ABM -- Poem: "If I Had Wings" ("Каб Крылы...") by Natalla Arsiennieva (Наталля Арсеньнева) - - - - - - -

This File Last Updated: 2006/09/20

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Каб Крылы...

Наталля Аляксееўна Арсеньнева

Злавілася сонца у сеці,
у сеці, сатканыя з хмар...
Каб крылы саколія мець мне
ды дзесь па-над хмары ўзляцець мне
у сонца нясцерпны пажар!
Хай вочы мае занявідзяць,
хай змоўкне навекі мой спеў,
хай людзі мяне зненавідзяць, —
а дух мой да сонца ўзляцеў!

If I Had Wings

by Natalla Arsiennieva

The sun in a net is imprisoned,
A net that the rainclouds have spun,
If wings of a hawk I were given,
Then cloudwards my path I'd have striven.
To unbearable heat of the sun.
Let my eyes grow dim and sightless,
Let my singing forever be dumb,
Let people hate and deride me,
If my spirit has winged to the sun!

Хэлмна

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 60.

¹Хэлмна (Хэлм) — горад у Польшчы, адміністрацыйны цэнтр Хэлмскага ваявоства.

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