TARAS SHEVCHENKO – KOBZAR EXCERPTS
Mad Maiden (Причинна) St. Petersburg, 1837

The first poem in Shevchenko's "Kobzar" begins with a line many Ukrainians know well, “The mighty Dnipr’ roars and groans, an angry wind resounds.” The poet thus sets the scene for a poem about an orphan girl driven insane over the apparent loss of her Kozak lover in a distant war. To ease her aching heart, a seer has her walk at midnight. At the witching hour, she encounters a group of dangerous river nymphs. In this excerpt, the poem’s narrator commiserates with the lost girl.

English translation and recitation by Peter Fedynsky
Kobzar, Standard Edition: [ Ссылка ]
Kobzar, Illustrated Gift Edition: [ Ссылка ]

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