eileen chengyin chow

There are no boring people in this world.
Each fate is like the history of a planet.

–
When people die, they do not die alone.
They die along with their first kiss,
first combat
They take away their first day in the snow

-Yevgeny Yevtushenko, “People”
translated by Boris Dralyuk
#everynightapoem #poetry #translation

Jan 28, 2023 at 4:19amWeb
Show threadItwasntmeJan 28, 2023
@chowleen When I close my eyes
My lids make no sound
And darkness
Is all around
Show threadsusan_laniganJan 28, 2023
@chowleen wow - beautiful.
Show threadMulgrewJan 28, 2023

@chowleen
Thanks a lot!

That's exactly the thought I always have - what cosmos disappears into nothingness (?) when a person dies.

This form of cosmology is also comforting - for us the living, who regularly compare and judge ourselves.

Ps.: to the last stanza of the poem:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/may/06/saturday-poem-there-are-no-boring-people-yevgeny-yevtushenko-boris-dralyuk

The Saturday poem: There are no boring people in this world

by Yevgeny Yevtushenko 1932-2017,by Yevgeny Yevtushenko 1932-2017, translated by Boris Dralyuk translated by Boris Dralyuk

The Guardian
Show threadeileen chengyin chowJan 28, 2023
@Mulgrew thank you - I saw I cut off the last stanza in the photo by accident (it's in the ALT)!
Show threadgnarlygeekJan 28, 2023
@chowleen I had the great privilege to see Yevgeny perform his epic poem Babi Yar and other works when I was a sophomore studying 1st year Russian in college. The words were beyond my ability, but his passion was unforgettable. It was a valuable lesson. Devoid of comprehension, the human voice carries meaning that is universal - a vocal concerto of vowels, consonants, and emotion.
Show threadgnarlygeekJan 28, 2023
@chowleen Here's a link to Yevgeny's performance in 2011 on YouTube with musical intro by Shostakovich inspired by Babi Yar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJEGrgdGzPE
Yevgeny Yevtushenko Recites Babi Yar

YouTube
Show threadStephen FierbaughJan 28, 2023
@chowleen A news channel that devoted one minute to each person's story and never repeated a person would never run out of material. It would also probably be less expensive but harder work than the current chasing after the scoop, then endlessly repeating the stale scoop.
Show threadDavid PJan 28, 2023
@chowleen #BladeRunner
Show threadMick MorrisJan 29, 2023
@chowleen 🙏🏻 thank you for sharing. Absolutely beautiful.