Soon this 30-Day Challenge will be finished! But not yet - we have some very important poems to go, and quite a famous one for today. I mentioned in Day 20's blog how poet Volodymyr Sosiura seemed to constantly be toeing the line between being lauded and being in trouble, since he was writing during times of fluctuating levels of repression and censorship by the Soviet government. Nature poems like the one we read on Day 20 were safe, but the poem below certainly did not please the censors of the USSR and those authorities who favored cracking down on Ukrainian nationalism.
Любіть Україну!
Володимир Сосюра
Любіть Україну, як сонце, любіть,
як вітер, і трави, і води…
В годину щасливу і в радості мить,
любіть у годину негоди.
Любіть Україну у сні й наяву,
вишневу свою Україну,
красу її, вічно живу і нову,
і мову її солов’їну.
Без неї — ніщо ми, як порох і дим,
розвіяний в полі вітрами…
Любіть Україну всім серцем своїм
і всіма своїми ділами.
Для нас вона в світі єдина, одна
як очі її ніжно-карі…
Вона у зірках, і у вербах вона,
і в кожному серця ударі,
у квітці, в пташині, в кривеньких тинах,
у пісні у кожній, у думі,
в дитячий усмішці, в дівочих очах
і в стягів багряному шумі…
Як та купина, що горить — не згора,
живе у стежках, у дібровах,
у зойках гудків, і у хвилях Дніпра,
і в хмарах отих пурпурових,
в огні канонад, що на захід женуть
чужинців в зелених мундирах,
в багнетах, що в тьмі пробивали нам путь
до весен і світлих, і щирих.
Юначе! Хай буде для неї твій сміх,
і сльози, і все до загину…
Не можна любити народів других,
коли ти не любиш Вкраїну!..
Дівчино! Як небо її голубе,
люби її кожну хвилину…
Коханий любить не захоче тебе,
коли ти не любиш Вкраїну…
Любіть у труді, у коханні, в бою,
в цей час, як гудуть батареї.
Всім серцем любіть Україну свою —
і вічні ми будемо з нею!
Love Ukraine!
Volodymyr Sosiura
Love your Ukraine, love as you would the sun,
The wind, the grasses and the streams together…
Love her in happy hours, when joys are won,
And love her in her time of stormy weather.
Love her in happy dreams and when awake,
Ukraine in spring’s white cherry-blossom veil.
Her beauty is eternal for your sake ;
Her speech is tender with the nightingale.
As in a garden of fraternal races,
She shines above the ages. Love Ukraine
With all your heart, and with exultant faces
Let all your deeds her majesty maintain.
For us she rides alone on history’s billows,
In the sweet charm of space she rules apart,
For she is in the stars, is in the willows,
And in each pulse-beat of her people’s heart,
In flowers and tiny birds, and lights that shine,
In every epic and in every song,
In a child’s smile, in maidens’ eyes divine,
And in the purple flags above the throng…
Youth ! For her sake give your approving laughter,
Your tears, and all you are until you die…
For other races you’ll not love hereafter
Unless you love Ukraine and hold her high.
Young woman ! As you would her sky of blue,
Love her each moment that your days remain.
Your sweetheart will not keep his love for you,
Unless he knows you also love Ukraine.
Love her in love, in labour, and in fight,
As if she were a song at heaven’s portal…
Love her with all your heart and all your might,
And with her glory we shall be immortal.
I really wanted to get my reading of this right, since it's such an important poem, but alas - sometimes in life we can only get so far in one day, and after multiple takes I'm still having to post a reading in which I trip over a few words. It's motivation for me to keep practicing. Also, after many close calls, I actually did get the day wrong on this one. It was bound to happen.
As I keep working on reading this myself, there are plenty of great recordings to listen to as practice and inspiration! First - a classic by Vasyl Bukolyk.
And, of course, a song. This one is by a traditional folk choir.
The views and experiences expressed in this blog are mine alone and are not indicative of the views of Peace Corps or the governments of the US or Ukraine.
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