Beside the house, the cherry’s flowering...
("Sadok vyshnevyj kolo khaty")
Beside the house, the cherry’s flowering,
Above the trees the May bugs hum,
The ploughmen from the furrows come,
The girls all wander homeward, singing,
And mothers wait the meal for them.
Beside the house, a family supper,
Above, the evening star appears,
The daughter serves the dishes here;
I t’s useless to advise her, mother.
The nightingale won’t let her hear.
Beside the house, the mother lulls
The little children for the night,
Then she, too, settles a t their side.
And all is s till. . . Only the girls
And nightingales disturb the quiet.
Taras Shevchenko
"Sadok vyshnevyj kolo khaty"
("Садок вишневий коло хати")
1847, S - Peterburg (С.- Петербург)
Translated by Vera Rich
Original publication:
Taras Shevchenko. Zibrannja tvoriv: U 6 t. — K., 2003. — T. 2: Poezija 1847-1861. — S. 11-20; 549-570
Source:
Taras Shevchenko. Works. Volume 12. Shevchenko's poetry in translations.
Edited by Bolidan Krawciw. Printed by Mykola Denysiuk Printing Company
Chicago, Illinois — USA, 1963, page 52.
A great translation!