Hryhoriy Skovoroda is an 18th century Ukrainian poet and Christian mystical philosopher, the person of the top grade European education who has developed his original philosophical system. He regarded his personal freedom as his most valuable treasure, so finally he gave up common career of a philosopher, avoided secular life and has chosen for himself a path of the wandering preacher. His wanderings around Ukraine became a part of the national myth. He played flute and composed several tunes to his poems, For every City its Customs and Laws among them. I have used both original text (written in old bookish Ukrainian language) and Skovoroda's melody. Simple tune in the style of Ukrainian songs of 18 century sounds here with numerous rests and much slower than it might have been performed by the author, as if heard at the two century distance – like a simple, somewhat naive, but surprisingly powerful message of the wise philosopher, ethical maxim proved by his own life.
Alexander Shchetynsky
Original
text
Всякому
городу нрав и
права;
всяка имѣет
свой ум
голова;
всякому
сердцу своя
есть любовь,
всякому
горлу свой
есть вкус
каков.
А мнѣ одна
только в
свѣтѣ дума,
а
мнѣ одно
только не
йдет с ума.
А мнѣ одна
только в
свѣтѣ дума,
как бы умерти
мнѣ не без ума.
Григорій
Варсава
Сковорода
САД
БОЖЕСТВЕННЫХ ПѢСНЕЙ.
ПѢснь
10-я (фраґмент)
Transliteration
Fsyakomu horodu
nrav i prava;
fsyaka imiyet svoy um holova;
fsyakomu sertsu svoya yest' l'ubov',
fsyakomu horlu svoy yest' fkus kakov.
A mni
odna tol'ko f sviti duma,
a mni odno tol'ko ne ydet s uma.
A mni odna tol'ko f sviti duma,
kak by umerty mni ne bez uma.
Hryhoriy
Varsava Skovoroda.
Garden of Devine
Songs. Song 10 (fragment).
English translation
For every
city its
customs and laws;
For every
head its
mind;
For every heart its own love,
For every palate its own sense of taste.
But for me there is only one thought in this world,
Just one thing never leaves my mind.
But for me there is only one thought in this world:
How to die not without my mind.
© 2012 by Alexander Shchetynsky