30 Days of Ukrainian Poetry - Day 7 - "With your eyes you said to me: 'I love you...'"

August 7th has historically been an auspicious day for me (check out the launch of my Road Trip Diaries to learn why), but today has not felt that way. I've been down, irritable, pensive. Feeling stuck. It was tough to get to the Poetry Challenge today, but thanks to my language tutor I found myself with a rather pensive poem. After a couple glasses of red wine, and paired with an evening cup of tea, this little poem fit the bill for what I could handle today.

It was with Lina Kostenko that I started this 30-day endeavor, and it is to her work I return at the end of the first week. Here's a poem about missed opportunities, and life just carrying on as it does after you've missed them. 

Очима ти сказав мені: люблю...

Ліна Костенко

Очима ти сказав мені: люблю.
Душа складала свій тяжкий екзамен.
Мов тихий дзвін гірського кришталю,
несказане лишилось несказанним.

Життя ішло, минуло той перон,
гукала тиша рупором вокзальним.
Багато слів написано пером.
Несказане лишилось несказанним.

Світали ночі, вечоріли дні.
Не раз хитнула доля терезами.
Слова, як сонце сходили в мені.
Несказане лишилось несказанним.

With your eyes you said to me: I love you...

Lina Kostenko 

With your eyes you said to me: I love you.
The soul has passed its difficult test.
Like a quiet bell of mountain crystal, 
The unsaid remained unsaid. 

Life carried on, passed by the platform,
While from the stations' speakers silence rang.  
The quill has written many words.
The unsaid, unsaid remained. 

Days became evenings, nights dawned.
More than once fate rocked the scales. 
And words rose in me like the Sun.
The unsaid remains unsaid. 

My own translation. I feel like I actually did a decent job this time!

Yes, the cup of tea was necessary. Even with the cup of tea, my recording can't compare to the one below. I don't know who this girl is, but she does a beautiful reading. It's worth a listen even if you don't understand Ukrainian.

So, here's to red wine, cups of tea, and some pensive pondering of things that've passed us by. At least Day 7 didn't pass without a poem.



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