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Credits:

The English translation provided here is by Vera Rich; ©1976 & 2001 Vera Rich & The Anglo-Belarusian Society.

Also see additional Notes, below.

"Nie maci ǔ instytut pravodziła mianie. . . ." Volha Ipatava Nie maci ǔ instytut pravodziła mianie, Zrabiǔšysia ad ščaścia maładoj. Uzrušana ǔ toj viečar zaźvinieǔ Kala vahona ǔvieś dziciačy dom. Ravieśniki. . . Skroź viosienskaje škło, Jak praz sady, hladžu na ich z akna: Nie vierycca, sto matčyna ciapło Z dziacinstva adabrała ǔ nás vajna. Nie znajem my, kala jakich biaroz U horkim dymie hinuli baćki. Ale naviek adzin źviazaǔ nas los, Jak nitkaju hrybnoj baraviki. Nie maci ǔ instytut pravodziła mianie. . .

"It was not Mother who waved me goodbye. . . ." by Volha Ipatava It was not Mother who waved me goodbye To college, young again with happiness. Ringing with excitement they all pressed About the carriage, the whole orphanage. All of my year . . . out through the autumn glass I see them as if through ranked trees I gaze: One can't believe that war robbed our whole class Of mother's warmth, in early childhood days. We do not know under what birch-trees' shade In bitter smoke our parents ceased to be. But like dried mushrooms strung upon one thread, One fate binds us for all eternity. It was not Mother who waved me goodbye . . .

Notes:

Both the Belarusian (Latsinka) original and the English translation (the latter by Vera Rich); ©1976; 2001 Vera Rich, & appear in the Journal of Byelorussian Studies, Vol. III, No. 4, Year XII, & The Anglo-Belarusian Society, ©1976 & 2001; pages 356 and 361. From an appendix to the article, "Contemporary Young Byelorussian Poets (1967-1975)," by Shirin Akiner (pp. 342-363).

Complete sets of the Journal of Byelorussian Studies can be ordered from The Anglo-Belarusian Society.