30 Днів Української Поезії - 30 Days of Ukrainian Poetry - Day 1 - "Wings"

Hello all!

I felt like I was hitting a bit of a slump in my study of Ukrainian language, so to get some inspiration in my heart and put some fire in my belly, I've given myself a 30-day challenge: read, record, and share on my blog one Ukrainian poem every day for 30 days. (Maybe even 31, since August is a 31-day month, but perhaps it's a good idea to leave an extra day as a grace period... we'll see).

Each day, I'll share a Ukrainian poem, its English translation, a video of me at least attempting to read it, and if applicable, any links to cool resources related to the poem (music, recordings, etc.)

Friends back home - I hope this gives you a taste of Ukraine's great poetry tradition. Ukraine is the most poem-ful place I have ever been. Many people have at least one poem memorized that they can recite at will. Once, during a pause on a guided group hike through the forest, one of the participants asked if he could recite a poem by a famous Ukrainian writer about the beauty of the woods. Poetry pervades regular speech, as well: toasts can be quite eloquent, and even birthday phone calls have the feel of verse.

I'm starting my 30 Days of Ukrainian Poetry with a poem by Lina Kostenko, a poet born in 1930 who, together with other writers and artists, opposed persecution by the Soviet government. She is still with us today. Many people have recommended her poems to me because of their elegant simplicity, which makes them approachable to non-native speakers of Ukrainian.

Крила
Ліна Костенко

А й правда, крилатим ґрунту не треба.
Землі немає, то буде небо.

Немає поля, то буде воля.
Немає пари, то буде хмари.

В цьому, напевно, правда пташина...
А як ж людина? А що ж людина?

Живе на землі. Сама не літає.
А крила має. А крила має!

Вони, ті крила, не з пуху-пір'я,

А з правди, чесноти і довір'я. 

У кого - з вірості у коханні.

У кого - з вічного поривання.

У кого - з щирості до роботи.

У кого - з щидрості на турботи. 

У кого - з пісні, або з надії,

Або з поезії, або з мрії. 

Людина. нібито, не літає...
А крила має. А крила має!

Wings
Lina Kostenko

It's true, the winged ones don't need the ground.
Where there is no earth, there will be sky.

Where there are no fields, there will be liberty.
Where there are no partners, there are the clouds

In this there is truth for the birds, of course...
But what about people? What about people?

They live on the earth. On their own they cannot fly.
But they have wings. They have wings!

These wings are not of feathers,

But rather of truth, honesty, and trust. 

For someone - wings of faithfulness in love.

For someone - of tireless endeavor.

For someone - of sincerity in work.

For someone - of generosity and care. 

For someone - of song, or of hope

Or of poetry, or of dreams. 

It is said that people cannot fly...
But they have wings. They have wings! 

A quick note that the English is my own translation - I didn't like the ones I found online. I am not a professional translator, nor am I a poet, so some of the meter and rhyme is lost - but you can get the point well enough. 

Now time to listen to my Ukrainian, haha! Friends who are native speakers - I welcome your critiques and advice on pronunciation. American friends (and all y'all from other places as well), I hope you enjoy hearing Ukrainian language, even if my rendition is imperfect.

Next time, I'll have to find a way to hold my notes so that I'm not looking down the whole time. And remember to brush my hair.

If you'd like to listen to somebody do a much better job, check out this recording by the famous Ukrainian actor Bohdan Stupka. 

Remember, my friends - we have wings! I'll see you tomorrow with another poem.



(This blog reflects my personal views and experiences only, and is not indicative of the views or policies of Peace Corps or the governments of the US or Ukraine).