Contemporary Kazakh Literature Poetry Anthology The project «Modern Kazakh Culture in the Global World» has been realised upon the initiative of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan – Elbasy (Leader of the Nation) Nursultan Nazarbayev within the framework of the State Programme Rýhani Jańǵyrý (Spiritual Rebirth – Modernisation of Kazakhstan’s Identity) Contemporary Kazakh Literature Poetry This book is commissioned by the Ministry of Culture and Sport of the Republic of Kazakhstan ©Ұлттық Аударма Бюросы (National Bureau of Translations) 2019 18 Dostyk Street, Office 25, Nur-Sultan, Esil District, The Republic of Kazakhstan https://100kitap.kz/kz This book is published by ‘Ұлттық Аударма Бюросы’ қоғамдық қоры (Public Foundation National Bureau of Translations) working in partnership with Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved. No parts of the publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. The publishers would like to acknowledge the support of the Chairman of Rýhani Jańǵyrý National Commission Marat Tazhin, and the Secretary of the National Commission Aida Balayeva, and the assistance of the following individuals: Khaliolla Baimen, Zhadyra Baymakhan, Assiya Issemberdiyeva, Narbin Kenzhegulova, Rauan Kenzhekhanuly, Gaukhar Khalyk, Timur Muktarov, Assel Tauekel, Umit Tazhken, Aknur Toleubayeva, Alikhan Tuiebay, Zemfira Yerzhan. First published in 2019 Printed in the United Kingdom by Latimer Trend ISBN 978-601-7943-43-1 If we want to be a nation with a unique place on the global map of the 21st century, we should implement one more project – Modern Kazakh Culture in the Global World.We need the world to know about us not only because of oil resources and major foreign policy initiatives, but because of our cultural achievements as well. First, we need a targeted approach in order to make our domestic culture better known in the six UN languages: English, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, and French. For the first time our culture will be known in all continents and in all main languages. First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan – Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev CONTENTS A NOTE ON TRANSLITERATION XVII My Heart 30 Father 31 FOREWORD XVIII Mother Tongue 32 Two Stars 33 KADYR MYRZA ALI 1 Possibilities 2 OLZHAS SULEIMENOV 35 The Earth 3 August Nights … 36 Žigit, Whatever the Storm 4 The Outskirts 38 I Am Descended from Warriors Actor and the Night City after and Hunters 5 the Premiere 39 Mother, You Were the Start Asian Bonfires 41 of It All 6 Mama! 43 A Secret of Mine 7 Wolf Cubs 44 All I Need Is to See the Fruits of On Pushkin Square 45 My Labour 8 Women Up to My Shoulders 47 The First Lyric 9 Mountains, You Love Me 48 Why, in God’s Name, Do They Language of Our Fathers, Ancient Sharpen Their Sword Language 49 on You …? 10 Rišad Son of the Steppes 50 Can You Call Someone Son, Song of the Cumans 52 if He Fails in His Sacred Elm 53 Duty to His Parents? 11 In Our Auyl There Was When Peace Is Given to All a Shoemaker 54 Living Things 13 The Steppe 14 MARFUGA AITKHOZHA 55 What Heaven It Is to See! 16 When Birds Arrive 56 In the Steps of Those Before Us 17 Forgive Me 58 At the Graveyard 59 TUMANBAY MOLDAGALIYEV 19 Žajķoņyr 60 Night 20 When My Thoughts Were Dark 63 Life Sometimes 21 The Northern Breeze 65 The Birds’ Song 22 Pebbles 66 Witness 23 Let My Voice Remain 67 Spring Night 24 At the Waterfall 68 Orphan Lamb 25 Appassionata 70 Boots 26 Swan Island 72 Snowdrop 27 A Swan Heart 73 Men Who Pamper Women Are Blessed 28 FARIZA ONGARSYNOVA 75 Red-Green Butterfly 29 Patterns of Grass and Flowers Ran Down onto the Carpets … 76 xi CONTENTS The Train Approaches. Heartbeats Steppe Swallows 137 Outstrip … 78 To a Seagull 138 Thoughts of the Old Kazakh 80 Winter Night 139 Heat 82 Song of the Restless Heart 140 Romanticism 83 Justice 141 Camel Thorn 85 To My Father 143 Weeping About a Stolen Horse 86 Willow 145 Paper Clouds, like Cotton in In the Museum 146 a Linen Sky 87 Tell Me, Is It the Same Light of the Native Hearth 89 with You? 147 Yurt 91 Oġlandy 92 TEMIRKHAN MEDETBEK 149 Poems Do Not Age – Only Boasting Song 150 Poets Do 94 Song of a Strongman 152 I’m Afraid! 153 MUKHTAR SHAKHANOV 95 Kindness 155 The Fickleness of Himalyan Lamentation of a Kok Turk Tigers or the Ballad of Warrior’s Wife on His Death 157 Human Courage 96 Deluge 159 Ballad of Bright Pain 98 In a Moment of Inspiration 160 By the Laws of Retribution 103 Sea in a Storm 161 Seventh Sense 106 Beautiful Woman 163 Call to Courage 109 Losing Myself 165 Shared Understanding 111 Thirty-Six Degrees 167 Four Mothers 114 Photo as Memento 168 Where is My Heart? 170 VLADIMIR GUNDAREV 115 It’s Time to Love 116 SHOMISHBAY SARIYEV 173 The Snowdrop 117 There Is a Country 174 Weariness – From Hollow Childhood Friends 176 Happiness 118 Home 178 Black Lily of the Valley 119 A Piece of Bread 179 Bach 120 Song 181 I Burst into Your Memory … 121 Fishermen 182 Winter Chronicles 122 A Long Haul 184 The Artist 123 The Dream 185 The Road Is Like a Ribbon 124 Steppe Tu̇ lpars 186 Evening Sunset 125 The Theorem of Love 187 Tenderness 126 Far Horizon 188 The Whitish Morning … 127 Run, My Tu̇ lpar Time 189 Five to Twelve 128 Proposal 190 To My Readers 129 The Flow 191 Honour and Pride 192 AKUSHTAP BAKHTYGEREYEVA 131 Wild Foal 132 KULASH AKHMETOVA 193 Tell the Žajyķ River 133 Prosperity 194 When There Is a Loved One 134 Lace 196 Conversation with Mama 135 Street 198 And Again About Love 136 Spring Poplars 199 xii CONTENTS Prayer 200 IRAN-GHAYIP 249 People and Towns 202 I Have Everything … 250 Mother Tongue 205 My Song 251 Kazakhstan, My Homeland! 206 Duel 253 In the ‘Colosseum’ 207 Tender as a Flower … 254 A Prayer for My Son and Two Breaths 256 Daughter 209 I’d Love to Die … 257 My Little Calves, My Children 210 Joining Your Ancestors … 258 Sewing a Button 212 Burning in a Fire … 259 Love You, Dear … 260 VALERIY MIKHAILOV 213 Illogical Logic 261 Golden Drowsiness 214 Oh, Well 263 The Lantern Rocked and He Is, Allah 264 Creaked … 215 Greetings 265 Along the Country Road Cry from the Heart 267 Forsaken by God 216 Who Owns Today? 268 To Be Free of Everything 217 Khlebnikov 218 SERIK AKSUNKAR 269 The Log 220 Midday Dream 270 Blue Fences, Grey Houses 221 Childhood Is Like Honey 271 Why Were We Born into We Are All from a Distant Auyl 273 the World? 222 Monologue of a Wolf 275 Winter Rainbow 223 Spell Song of Gold 276 The War Against Us Hasn’t Noble 278 Ended 225 O Motley Snake that Came Out Wine 226 from Within 279 The Derkul River 227 Happy God 280 Two Waltzes 228 Poem of the Nomadic Scythians 282 Night Rain 230 My Destiny 284 Life Is Revolving Around the Sun 286 NADEZHDA CHERNOVA 231 A Letter to My Mother 287 The Chase 232 Hiroshima. 999 Paper Cranes 288 The Old Fisherman 233 The Last Heir of the Yana Tribe 289 The Full-Moon Dreams 234 The Fliers in the Fog 235 NESIPBEK AITULY 291 Both in the Future and Present 236 A Rock Will Never Weep 292 My Only Begotten 237 The Illusion of Wealth 293 What Happens Is Going to Living a Wonderful Life 294 Happen 238 The Onagers’ Playground 295 In the World Reversed 239 Take Pity on Sorrow Too 297 Moses 240 For Our Sake 298 Conversation with Love 241 So Many Troubles 299 Songs of the Žajran Steppe 242 Hard Times 301 Two Legends of Kelintôbe 244 A Dog’s Life 303 Buryltaj 247 I Saw a Colt in My Dreams 304 Storm Clouds over Baânauyl 248 Black Notebook 306 Night Flight of Cranes 308 Beloved Steppe 309 Dusk 310 xiii CONTENTS BAKHYTZHAN KANAPYANOV 313 The Same Illumination 354 Listen, Listen In 314 End of August 355 Inside the Ravine 315 I Confess 356 In this World Where You If My Paper Should Die 357 Seldom Find 316 Hope 358 The Forest’s Heavy Silence 317 My Room Is Full of Books 359 My Lover’s Breathing Will Fifth Season of the Year 360 Shake 318 Actor 363 Medeu 319 Sometimes, You Know … 365 We Don’t Know Where The Night-Sky Charms 367 We’re Going 320 YESENQUL JAQYPBEK 369 Within the Leaves 321 I Have No Secrets 370 The Tulips 322 O, Life 371 I Remember the Moment To My People 372 I Froze 323 A Foggy Day 373 Mountain Road in the Mist 324 A Poet Is Walking 374 Along the Mountain River on Missing You 375 Horseback 326 Verses, Verses 376 Signs 327 An Honest Man 377 Tamġa Ystyķkôl 328 To the Poetess Who Asked for LYUBOV SHASHKOVA 331 Advice 378 Song 332 Don’t Ache, My Heart 379 In Vishnyovka 333 The Watch 380 Golden Meadow 334 The Man Without a Name 381 How Much Patience Is Needed Speak Up 383 to Judgement Day? 335 The Grudge 384 There Is a Pause Between ULUGBEK YESDAULET 385 Breathing out and The Stone Book 386 Breathing in 336 Ulugbek Street 387 Washing the Horse 337 Don’t Ask Poets the Time 388 Steppe 338 Balbal’s Song 389 A Sigh 339 Flow of the Gulf Stream 390 Apple Harvest 340 Perhaps You Remember the Geranium 341 Winter Garden … 391 There, Where There Is a Little Rainy Morning 392 Log Cabin 342 Letter 393 Valley 343 I Am in Love with Your Eyes 394 Tau Tùrgen 344 The Corner 396 Time of Berberis 345 Woman – Washing the TYNYSHTYQBEK ABDIKAKIMULY 347 Monument 397 Frosty Feeling 348 Twilight in the Cool Ravine … 398 Word 349 Is There Power? 399 Sometimes 351 I Love Only You 400 Muse 353 Hurry 401 xiv CONTENTS YESSENGALI RAUSHANOV 403 If I Fall Asleep, Don’t Wake Human Memory Is a Me Up 461 Mystery … 404 Penelope and Me 462 The Blast of a Siren … 406 Umbrellas Float Along the Street 463 Forty Days Have Passed Since My Soul – My Leaves – Winter Came 408 Are So Cold 464 1932.