30 Days of Ukrainian Poetry - Day 10 - "Of Days of Celebration"

Day 10 has brought me the time to actually enjoy some poetry before it gets too late in the evening - and thank goodness! The fine weather and fresh air have me looking for something cheerful, and I've found something uplifting indeed.

When I went a-googling today I came across an article "15 Ukrainian Writers Read by People Abroad". For my friends who read Ukrainian - I highly recommend it! For my friends who don't read Ukrainian - take a look anyway so you can see today's featured poet, Maria Matios. She's the lady with the glass of what looks like red wine (this may have influenced my decision to look into her poetry...) 

While some of Maria's work has been translated into English, especially her novels, I'm not so sure about her poetry. One may or may not be able to track down in some bookstore somewhere an English translation of the collection that includes today's poem (Жіночий аркан / A Woman's Lasso Dance), but I am hard pressed to find a translation online, and have hence done my own (with some help from my tutor). I started to wonder today whether my sharing and translation of these poems is permissible, so I did a bit of research, and it seems that according to the Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Poetry, I'm in the clear.  

Now to the poem: I think no further commentary is needed except to give a shout-out to parents everywhere. This poem captures the depth and profundity of love and parenthood in a simple little moment, and I think you guys will like it.   

Із Днів Свята.

Марія Матіос

Боже, в цей вечір великий світ
Тремтить, як тонка павутина.

Поклади руку на мій живіт – 
Там б"ється моя дитина.

Погладь і скажи їй, що ти робив
Сьогодні в цім світі впертім.

Вона ж мені скаже, що ти любив
Мене понад все.
Й безсмертно.

Вона там мізинцем малим пошкребе,
Шукаючи райську браму.

Вона тобі скаже, що я тебе
До смерті люблю.
Як мама.

Of Days of Celebration 

Maria Matios 

Good God, this evening the great world
is like a fine web trembling.

Put your hand on my belly - 
There my child is kicking. 

Caress her and tell her what you've been doing
In this stubborn world today. 

She tells me, that you've loved 
Me above everything.
And immortally. 

There, with her little pinky finger she'll prod,
Looking for Paradise's gates

She will tell you
That I will love you until death. 
Like a mother.