A letter from Ivan

I received this letter from nearly thirty -five years ago from the exiled Ukrainian writer

I received this letter nearly thirty -five years ago from the exiled Ukrainian writer Ivan Svitlychny on the eve of my move from Germany to England. Ivan Svitlychny (1929-1992)-Ukrainian critic, poet, translator who spent 12 years in prisons, camps and exile. He was first arrested in 1965. He returned from the exile seriously ill. He was already posthumously awarded the State Prize. T.G. Shevchenko. In Soviet times, Ivan Svitlychny was branded as one of the leaders of "Ukrainian bourgeois nationalism." In his letter, Lyolya (wife of Ivan), Nadia (his sister), paradise (wife of the dissident historian Valentina Moroz) and translator Anna-Galya Gorbach (Germany) are mentioned.

Dear Igor!

It is even difficult to express it - my joy when I got so valuable and here inaccessible books. And how well you have determined my taste and interest! The collection B. Akhmadulina was especially pleased with me. I highlight its poetry especially among contemporaries, and the tradition of Tsvetaeva and Akhmatova is probably really alive in it. Many thanks to you.
Sorry that I did not answer you for a long time: I was seriously sick (radiculitis, lay motionless, not only to work, I couldn’t go around the room, even Lyol was supplied to the bed), and then I wanted to translate something from yours, but it was not up to the translations. One poem that I liked more than others, I translated, outlined three or four more, but so far I have not done a translation, and when it comes, I don’t know if I rely on my capricious muse, the case can be delayed at all, and this would be completely ungrateful on my part. So, translation:

I am Mayakovsky youth,
I Pasternak youth
On the Znimtsi magazine. On the goats
Bulo magazine is thrown. Just -
Rozluka with you. Jamb
Doors piducked. PID Bosha
Zhitty created. That yurstki
Your words! Ni, not pid Bosha -
PID HICHKOK. Cream varnish
On nigty. Not virt. PID of the Lord
Created. DRIB'YAKOV POPIL
About Pam'yat Shcherba: turns
Books of bookmarks; MOV MAC,
On the vilogs of the Gudziki. Yak
Ty Zhorstko speak. Naoslip
Do not throw TI. Oh, not just -
Rozluka with you. One
Masiv do not cook. On the goats
Pidzhak Bulo is thrown. VROZSIP
Dry autogen. Mayakovsky.
I ROSSIPI ISKR. On pidzhak
Bulo magazine is thrown. In Prostir,
I will be pleased, livestocks
Claxon on ROZI. Kastyak
Halls concrete. MOV Cancer,
Zapkuya bulldozer. I VROZSIP.
I am youth. Snow Vrossip
Dry autogen. Parsnip.

You probably understand why I gave preference to this poem: it is unusual, suggestive, somewhat reminiscent of musical works, so to speak, a stream of feelings, and I, in my personal experiments, are almost not given, and when I read such things, they seem unattainable to me, and therefore attract as a lesson of a literary school-it is only that you do not know how to do it yourself, I am generally with a big hunting hunting. I am translating what seems unattainable, and things are easy for translation - paradox! - It is harder for me to translate, and I do not receive pleasure from such transfers. However, it can be difficult for me to determine the quality of such things myself, and if this one turns out to be unsuccessful, I apologize to you and the only thing I only apologize to anyone in this case, and I will try to improve it over time. By the way, to translate the same thing several times-this is already a tradition: Lena P. (Vyuda Plush-I.P.) I once sent three or four options (completely different!) The translation of the “autumn song” of Verlene, but I can’t vouch ...

Thanks for the offers to make new orders, I will use it, but with one very desired condition for me: what will your orders be? What is difficult to get from your literature? I already know the tastes and needs of Leni P. and I have already sent him something (although I don’t know if everything has come down), I’m a lot (especially Ukrainian publications, "science" publications) can be easily getting here and I will be glad to be useful to you as well. Under this condition, I ask: is it possible to get a two -volume of the translations of V. Levik (they wrote to me from Moscow that he himself sent it to me, but, apparently, not by a custom -made mail, and I didn’t get it, but I can’t beg from the old man so that I could not send a new one). The second: quite by accident, I took out the “songs of the trumpeters” in the translation of A. Naiman (“Science”, 1979) and many things attracted my attention to their artistic sophistication, and I thought that if I had the originals, I would try to try my hand; The notes mention M.GE Riquer. Los Trovadores. Historia Literaria y Textos. Vol.1-3. Barcelona, 1975, is it possible to get this publication? Perhaps I would get something.
Lyolya asked me to cordially thank you for the good memory and greetings, asked you to welcome you and on her behalf, which I am fulfilling with great hunting; Her sympathies are strictly selective, in my opinion, too strictly, but her flattering review of you is all the more authoritative for me. She now, when I got on my feet, left for Kyiv and unknown how much: living here for a long time, you can lose the Kyiv apartment, and that would be very bad, then I will have nowhere to return; In addition, the local highlands very poorly affects her heart, and these are already such victims that I do not want under any kind; In general, the time of her new visit to me and the duration of this visit will depend on doctors and legal advice; And I am very interested in this visit: my loneliness here is more noticeable than in previous years (in the camp. - I.P.).
I have no letters from Nadi at all (recently I received only a congratulatory telegram and a package), I don’t even know her new address, I present the life of her and her offspring very vaguely, and if you tell you at least some realities of her life, I will be very grateful to you.
What about your life? Are you satisfied with your fate?
I would really like to know anything about paradise-this is my big sympathy, I really take her fate to my heart, it would be very good if you asked, if possible, to write to me.
Well, it seems that I am too highly blooming: senile weakness.
Be healthy and happy, warmly welcome Anna-Gal.

1979 sincerely your Ivan Svitlichny


PS In my book "KGB and other verses" (UFO Publishing House, 2010) there are several poems about Ivan Svitlychny. Here is one of them:

* * *

After seven years in the camps
Ivan in letters turned to Löla (wife):
"My older ..."
And time passed, and it was old, and stalls.
Well, old. Well, deaf.
For seven years - seven dates.
Love?