Poetry · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for Poetry by Taras Shevchenko.
Chapter 1
The Night of Taras
The Kobzar sings of Taras Traselo's night battle against the Poles, celebrating Cossack glory and lamenting Ukraine's loss of freedom. The song recounts the ambush, the feast of the Polish lords, the Cossack attack at night, and the aftermath of blood and vultures. The Kobzar ends his song in sadness, then tries to lift his spirits by playing a dance tune and heading to the bar.
Chapter 2
Topolia
The poem 'Topolia' (The Poplar) tells the story of a maiden who falls in love with a Cossack who departs and perishes. Unable to bear her loss and pressured by her mother to marry an old rich man, she seeks help from a fortune-teller who gives her a magical herb. After drinking it three times, she transforms into a poplar tree, standing alone on the steppes until the wind eventually uproots her.
Chapter 3
Hamaleia
The Cossacks, imprisoned in Skutari, sing of their homeland and pray for rescue. Their cries stir the Dnieper and Bosphorus, leading Hamaleia to lead a raid. He breaks into the prison, frees the captives, and together they burn Skutari, plunder its riches, and escape by boat.
Chapter 4
Khustina
A young orphan girl embroiders a betrothal kerchief (khustina) while awaiting her Tchumak lover's return. The Tchumak, burdened by misfortune and unrequited love, dies on the steppes before reaching her. The kerchief ends up waving on his grave cross, and the maiden enters a nunnery.
Chapter 5
Naimechka (The Servant)
An old couple, Trophimus and Anastasia, living in comfort but childless, find an abandoned infant at their gate and adopt him, naming him Mark. Years later, a young woman named Anna joins the household as a servant and devotes herself to Mark's care. After Anastasia's death, Mark grows up and marries Katherine. Anna, secretly Mark's birth mother, goes on pilgrimage to Kiev, bringing back blessings, but conceals her true identity.
Chapter 6
Prologue
A woman, burdened by sorrow and shame, walks through a misty field of graves, lamenting her fate and the illegitimate child she carries. She prays for the mist to hide her grief and decides to abandon her son to strangers rather than bind him to poverty and disgrace, drawing a parallel to a widow's song about surrendering her children to the river.
Chapter 7
I
The narrator laments the plight of Ukraine, condemning those who trade old fetters for new, exploit their own people, and seek salvation abroad while neglecting their homeland. He calls for awakening, brotherhood, and justice, warning of inevitable judgment.
Chapter 8
II
The narrator critiques the Ukrainian intelligentsia for abandoning their native language and history in favor of foreign, especially German, influence. They contrast the romanticized view of Cossack glory with the harsh reality of subjugation and exploitation, arguing that true freedom has been replaced by servitude under Moscow and Warsaw.
Chapter 9
III
The chapter laments Ukraine's suffering at the hands of her own children, who betray her worse than foreign enemies. It calls for learning from foreigners without despising one's own heritage, warns that forgetting one's mother brings divine punishment, and urges embracing all brothers to restore Ukraine's true glory.
Chapter 10
IV
Years pass, and after the death of old Stasia, peace returns to the home. Mark has grown into a farmer, and the Servant and Trophimus plan his marriage. They arrange a match with a noble maiden, but the Servant is overcome with sorrow, whispering for her mother.
Chapter 11
V
The wedding preparations are in full swing, with the old man joyfully hosting and dancing. The Servant who cares not for wage, Anna, declines to stay for the wedding, insisting she must go on a pilgrimage to Kiev. Despite Mark's pleas, she leaves, blessing him. In Kiev, she works as a water carrier to save money for prayers and offerings, buying a magic cap for Mark and a ring for Kate from the saints. She returns home, where Mark and Kate greet her warmly, but she keeps her secret and weeps from the hurt of her penance.
Chapter 12
VI
The Servant returns from Kiev for the fourth time, bringing gifts for the family. She is weak and ill, and expresses a desire to see Mark before she dies. The chapter highlights her devotion and the family's dynamics, especially with Old Trophimus and the children.
Chapter 13
VII
Anna, now frail and dying, is cared for by Katherine in the household. She anxiously awaits Mark's return, speaking of prayers for the dead and her impending death. Katherine and old Trophimus are distressed as Anna's condition worsens, and omens of death surround the house.
Chapter 14
VIII
Mark returns home with gifts for his family, unaware of the sorrow awaiting him. Katherine is troubled. Anna, the servant, is gravely ill and asks to speak with Mark alone. She reveals on her deathbed that she is not a servant but his mother, then dies.
Chapter 15
Caucasus
The poem reflects on the enduring suffering and resilience of the Ukrainian people, drawing parallels between the myth of Prometheus and the nation's struggle against oppression. It depicts a landscape of bloodshed and sorrow, yet affirms an unyielding spirit and hope for eventual freedom, while criticizing the indifference of tyrants and the divine.
Chapter 16
To the Circassians
A satirical monologue addressed to the Circassians, contrasting their freedom with the hypocrisy and greed of Christian imperial powers, particularly Russia, which claims moral superiority while engaging in oppression, theft, and exploitation.
Chapter 17
To the Rich and Great
A scathing poetic indictment of the wealthy and powerful, accusing them of hypocrisy, greed, and exploitation under the guise of Christian brotherly love. The speaker condemns the rich for caring only about material gain—skinning the poor for furs, slippers, and private luxuries—while feigning piety.
Chapter 18
To the Master
The speaker addresses Christ directly, questioning the purpose of His crucifixion and criticizing the hypocrisy of those who worship in churches while engaging in violence, greed, and betrayal of His teachings.
Chapter 19
Again Addressing the Circassians
The speaker addresses the Circassians with a sarcastic offer of 'enlightenment,' promising to teach them the arts of oppression, imprisonment, and torture, while revealing that their lands and seas have already been conquered.
Chapter 20
To Jacques de Balmont
The poet addresses a departed friend, Jacques de Balmont, who was poisoned by Muscovite agents for his love of Ukraine. The speaker sends songs of sorrow to the friend's spirit, asking it to join the Cossacks along the Dnieper and to watch over ancient tombs until the poet returns.
Chapter 21
To the Dead
The poet addresses the dead, the living, and the unborn of Ukraine, lamenting the nation's suffering under oppression and betrayal by its own people. He criticizes those who trade old fetters for new, seek foreign solutions, and forget their heritage, urging them to break their chains, embrace brotherhood, and reclaim their strength and liberty from within. The poem calls for self-reflection, rejection of foreign domination, and a return to true Ukrainian glory.
Chapter 22
I
The narrator laments the plight of Ukraine, condemning those who trade old fetters for new, exploit their own people, and seek salvation abroad while neglecting their homeland. He calls for awakening, brotherhood, and justice, warning of inevitable judgment.
Chapter 23
II
The narrator critiques the Ukrainian intelligentsia for abandoning their native language and history in favor of foreign, especially German, influence. They contrast the romanticized view of Cossack glory with the harsh reality of subjugation and exploitation, arguing that true freedom has been replaced by servitude under Moscow and Warsaw.
Chapter 24
III
The chapter laments Ukraine's suffering at the hands of her own children, who betray her worse than foreign enemies. It calls for learning from foreigners without despising one's own heritage, warns that forgetting one's mother brings divine punishment, and urges embracing all brothers to restore Ukraine's true glory.
Chapter 25
Lyric: From Day to Day, from Night to Night
The speaker reflects on the passage of time and the fading of light and life, expressing a deep sense of spiritual numbness and existential despair. They plead for a fate or divine attention, even if it comes as hate, rather than a slow, unnoticed decay. The poem contrasts the wretchedness of a captive slave with the even greater misery of living without purpose or passion, ultimately longing for any sign of life or meaning.
Chapter 26
A Poem of Exile
The speaker, imprisoned and exiled, reflects on the slow passage of years, the loss of youth and joy, and the deep longing for Ukraine. He contemplates his suffering, the futility of prayer, and the hope that his tear-embroidered songs might reach his homeland and touch future generations. Despite despair, he resolves to continue writing.
Chapter 27
Memories of an Exile
The speaker addresses his memories of home as his only solace during exile, contrasting his own sorrow with the stark poverty and freedom of the Kirghiz Tartars, and longing for the comfort of past loves.
Chapter 28
Hymn of Exile
The speaker watches the sunset and feels a deep longing for Ukraine, addressing the evening star and wondering if it is seen by loved ones back home. The poem expresses sorrow, memory, and the pain of separation from one's homeland.
Chapter 29
On the Eleventh Psalm
A poetic meditation on the scarcity of good and honest people, the hypocrisy of flattering speech, and the divine promise to protect the humble and oppressed. The speaker contrasts the proud boasts of the wicked with the purified, enduring word of God, which will be scattered to inspire faith in miracles among the poor and lowly.
Chapter 30
Prayer: To Tsars and Kings
A prayer contrasting the worldly desires of rulers—wealth and power—with the speaker's humble plea for love as the only true paradise on earth.
Chapter 31
Prayer: My Prayer for the Tsars
The speaker offers a prayer that condemns the Tsars as traffickers in blood, asking for them to be fettered in iron and dungeons, while beseeching strength for the long-toiling peoples and angelic protection for the pure in heart. For himself, the speaker asks only to love truth on earth and to have one true friend to love him.
Chapter 32
Prayer: For Those That Have Done Wrong to Me
A prayerful poem asking God not for vengeance or imprisonment for those who have wronged the speaker, but for guidance, strength, and protection for the faithful, the pure-hearted, and all of humanity to live in wisdom and brotherly love.
Chapter 33
Prayer: To Those of the Ever-Greedy Eyes
A prayer-like poem contrasting the greedy tsars who claim all earthly wealth with the toiling hands and lowly saints who labor without reward, asking the Creator to grant the humble long life and paradise while the powerful hoard material goods.
Chapter 34
Mighty Wind
A speaker addresses the mighty wind, pleading with it to reveal the fate of her lover who was borne away by the sea. She vows to seek him, to die with him if he has perished, and to become a viburnum on his grave, mourning in secret.
Chapter 35
Hymn of the Nuns
The nuns lament their forced life in the convent, expressing that God has cheated them out of love, marriage, and motherhood. They mock their own piety, singing 'Hallelujah' while feeling defrauded and trapped.
Chapter 36
To the Goddess of Fame
The speaker addresses the Goddess of Fame as a drunken barmaid, mocking her for giving a halo on credit to Napoleon and for associating with kings and the Tsar. He invites her to lodge with him, seeking her smile and shelter under her wings despite her lowly manners.
Chapter 37
Iconoclasm
A poetic call to break free from religious oppression, rejecting the trappings of priestly authority and icon veneration in favor of pure, unbound light and liberation.
Chapter 38
My Testament
The speaker, anticipating death, instructs that he be buried in a humble grave in Ukraine's vast prairie where the Dnieper roars. He envisions his spirit ascending to heaven only after Ukraine's enemies are defeated and the land is freed, urging his people to break their chains and rise in a new, free brotherhood, and to remember him kindly in their future glory.
Chapter 39
The Water Fairy
A water fairy recounts her origin: her mother, a woman betrayed by a faithless lover, bathed her in the Dnieper at midnight and enchanted her to become a fairy who would lure the lover to his death. The fairy grows up among sister fairies, dancing at midnight and watching from the water. Her mother, still living in shameful pleasure with the faithless lord, comes to the riverbank and is caught by the river maidens, who playfully put her in a basket net to her death. Only one little fairy does not laugh.
Chapter 40
Lyric: Only Friend, Clear Evening Twilight
The speaker addresses the evening twilight as a confidant, asking it to share scenes of nature and folk life in Ukraine—the sunset, Dnieper maidens, trees, and spirits. He then laments that the twilight knows nothing of human affairs in his homeland, while he knows too much, and ends with a request to relay his message to God.
Chapter 41
The Reaper
A grim, allegorical poem depicting Death as a relentless reaper who harvests all souls without distinction—serf, landlord, singer, or Tsar—and ultimately comes for the speaker, who cowers alone in a cell.
Chapter 42
Lyric: I Care Not, Shall I See My Dear
The speaker expresses indifference about returning to his homeland or being remembered after death, yet reveals a deep anguish over Ukraine's suffering and betrayal. He laments dying a slave in exile, leaving no trace, and cannot bear the thought of his land trampled and defiled.
Chapter 43
A Dream
The narrator dreams of Ukraine, describing its landscapes, hills, and the Dnieper, while reflecting on loss, exile, and the destruction of Cossack heritage by foreign powers. An old man mourns the lost land and the folly of past leaders, longing to return and be buried on the sacred hills.
Chapter 44
Kalina
A mother watches her daughter Kalina visit a grave nightly, watering a cranberry bush with tears and praying for her lover's return. After three years, Kalina speaks to the bush, lamenting her companions' scorn and asking to be hidden. She is found dead under the bush, and her mother mourns her absence.
Chapter 45
The Monk
The chapter describes a festive scene in Kiev where Cossacks dance and celebrate freely. An old Cossack, Semon Palee, dances into the Cloister of our Saviour and becomes a monk. In his monastic cell, he struggles with memories of his past life as a Cossack, his love for Ukraine, and his sorrow over exile and lost freedom.
Chapter 46
Drowsy the Waves
The speaker languishes in a prison-like setting by the sea, feeling isolated and unheard, as the natural world around them sways silently without offering any comfort or news.
Chapter 47
See Fires Ablaze
The speaker observes a scene of joyful celebration—fires burning, music playing, and young people dancing without care—yet feels isolated and sorrowful, weeping in secret as he mourns the fleeting, storm-tossed days of his own youth.
Chapter 48
To the Makers of Sentimental Idyls
The speaker condemns those who romanticize peasant life, revealing the harsh reality of poverty, slavery, and suffering hidden beneath idyllic descriptions. He recounts his own childhood in a cottage, where his mother died from sorrow, his father from slavery, and his siblings were scattered to serfdom. The poem questions divine justice and the hypocrisy of those who ignore the people's misery.
Chapter 49
The Bondwoman's Dream
A bondwoman, exhausted from reaping wheat, tends to her infant son and dreams of a future where he is free, prosperous, and independent. She wakes to her harsh reality and returns to her labor, hoping the dream may one day come true.
Chapter 50
Winter
The chapter personifies winter as a metaphor for old age and despair, urging the reader to accept the end of youth, hope, and vitality, and to sit alone in silence without longing for renewal.
Chapter 51
Endnotes
This chapter provides explanatory endnotes for the poems, covering cultural customs, historical context, and biographical details about Shevchenko's life in exile and his longing for Ukraine.
