By the road the Kobzar sat And on his kobza played. Around him youths and maidens Like poppy flowers arrayed. So the Kobzar played and sang Of many an old old story; Of wars with Russian, Pole and Tar...

The wind blows through the oaks in the wood, It dances through the fields. Beside the high-road it uproots Topolia, And fells her to the ground. Why has she a slim, tall trunk? Why are her broad leave...

“Oh breeze there is none, Nor do the waters run From our Ukraina’s land. Perhaps, in council there they stand, To march against the Turk demand. We hear not in this foreign land. Blow winds, blow acro...

On Sunday she did not dance⁠— She earned the money for her skeins of silk With which she embroidered her kerchief. And while she stitched she sang: “My kerchief, embroidered, stitched, and scalloped! ...

On a Sunday, very early, When fields were clad with mist A woman’s form was bending ’Mid graves by cloud wreaths kissed. Something to her heart she pressed, In accents low the clouds addressed. “Oh, y...

On a Sunday, very early, When fields were clad with mist A woman’s form was bending ’Mid graves by cloud wreaths kissed. Something to her heart she pressed, In accents low the clouds addressed. “Oh, y...

All by themselves lived an old couple fond In a nice little grove just by a millpond. Like birds of a feather Just always together, From childhood the two of them fed sheep together, Got married, got ...

One fine Sunday, in the bright sunlight, All dressed up in blouses white, The old folks sat on the bench by the door; No cloud in sky, What could they ask more? All peace and love it seemed like Eden....

Their joys do now such numbers reach God fathers and mothers ’Mid lots of others Behold they have gathered Three pairs of each. At even they christen him, And Mark is the name of him. So Mark grows, A...

Meantime many a year has rolled, Many waters to the sea have flowed, Trouble to the home has come, Many a tear down the cheek has run. Poor old ’Stasia in earth they laid. Hardly old Trophim’ from dea...

All the week at the wedding cake Young women in crowds both mix and bake. The old man is in wondrous glee, With all the young women dances he. At sweeping the yard He labors hard. All passers-by on fo...

Three times have the waters frozen Thrice thawed at the touch of spring Three times did the Servant From Kiev her store of blessings bring. And each time gentle Katherine, As daughter, set her on her ...

She enters now the house so sweet, And daughter Katherine bathes her feet. Then sets her down to dine in state, But my Anna nor drank nor ate. “Katherine! When is our Sunday?” “After tomorrow’s the da...

Now Mark comes on with the caravan Singing blithely as he can. To the inns he makes no speed, Quietly lets the oxen feed. Mark brings home for Katherine Precious cloth of substance rich; For father de...

Beyond the hills are mightier hills, Cloud mountains o’er them rise, Red, red have flowed their streams and rills, They’re sown with human woes and sighs. There long ago in days of old Olympus’ Czar, ...

“Our bread and home,” in your own tongue, In Tartar words you dare to say. Nobody gave it you, your world is young, So far no one has ta’en it away. Nobody yet has led you in fetters, But we have wisd...

Is it by the apostle’s law That ye your brother love? Hypocrites and chatterers, Ye’re cursed of God above. Not for your brother’s soul you care. It’s only for his skin. The skin from off his back you...

Oh, wherefore wert Thou crucified, Thou Christ, the Son of God? That the word of Truth be glorified? Or that we good folks should ’scape the rod Of avenging wrath, by faith confest? Meanwhile of Thee ...

The sun on us has shone so bright, We wish to you to give the light. That sun of truth we seek to show To children blind, all in a row. Wonders all to see we’ll let you If in our hands we only get you...

So they drove thee along, my dearest friend, For Ukraina did’st thou shed That good heart’s blood of thine so red. Our country’s hangman, shame to think, Muscovite poison gave thee to drink. Oh, frien...

’Twas dawn, ’tis evening light, So passes Day divine. Again the weary folk And all things earthly Take their rest. I alone, remorseful For my country’s woes, Weep day and night, By the thronged cross-...

’Twas dawn, ’tis evening light, So passes Day divine. Again the weary folk And all things earthly Take their rest. I alone, remorseful For my country’s woes, Weep day and night, By the thronged cross-...

Did you but study as you should, You would possess your own wisdom; And you might creep up to heaven. But it is we⁠— Oh, no, not we; It is I⁠—no, no, not I. I’ve seen it all, I know it. There’s neithe...

To the very limit has our country come, Her own children crucify her worse than the Poles. How like beer they draw off her righteous blood. They would, you see enlighten the maternal eyes with everlas...

From day to day, from night to night My summer passes; autumn creeps Nearer; before mine eyes the light Fades out; my soul is blind and sleeps. Everything sleeps; and I ponder: Do I yet live, or do I ...

I count in prison the days and nights And then forget the count. How heavily, Oh Lord, Do these days pass! And the years flow after them, Quietly they flow, Bearing with them Good and ill. Everything ...

Memories of mine, Memories of home, Sole wealth of mine, Where’er I roam. When sorrows lower In evil hour And griefs o’ertake me You’ll not forsake me From the land of my early loves You will fly like...

The sun goes down beyond the hill, The shadows darken, birds are still; From fields no more come toiler’s voices In blissful rest the world rejoices. With lifted heart I, gazing stand, Seek shady grov...

Merciful God, how few Good folk remain on earth. Behold, each one in heart Is setting snares for another. But with fine words, And lips honey-sweet They kiss⁠—and wait To see how soon Their brother to...

To Tsars and kings who tax the world, Send dollars and ducats, And fetters well-forged. To toiling heads and toiling hands, Laboring on these stolen lands Endurance and strength. To me, my God, on thi...

My prayer for the Tsars, These traffickers in blood, That Thou on them would’st put Fetters of iron, in dungeons deep. My prayer for the peoples toiling long, Do Thou to them on their ravaged lands, S...

For those that have done wrong to me, No longer do I fetters ask, Nor dungeons deep. For hands that faithful toil for good Send Thy instructions’ gracious aid, And Holy strength. For tender ones, the ...

To those of the ever-greedy eyes, Gods of earth, the Tsars, Are the ploughs and the ships, And all good things of earth For these little gods. To toiling hands, To toiling brains Is given to plough th...

Mighty wind, mighty wind! With the sea thou speakest; Waken it, play with it, Question the blue sea. It knows where my lover is, Far away it bore him. It will tell, the sea will tell, What it has done...

Strike lightning above this house, This house of God where we are dying, Where we think lightly of Thee, God, And, thinking lightly, sing Hallelujah. Were it not for Thee, we had loved men; Had courte...

Hail, thou barmaid slovenly, Stagg’ring like fish-wife drunkenly; Where the dickens dost thou stay, With thy stock of haloes, pray? Was it on credit thou gavest one To the thief of Versailles, that Co...

Bright light, peaceful light, Free light, light unbound! What is this, brother light? In thy warm home thou’rt found By censers smoked, By priests’ robes choked, Fettered and fooled And by Icons ruled...

When I die, remember, lay me Lowly in the silent tomb, Where the prairie stretches free, Sweet Ukraine, my cherished home. There, ’mid meadows’ grassy sward, Dnieper’s waters pouring May be seen and m...

Me my mother bore ’Mid lofty palace walls, Me at midnight hour In Dnieper’s flood she bathed; And bathing, she murmured Over little me: “Swim, swim, little maid, Adown the Dnieper water, You’ll swim o...

Only friend, clear evening twilight, Come and talk to me! Cross the hills to share my prison Very secretly. Tell me how the sun in splendour Sets behind the hill; How the Dnieper lasses carry Pitchers...

Through the fields the reaper goes Piling sheaves on sheaves in rows; Hills, not sheaves, are these. Where he passes howls the earth, Howl the echoing seas. All the night the reaper reaps, Never stays...

I care not, shall I see my dear Own land before I die, or no, Nor who forgets me, buried here In desert wastes of alien snow; Though all forget me⁠—better so. A slave from my first bitter years, Most ...

Oh my lofty hills⁠— Yet not so lofty But beautiful ye are. Sky-blue in the distance; Older than old Pereyaslav, Or the tombs of Vebla, Like those clouds that rest Beyond the Dnieper. I walk with quiet...

“My Daughter! Why dost thou visit the grave-hill? Why weepest thou; where goest thou? Like a grey dove at night thou moanest.” “It is nothing, my Mother, nothing.⁠ ⁠…” And she went to the hill again, ...

At Kiev, in the low countrie, Things happened once that you’ll never see. For evermore, ’twas done; Nevermore, ’twill come. Yet I, my brother, Will with hope foregather, That this again I’ll see, Thou...

Drowsy the waves and dim the sky, Across the shore and far away, Like drunken things the rushes sway Without a wind. O God on high, Is it decreed that longer yet Within this lockless prison set, Besid...

See fires ablaze, hear music sound⁠— The music weeps and nestles round. E’en as a diamond, precious, fair, The eyes of youth are bright, how bright! Gladness and hope have set their light In joyous ey...

Did you but know, fine dandy, The people’s life of misery You would not use such pretty phrases, Nor give to God such empty praises. At our tears you’re laughing, And our sorrows chaffing, Slave’s cot...

The slave with sickle reaped the wheat, Then wearily limped among the stooks; But not to rest, Her little son she sought Who wakened crying in cool nest among the sheaves. His swaddled limbs unwrapped...

Thy youth is over; time has brought Winter upon thee; hope is grown Chill as the north wind; thou art old. Sit thou in thy dark house alone; With no man converse shalt thou hold, With no man shalt tak...

Tchornobriva: black-browed girl. ↩ Rushniky: long towels prepared by a mother for her daughter’s dowry: in case of death used to lower the coffin. ↩ Ptashka: little bird. ↩ “Hamaleia” is an historical...