The Essential Poetry of Bohdan Ihor Antonych: Ecstasies and Elegies

180 Pages·2010·0.57 MB·English

by  Bohdan Ihor Antonych

The Essential Poetry
of Bohdan Ihor Antonych
“Portrait of Bohdan Ihor Antonych” (1936). Oil on canvas by Volodymyr Lasovs’kyi.
Courtesy of Litopys Publishers.
The Essential Poetry
of Bohdan Ihor Antonych
Ecstasies and Elegies
Translated from the Ukrainian
by Michael M. Naydan
With an Introduction by Lidia Stefanowska
Lewisburg
Bucknell University Press
© 2010 by Rosemont Publishing & Printing Corp.
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The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the American
National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials
Z39.48-1984.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Antonych, Bohdan-Ihor, 1909–1937.
[Poems. English. Selections]
The essential poetry of Bohdan Ihor Antonych : ecstasies and elegies / translated from
Ukrainian by Michael M. Naydan ; with an introduction by Lidia Stefanowska.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-8387-5769-7 (alk. paper)
1. Antonych, Bohdan-Ihor, 1909–1937—Translations into English. I. Naydan,
Michael M., 1952– II. Title.
PG3948.A637A2 2010
891.79′13
2009050387
PRINTEDINTHEUNITEDSTATESOFAMERICA
For a wonderful friend, Nadya N,
who walks the poetry road

Contents
Acknowledgments 11
A Note on the Translation 13
MICHAELM. NAYDAN
A Biographical Sketch of the Poet 15
MICHAELM. NAYDAN
Between Creation and the Apocalypse: The Poetry of Bohdan
Ihor Antonych 21
LIDIASTEFANOWSKA
Part I: From the Collection
The Grand Harmony (1932–1933) 41
Musica Noctis 43
De Morte I 44
Ars Poetica II, 1 45
Liber Peregrinorum 3 46
Part II: From the Collection
Three Rings: Long Poems and Lyrics (1934) 47
Self-Portrait 49
Three Rings 50
An Elegy about a Singing Door 51
An Elegy about the Keys to Love 56
An Elegy about the Ring of a Song 59
The Wedding 62
The Country Tavern 63
To the Wind 64
A Landscape from a Window 65
Goblets 66
A Prince 67
Maples 68
The Village 69
Christmas 70
Kolyada 71
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The Green Gospel 72
Primordial Summer 73
The Snake 75
The Forest 76
An Elegy on the Ring of Night 77
The Night 79
A Late Hour 80
Morning 81
The Arrow 82
Bitter Wine 83
A Bitter Night 84
A Night on St. George’s Square 85
Part III: From the Collection
The Book of the Lion (1936) 87
The Sign of the Lion 89
Daniel in the Lion’s Den 90
Ballad about the Prophet Jonah 92
A Song about the Light before Time 95
The Samaritan Woman by the Well 96
Six Strophes of Mysticism 97
Roses 98
Carnations 99
Peonies 100
Tulips 101
Violets 102
A Monumental Landscape 103
The Square of Angels 104
Apocalypse 105
Starlion; or The Constellation of the Lion 106
Magicopolis; or How Myths are Born 107
Sands 108
The Round Dance 109
A Song on the Indestructibility of Matter 110
A Prayer to the Stars 111
Red Taffeta 112
The Tale of a Black Regiment 113
Part IV: From the Collection
The Green Gospel (1938) 115
FIRST CHAPTER 117
An Invitation 118
To the Beings from a Green Star 119
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An Ecstatic Eight-Strophe Poem 120
FIRST LYRIC INTERMEZZO 121
The First Chapter of the Bible 122
Two Hearts 123
A Portrait of a Carpenter 124
The Fair 125
SECOND CHAPTER 126
The Sign of the Oak 127
Duet 128
The Garden 129
SECOND LYRIC INTERMEZZO 130
A Bird Cherry Poem 131
A Sermon to the Fish 132
Carp 133
Spring 134
Cherry Trees 135
THIRD CHAPTER 136
Goldsea 137
The Fleece 138
A Prayer for the Souls of Drowned Girls 139
Ambassadors of the Night 140
To a Proud Plant, that is, to Myself 141
The Lady of Diamonds 142
The Home beyond a Star 144
Part V: From the Collection
Rotations (1938) 145
Rotations 147
Cities and Muses 148
Ballad of the Alley 149
Forever 151
A Ballad on Azure Death 152
The Bottom of Silence 153
The End of the World 154
The Concert from Mercury 155
Dead Automobiles 156
Trumpets of the Last Day 157
Ending 158
Part VI: From Poetry not Published in Collections 159
A Lviv Elegy 161
Green Faith 162
A Prayer 163
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Part VII: From the Collection
A Welcome to Life (1931) 165
The Mad Fish 167
The Stratosphere 168
The Bee 169
Autumn 170
About a Strophe 171
Autobiography 172
A Welcome to Life 173
General Index 175
Index of Poem Titles in English 177
Index of Poem Titles in Latin and Ukranian 179
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