Поэма НАРСПИ на английском (пер. Вл. Шашкова) NARSPI Poem

Художник: Праски Витти (эмаль)

1. In the village of Silbi

The sun began shining gently
All of a sudden in late March.
Snow is melting fast
In Silbi, a Chuvash yal*.
Slopes and hills became dark, 
‘Cause there is no snow.
A wealth of green grass
Brings sunshine at last.
Winter, cold and severe
Weeping, grieving starts.
Bitterly cries with cold tears
And mourns for old days.
In ravines and hollows
Water’s flowing with a roar;
Winter’s weeping. What to do?
The sun is shining warmer.
Winter tears with a noise
Away have gone, sparkling.
And along the street 
Children frolic, playing.
________________
* Yal - village.

* * *
The salutary spring
Glitters in hot rays.
It gives pleasure to all,
Awakening from hibernation.
The dark forest comes back to life,
And puts on green clothes,
The steppe is blossoming,
And is proud of beauty.
Everywhere gentle flowers
Blossom smelling sweet.
Birds’ chirping from a height
Is heard, not abating.
A lark’s trill shivers
In the immense skies.
And lambs jump nimbly
On grass at the boundary.
A small adept shepherd
Plays a small horn.
Being hungry, with melancholy
Looks at the village of Silbi. 





***
And in Silbi riches are numerous,
Crowns of trees are like tents.
Under willow branches here
Houses are like temples.
The whole settlement in its term
Is surrounded by wattle fences.
Many ricks at threshing floors,
Gardens are full of vegetables.
There are rows of houses
Covered with durable boards.
Along the streets there are gardens
Yielding honey every spring.
As if stone walls, there are
Fences stand around houses.
Folds of every gate are
Decorated with carvings.
From afar Silbi may be taken
Even as a certain small town.
A famous Chuvash family, it seems,
Made a great fortune here.




* * *
Along the ravine, near the village -
The river’s flow is turbulent.
There play, having fun,
The sun’s patches gaily.
Radiant and happy, -
The sky’s the river – a violence of colours,
The willow still looks at ripples,
And admires its own beauty.
On the bridge an old man 
Fishes - he is anxious,
With a wrinkled worm
He wants to deceive fishes.
A bit far from him, some
Children splash in the river,
But for grandfather himself
Their tricks are unpleasant.
Someone goes along the bridge,
It seems, he goes across the river,
And then in the thick woods
Disappears a passer-by.





* * *
Life in Silbi’s like paradise
For all people in the village,
One cannot even feel,
As merry days are passing by.
Chirping of birds and human speech
Are heard everywhere...
Spring song in zenith 
Comes in your ears.
Along the streets, as ulputs*
Peasants walk proudly.
In the background here and there
Children play gaily.
Beautiful girls walk as swans,
Along the streets also,
Their attractive ornaments
Glitter in the sunshine.
Men dance at the gate, -
There is clatter, a singing burst.
People live in prosperity
Here, in Silbi, a rich yal.
____________________
*Ulput - a nobleman, a rich man.


* * *
There is nobody stronger than man,
None in the whole world:
Neither in waters, nor in steppes
There’s nobody stronger than man.
But a strong man too is
Subject to circumstances:
Money and alcohol too
Make people mad.
And any Chuvash would become
Drunk in the week of Great Kalym*!
In the cellars not by chance
Beer barrels became empty.
They drank a lot and ate a lot,
And danced there all enough.
Isn’t it the only way
To make a holiday merry?
There are more and more
Tipsy people after noon.
Loud voices in the evening
Echo through the woods.
___________
* Kalym - religious festival coinciding with Easter.


* * *
Drinking alcohol too much
Chuvash becomes too tired -
Even spring mud for him
Is like a place to have a rest.
Chuvash’s lying as an ulput,
And doesn’t think where he is,
Along the street he cries
His song as loud as he can:
“Work hard, and eat a lot,
Perspire much, and drink much!
If there is vodka, any man
Will drink it, won’t say no.
When it’s time - we shall work, 
When it’s time - we shall drink.
If there’s nothing to drink at home,
We’ll visit our neighbour.
If he hasn’t any drink,
We’ll drink uiran*.
If there’s no uiran -
We’ll wait for God to bring.”
__________
*Uiran - sour milk.

* * *
Kalym is over, the snow has melted,
It’s high time to plough the land;
Chuvash can’t become sober,
Hangover’s passing hard.
Enough! Drunken Chuvashes,
Get up to begin your work!
The hills have become green,
Water in the river falls.
Hey, brothers, get up,
Look around yourselves:
Repair your wooden ploughs,
And put the cart in order.
Wash with cold water
Your hands and face.
Eat your meal to better
Your strength to plough.
Harness your horse
And go to sow,
Hey, God, bless us,
Let the harvest be a success!



2. A beauty
* * *
A yellow flower is growing
Amongst the greenest grass.
In the village of Silbi
Narspi, a girl, is raised.
Her appearance is nice,
Like a yellow field flower.
Her eyes are as dark as
Two black beads.
She has a curly braid
Down her back.
When she walks along the street,
Ornaments and coins jingle.
When she looks at a boy,
His heart throbs gently.
Seeing her lips smiling,
The boy’s soul softens.
Who won’t look kindly at
A yellow field flower?
Who won’t fall in love at
Once, seeing such beauty?


* * *
When the sun sets,
She washes her face and dries herself.
And puts shulgheme* on her chest
To go to the evening games.
She puts her tevet**
Over her shoulders.
Ties up her red silk kerchief -
Just like it is worn by girls.
At the games her voice is
Like a chirping of a bird.
When she laughs - everyone
Believes her to be a healthy girl.
Till the games are over,
All are happy with her voice.
The morning star, having risen,
Twinkles in the bright sky.
Narspi sleeps calmly
In her father’s house.
Dreaming sweet dreams,
She is happy sleeping.
_________
*Shulgheme - girl’s ornaments.
**Tevet - girl’s ornaments worn over shoulders.

* * *
Arising early in the morning,
Narspi starts her favourite job:
Either taking a silk thread,
She embroiders, singing;
Or her needlework’s like beads,
When she begins sewing:
A steel dog with a hemp tail’s*
Coming out, coming in;
Either she begins weaving -
Her shuttle moves like playing;
Or she takes a khultarch** -
Thread is wound onto a spool.
Or when lying on the bench,
The cat washes its face,
Which means she has already cooked
Tasty food for any guest.
The girl’s life had been prospering
Until she reached the age,
When to her father’s house
Came matchmakers one day.
______________
*A steel dog with a hemp tail (A needle and a thread) – 
a Chuvash riddle.
**Khultarch - a device for winding thread onto a special spool.

* * *
Narspi’s father Mikheter
Is a very rich landlord.
He loves his daughter very much,
And boasts about Narspi.
“Who has daughter like mine?
Where else is there such a girl?
She has shoes, and if she wants,
She can wear ornaments.
In the village of Silbi
There are no girls like mine!
No Chuvash will bring up
A daughter like Mikheter!
Was I ever short of anything?
Is there anything I haven’t?
And I have in my supse*
Silver coins and sackcloth.
Haven’t I got in my barn
Sacks of grain?
Don’t I store in my cellar
Butter, dairy products, beer, honey?”
__________
*Supse - a wooden tub.

* * *
There is no lie in the truth:
Mikheter has everything.
He is the only ulput
In the whole village.
His house is like a castle,
One can get lost in it.
And the sheds are very big,
No cock and hen can climb.
The yard is full of utensils.
And the barn - of grain.
That means the host
Is a successful farmer.
He feeds all his animals 
With hay and oats only.
His pigs and gelded hogs
Are like barrels really.
This house in Turikas*
Is seen from a distance. 
As he deserves, Mikheter
Is proud of it, and not in vain.
__________
*Turikas - an upper or main street in the village.

* * *
This kind person Mikheter
Loves his daughter very much.
She was engaged right
After Shrovetide at once.
All the people of the village
Await the wedding with impatience.
“If two rich become related,
The wedding will be lavish!”
When will Sinze* come
And how to kill the time?
And when will Simek** come? 
Everyone is on tenterhooks.
In Mikheter’s house are gathered
All the relatives together;
And try hurriedly to sew
The dowry for the bride.
But the latter, by the way,
Over the coming party grieves.
Narspi cries out secretly,
Whispering her Setner’s name.
______________
*Sinze - an ancient ritual of protection of land, when any work on land is prohibited during twelve days.
**Simek - a spring holiday coinciding with Whitsunday, the day of recalling of the deceased.

* * *
At the end of the village
A miserable hut stands.
Here with his mother
Lives Setner, her son.
Setner, a handsome fellow,
Has an argamak, a horse,
And an old woman - mother,
And a heart with hot blood.
To work days and nights
He has strong hands,
To destroy the enemies
He has fury and rage.
And that is all that he is rich in.
He has grown a poor man.
(But keep in mind: Mikheter 
Won’t give his daughter to the poor.)
Our Narspi, a beautiful girl,
Loves that boy Setner,
Therefore she does not sleep -
And is sad about the wedding.




* * *
A white willow stands by the stream,
And under it - high trough.
Every morning Setner
Waits for Narspi here.
He waters his horse
In expectation at the brook.
He sees Narspi
Coming down with buckets.
As he sees Narspi
Carrying two buckets,
His heart begins throbbing
Happily at once.
Narspi’s thin lips begin
Smiling from afar.
And at the brook Setner 
Shines with pleasure.
He looks with loving eyes
At the beautiful girl.
And through his moustache
He whispers gentle words to her.