Another great post on the blog Reading Junkie by Ian Kummer, a post that resonates with me in particular because of the song he has attached. In my blog and elsewhere I promote the Pagan, pre-Christian heritage of Slavic peoples. It’s not easy because over the past 1000 years it has been nearly eradicated by both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.
(You will find a link to Ian’s essay at the bottom of this post.)
The Pagan culture is submerged, but it is there. There are bands, like the Russian folk-metal band Arkona, that devote all their songs to Pagan Russia. If you have Slavonic blood, as I do, you can easily relate to such music and lyrics, although you find it difficult to express it in words, particularly in a foreign, second language like English is to me.
In addition to Polish, which I speak as fluently as a native speaker of Polish, I used to speak some Russian when I was in high school. So when I found a particularly evocative Pagan song in Russian, I decided to translate it into both English and Polish. The song captures what I would call the beautiful but sad mystique of Pagan culture, although there is probably a better way to express it. Anyhow, before I give you the link to the YouTube song by Daria Volkova, I would also like to say that Russian culture whether Pagan or Christian is a powerful influence on me. Sometimes I don’t quite know why. Anyhow here’s the text, my translations, and the YT link
Daria Volkova, „Pечка быстрая” („Bystra rzeczka,” “Swift River”)
———————————————————————
A oto mój komentarz na YouTube i moje tłumaczenie:
Frankly, for me, a Slavic Polan (yes, “Polan, not quite the same as “Pole”), it’s a breath-taking masterpiece of old Russian Pagan music, in particular, and of Slavic art in general. I took Russian in high school and have done my best to translate the song into both Polish and English. Let me know if any corrections are needed.
Here’s my translation:
Разлилась, разлилась речка быстрая. (The fast river is flooding. Bystra rzeka rozlewa się.)
Белы камушки – это глазки мои. (White pebbles – they’re my eyes. Białe kamyczki to moje oczy.)
Шелковая трава – это волос мой. (The silky grass – that’s my hair. Jedwabna trawa to moje włosy.)
А речная вода – это кровь, моя (The river water – that’s my blood. A woda rzeczna to moja krew.)
Ключевая вода – этa слезы мои. (The spring water, it’s my tears. Woda źródlana to moje łzy.)
And here’s the link to Ian’s essay on his Blog, The Reading Junkie:
Russia is NOT the Savior You Want Her to Be – The Reading Junkie