Above Kyiv is a golden hum,
Both doves and the sun!
Below
The River Dnipro strums strings...
Ancestors.
Ancestors rose from their graves:
They walk through the city.
Ancestors bring sacrifices to the sun –
And that is why there is a golden hum.
O that hum!..
Because of it you can’t hear your friend’s words.
Because of it, storms sob as they fly through the city –
For no one pays them heed.
The golden hum!
At night,
As the Milky Way spreads its silvery dust,
Open your window and listen:
Listen:
Somewhere rivers flow in the sky,
The mighty rivers of pealing bells of the Monastery of the Caves and Sophia!..
Golden vessels
Of the far distant Past come to shore.
Golden vessels.
...Illuminated
Holding a cross,
Wounded by God’s grace in his heart
Out steps the Andrew the First-Called.
He mounts the hills:
Blessed be you, hills, and you, troubled river!
And the hills began to laugh,
Turning green...
And the troubled river filled with sun and azure –
And strummed the strings...
At night,
As the Milky Way spreads its silvery powder,
Come down to the Dnipro!
... God passes along the heavenly fields above the mustached
Old Man River,
God begins to sow.
Grains
Of crystal music
Fall.
From the depths of Eternity grains fall
Into the soul.
And there, in the temple of the soul,
Above which, in the unreachable heights, prayers swirl, like doves,
There,
In the sonorous temple the grains bloom into chords,
Inspired like the eyes of our ancestors.
It was, like a priest, drunken with prayer –
Our Kyiv –
Who prayed for all Ukraine –
Beautiful Kyiv.
– a storm!
Spontaneously he opened his eyes –
And laughter flows like wine...
– a flash!
– terror!
Unfurling bright banners
(And laughter flows like wine),
Kyiv suddenly arose in a blaze
In its creative flight!
:greetings! greetings! – are strewn from eyes.
Thousands of eyes...
Suddenly silence: someone speaks.
:hurrah! – is heard from a thousand chests.
And above all this doves in glow of the sun.
:hurrah! – is heard from a thousand chests.
Doves.
It was the Apostle Andrew,
Illuminated,
Wounded in the heart with God’s grace,
Blessing Ukraine with a cross
For all the years of disgrace.
And the hills began to laugh,
Turning green.
But there are two black tombs,
And a bright one.
And all around
There are cripples.
They crawl, they whine, stretching out their hands
(Oh, what misshapen fingers!) –
Give them something, give them something!
Give them something to eat – don’t let them nourish the beast within,
– give them something.
They crawl, they whine and curse the sun,
The sun and Christ!
People pass:
the poor, the rich, the proud, the young, in love with clouds and music,
People pass.
A black bird – with talons for eyes! –
A black bird from the rotten corners of the soul,
From the field of battle it flew.
It caws.
O, soulless bird!
Is it not you who for ages
Pecked at the crucifixion of the human soul?
For ages.
Is it not you who gouged the eyes of the living,
And faith from the heart?
Faith from the heart.
What do you need now
In the hour of joy and laughter?
What do you need now, o, soulless bird?
Speak!
Black wings over the doves and the sun –
Black wings.
“My brother, do you remember the spring days at the dawn of freedom?
Embracing, we walked along friendly paths,
We praised the sun!
And everyone (even the grass) laughed through their tears…
“I don’t remember. Go away.”
“My dear, why don’t you laugh, and why no joy?
It’s me your brother, speaking to you in your native tongue,
Don’t you recognize me?”
“Back off! I’ll kill you!”
A black bird,
A black bird caws.
And the crippled
Are all around.
In hours of joy and laughter
Who put them on their knees?
Who told them to stretch out a hand,
Which mad deity – in times of joy and laughter?
The ancestors in terror turned away.
:we’ll grow tall! said the poplars.
:we’ll burst into songs! said the flowers.
:we’ll overflow! said Old Man Dnipro.
The poplars, flowers, and Dnipro.
It rings, it rings, it rings
And breaks into pieces...
“Are these golden springs emerging from the earth?”
It sways, blows, caresses,
Trembles like a dream...
“Are these the gems that grow in the depths of hills?”
:we’ll grow tall! they said.
:we’ll overflow! said Dnipro.
In the starry morning lower your ear to the ground –
...they’re coming.
From the villages and farms they’re going to Kyiv –
By roads, by paths, by trampled tracks.
And their hearts beat to a common beat
– they’re coming! they’re coming! –
They’re ringing like suns to a common beat
– they’re coming! they’re coming! –
There through the roads and paths and trampled tracks.
They’re coming!
And laughter flows like wine:
And singing flows like wine:
I am a strong nation,
I am young!
I listened to your golden hum
And here I heard.
I looked into your eyes
And here I saw.
Heaps of rocks crashing down on my chest,
I took them off so easily
Like eider down...
I am the unquenchable Beautiful Fire,
The Spirit Eternal.
Greet us with the sun, with doves.
I am a mighty nation! – with the sun, with doves,
Greet us with native songs!
I am young!
Young!