"God Is a Rusyn": Anthology of Contemporary Carpatho-Rusyn Literature

Vasyl' Sochka

Vasyl´ Sochka VASYL´ SOCHKA (1922–2010) entered the University of Budapest during World War II, but he graduated from Uzhhorod State University in 1950. He has worked on the editorial staff of the newspaper Zakarpats´ka Pravda, as a bibliographer at the Transcarpathian Regional Library in Uzhhorod, and as section head of the Transcarpathian Institute for Teacher Refresher Courses. Sochka entered Rusyn literature in 1940 with his Russian-language collection Mountains and Fate (Gory i dolia), published under the pseudonym Vasilii Borzhavin. Sochka’s early poems demonstrated an interest in Rusyn ethnography, and he integrated folk customs and dialect in his Russian-language poems. He published rarely during the Soviet era; his next collection was Songs of Verkovyna (Verkhovynskie napevy) in 1960. In the post-Communist era, Sochka became one of the leading figures of the Rusyn movement in Transcarpathia and he began to publish poetry in Rusyn. He published a book of Rusyn-language poems in 1996, In the Valleys of the Beskyds (V Podbeskydnŷkh dolynakh) and a collection of essays and poems, In the Village They Rang for Vespers (Zazvonyly v sielî na vychurniu) in 1999. He has also written a biography of Rusyn writers, Awakeners of the Subcarpathian Rusyns (Budyteli podkarpats´kŷkh rusynov, 1995). 38 UKRAINE [From Zazvonyly v sielî na vychurniu] September Fires24 Up there, on the autumn potato fields little fires glow and cry in the mountains, like lanterns on high posts, like distant train whistles … They guard the night field, keep away wild boars, above the Borzhava,25 on the Carpathian crags, September fires, dear as the forest …
 November Autumn is ending. Cold. Quiet. The wind blows a twig at my ear. Bare acacias cry without sound, like the thoughts of the Subcarpathian Rusyn … The Fatherland cries quietly, softly, and dreams of hope and a crust of Bread.
 24 According to local custom, fires are lit in the mountain fields at night to protect the crops from animals. 25 A river in Transcarpathia. VASYL’ SOCHKA 39 Living Birds Living birds do not die away in lovely gardens, they live on the sweet fruit of pear trees. But some flourish on the cliffs of eagles, on Kychera,26 near eagles’ nests … Chrysanthemums on a November Sunday in a cemetery beautify our burial mound.
 Willow Above the brook the willow feeds her buds fresh juice. To her tender branches, yet unripe, she offers little leaves. The willow quivers, and gladly hears the bird’s twitter. The warm summer brings her a happy dream. But in autumn 26 A mountain peak in the eastern Carpathians. 40 UKRAINE comes rain and heavy weather. In autumn above the willow laughs an evil wind. Little by little above the brook the willow’s body molders. The winter storm strips naked the poor willow. Frost and wind, the snow will fall, and the willow silently endures it all
 Violin and Book Toward evening even the sun wants to rest, and deer go to drink water, and above the village the violin plays sweetly, for the gypsy too has a gentle soul. I also once played violin in the student orchestra. It was long ago, in my first semester. But I exchanged the violin for a book of lyrics, for my soul was happy then, and romantic. ...