Detachable Subdivision
"Rivne Professional College of
National University of Life
and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine"
Vasyl Symonenko, a prominent Ukrainian poet of the "sixties", an ardent patriot and fighter for truth, was born on January 8, 1935. He passed away prematurely - he was only 28 years old, but he left behind a considerable creative legacy. Some of his poems became prophetic.
Although Vasyl Symonenko began writing in his student years. However, during his lifetime, only a collection of lyrics “Silence and Thunder” (1962) and a fairy tale for children “Tsar Plaksiy and Loskoton” were published. The poet’s works that were allowed to be published went through Soviet censorship and were “corrected” in accordance with communist propaganda. Therefore, the poet was reluctant to be officially published, because the Soviet authorities demanded that he correct the texts (Symonenko wrote hundreds of poems during his lifetime). He published most of his works in samizdat, thanks to which he became famous.
During his short life, Vasyl Symonenko wrote poetry and short stories, the leading motif of which is filial love for mother Ukraine (“I look into your eyes…”, 1962), a combination of love for one’s own mother and the Motherland, responsibility for one’s fate (a lyric poem in the form of a lullaby “Swans of Motherhood”, 1962), the uniqueness of each person-personality (the philosophical lyric poem “Do you know that you are a person?..”, 1962). In his poems, in addition to love for the Motherland, he often criticized the Soviet system and the enemies of Ukrainian statehood. The Ukrainian nation, Symonenko was sure – after the totalitarian horrors of the empire, after genocides and famines – would occupy a worthy place in the life of civilized free humanity.
"My people are! My people will always be!"
No one will cross out my people!
All the werewolves and strays will disappear,
And hordes of wandering conquerors!
You bastards of the damned executioners,
Don't forget, you bastards, nowhere:
My people are here!
In his oxen's veins
Cossack blood pulsates and hums!”
Known as the author of numerous articles, theater and literary reviews, three fairy tales for children and adults: "Tsar Plaksiy and Loskoton", "Journey to the Country of the Opposite", "The Tale of Duril". The collection "Earth Attraction" (1964) and the book "Swans of Motherhood" (1981) were published posthumously. Recognition - Laureate of the Taras Shevchenko State Prize (1995, posthumously), five prizes are named after the poet, the Vasyl Symonenko Literary and Memorial Museum operates in Cherkasy.
Reviews of his work: “…a hero of young Ukrainian poetry” (Oles Honchar); “…among us there has never been and is never a poet of greater civic courage, greater determination, greater uncompromisingness than Vasyl Symonenko” (Ivan Svitlychny).
Myroslava SOROKA,
humanities teacher
