавець:Михайло Олійник.

Мамо, не плач. Я повернусь весною.
У шибку пташинкою вдарюсь твою.
Прийду на світанні в садок із росою,
А, може, дощем на поріг упаду.

Голубко, не плач.
Так судилося, ненько,
Вже слово, матусю, не буде моїм.
Прийду і попрошуся в сон твій тихенько
Розкажу, як мається в домі новім.

Мені колискову ангел співає
I рана смертельна уже не болить.
Ти знаєш, матусю, й тут сумно буває
Душа за тобою, рідненька, щемить.

Мамочко, вибач за чорну хустину
За те, що віднині будеш сама.
Тебе я люблю. I люблю Україну
Вона, як і ти, була в мене одна.

Bing offers this:

Dedicated to the celestial hundreds ... more Eternal glory to the heroes!
Author of the text: Oksana Maksimišin-ship.
Author of the music and the artist: Michael Olijnyk

MOM, don’t cry. I will turn to spring.
In šibku ptašinkoȗ vdarȗs’ your.
Come on svitanni in kindergarten of dew, and maybe rain threshold somewhere.
Golubko, not crying.
So fated, nenko, Word, MOM will not be mine.
Come and poprošusȃ in thy sleep quietly Tell, as implied in the House, dominating.
Me a Lullaby Angel sings I wound lethal no longer hurts.
You know, MOM, and here is the sad case Soul for thee, rìdnen’ka, aches.
Mamočko, sorry for the Black author for what now will be the same.
You I love. I love Ukraine. She, like you, was I one.
#Ȇvromajdan #Euromaidan # Square #Ȇvrorevolȗciȃ

I don't even know where to begin with this one.

For fairness, here's Google's version, much better though far from perfect:

Dedicated Heavenly hundreds ... Eternal glory to the heroes!
Lyricist: Oksana Maksymyshyn-ship.
Composer and performer: Michael Olejnik.

Mom, do not cry. I will return in the spring.
In a pane of glass ptashynkoyu your vdaryus.
I will come at dawn in the garden with dew,
Or maybe the rain fall on the doorstep.
Dove, do not cry.
Yes destined, Nenko,
Even the word Mom, not mine.
I will come and will ask in your sleep quietly
I'll tell you, as understood in a New House.
I sing a lullaby angel
I already deadly wound does not hurt.
You know, Mom, and this is sad
The soul after thee, ridnenka, schemyt.
Mom, I'm sorry for the black kerchief
Because from now on you shall itself.
I love you. I love Ukraine
She, like you, I was one

One thing I note is that neither of them know what to do with the Ukrainian word I, which means "and" or "even" or "too". They both made it "I", in "I already deadly wound/I wound lethal" instead of "and lethal wound..." And neither of them knows пташинкою or вдарюсь, the instrumental of "little bird" and the first person of the intransitive verb "to knock against, to strike", or ненько or рідненька, the vocative of "mommy" and the feminine of "one's own little (something)". There are a few other words that Bing doesn't know (window, dove, mommy, ask); with the nouns "mommy" and "dove" it may be confused by the vocative case ending, and the verb "to ask" doesn't usually have the intransitive -ся (sya) suffix, but "window"?

Also they both translated the second half of Оксана Максимишин-Корабель's name as "Ship". Indeed, the word means that, but you don't translate people's names (unless you're Mark Twain taking potshots at German). She's Oksana Maksymyshyn-Korabel'.

Google's "I sing a lullaby angel" sounds better than Bing's "Me a lullaby Angel sings", but Bing is closer to right, recognizing the accusative case for "me". Plus, what's a "lullaby angel"?

There's too much more to go into. Here's my translation:

Mother, don’t cry. I’ll return in the spring.
Dedicated to the Heavenly Hundred…. Eternal praise to the Heroes!
Lyrics by Oksana Maksymyshyn-Korabel’
Music by, and performed by Mykhaylo Oliynyk


Mother, don’t cry. I will return in the spring.
With a bird’s wings I’ll beat against your window.
I’ll come to the garden at dawn with the dew,
And maybe I’ll fall with the rain onto your threshold.

Sweetheart, don’t cry.
This was foretold, mom,
But the word, mom, won’t be mine.
I’ll come and ask you in your quiet dreams
To tell me how things are in your new home.

An angel will sing me a lullaby
And my fatal wound no longer hurts.
You know, mother, that my soul is sad
Thinking of you it aches, beloved.

Mommy, I’m sorry for the black shawl
And that from now on you’ll be alone.
I love you. And I love Ukraine.
She, just like you, was the only one I had.