#op added examples of the performed songs in the replies
Hey folklore side of Tumblr, I accidentally found a collection of Ukrainian dumy (epic poems/ ballads) with English translations if anyone is interested:
http://lab.chass.utoronto.ca/rescentre/slavic/ukr/Cossacks/Ukrainian%20Dumy.pdf
haven’t looked at them all yet but the translation of Marusia of Boguslav is pretty accurate at least
I have been making my way through this at an absolute snail’s pace, because I‘m really not well practiced at reading epic poetry, but I appreciate you tagging me so much!
This is probably me not doing the tragic ballads about the heroes of Cossack Ukraine enough justice, but my favourite so far is the one about the “hapless, homeless falcon-child”, who gets put in silver chains and pearls but is freed again. It reminds me of Andersen’s Chinese Nightingale and even the translation has a good rhythm. I like ode’s to freedom that feature compassion.
I can’t get the link above to work anymore but the book in question is: Ukrainian Dumy (1979), translated by G. Tarnawsky and P. Kilina.
The whole website seems like a fantastic resource. The English bibliography mentioned a couple collections of folk tales that I kind of desperately want to get my hands on now:
- Ukrainian Folk Tales. (1964) Tr. by Marie Halun Bloch from the original collections of Ivan Rudchenko and Maria Lukiyanenko.
- The Flying Ship and other Ukrainian Folk Tales. (1975) Tr. by Victoria Symchych and Olga Vesey.
- Ukrainian Folk Tales. (1981) Tr. by Irina Zheleznova.
If I manage to find and read any I will of course report back!
