ABM -- Poem: "My Native Land" ("Мой Родны Край") by Natalla Arsiennieva (Наталля Арсеньнева) - - - - - - -

This File Last Updated: 2006/09/20

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Мой Родны Край

Наталля Аляксееўна Арсеньнева

Паўдзённы край — мой родны край,
Але яго я і не знаю...
К далёкім мора берагом
Я толькі ў думках залятаю...
Ні рож здзічэлых Аджыкента¹,
Ні гордых, мглой акрытых гор,
Ні векавечнай песні мора,
Што кліча ў сіні свой прастор, —
Нічога гэтага не знаю,
А палюбіла край другі:
Няма там гор, няма там мора,
Але я зведала там гора,
Там — сіла вырасла душы!

My Native Land

by Natalla Arsiennieva

My native land lies in the south,
Yet that land is unknown to me,
And only in my thoughts can I
Wing to the far shores of that sea.
Not Adjument with wild-grown roses,
Nor the mountains, mist-veiled, proud,
Nor the sea's eternal singing,
That lures to its blue space profound —
No, of these matters I know nothing,
Another land have I loved long,
No seas nor mountains to adorn it,
But there I learned of grief and mourning,
And there it was my soul grew strong.

Written: 1920

The preceding English translation is copyright ©2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, by Vera Rich.

This poem was included as part of the essay that was originally presented as part of the Conference, " The Role of the Belarusian Diaspora in Preserving and Developing Belarusian Culture," Francis Skaryna Belarusian Library and Museum, London, 29-30 September, 2001. Part of Conference publication published in 2003 (Skaryna Library, London), pages 79-91, and in the version published in 2004 ("BelFrance", Minsk; ISBN: 985-6425-27-1), pp. 61-70.

The Belarusian language version is from Наталля Арсеннева: Выбраныя творы, Minsk, 2002, page 27.

¹Аджыкент — мясцовасць у ваколіцах Баку. Упершыню — газ. «Наша ніва», 1920, 28 кастрыч. Пазней не перадрукоўваўся. Першы надрукаваны твор Н. Арсенневай.

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