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

Nataliia Kaniukh

Nataliia Kaniukh NATALIIA KANIUKH (b. 1950) studied Yugoslav literature at the University of Novi Sad. She entered Rusyn literature as editor of the literary supplement to the newspaper Ruske slovo. In addition to poetry, she has written essays, literary criticism, and drama for children, as well as scripts for radio and television. She currently works as a translator. In 1985 and 2005, she was awarded the literary prize by the journal Shvetlosts. She has published two books of poetry in Rusyn: Excerpt (Virivok, 1987) and House Wall Dirty River Bridge (Dom mur brudna rika most, 2006). The latter is a poetic diary in which the writer reflects on her experiences of the NATO bombardment of Novi Sad during the Kosovo War in the spring of 1999. 242 SERBIA [From Antologiia ruskei poezii] Not a Spring, nor a Field, nor a Forest Quietly, not insistently, but still loudly I ask you to come with me to a place where there are sometimes beautiful dreams like witches. There is not a spring, nor a field, nor a forest, but it has dwelt in us deeply for years in spite of this ruptured world and it emanates longed-for serenity, a soft touch. It will be like a cure for me, just agree, choked by silver in my hair and my words this atmosphere of meaning full of air, a beautiful flower and gentle hands. But on the way, brushing hair from your forehead, I see you are not here, only a few marks of habit remain.
 [From Dom mur brudna rika most] Returning to an empty house, inside … The night passed peacefully. Morning is ready for rain. Today is Thursday, Holy Thursday, for the third week I do not go to work … Just as most others. The air is still, it would be perfectly motionless if only the birds did not fly from branches to telephone lines, or anywhere they want! Good for them, they can go anywhere! And I can only return to an empty house, inside. But the house may not be empty, a dream remained in it. NATALIIA KANIUKH 243 I would like it if some dreams continued in this house. At noon, afternoon, evening, night … When an airplane does not appear over the town. In this dream the town will not be destroyed, bridges over the river will be intact. And I will be intact. And all of us will be undisturbed, looking at the clouds only for spring rain. Nothing else. In this dream we will all live without fear. Only in this dream and nowhere else on this earth. ...