14. Ukrainian Burnsiana and Byroniana

Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796) was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots language, although much of his writing is also in English and a light Scots dialect. He is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement.

Vasyl Kulyk (1830-1870), a ittle known poet from Poltava initiated Ukrainian Burnsiana. After his death in 1974 in Lviv journal ‘Pravda” Burns’ ballad “John Barleycorn” was published under the title «Іван Ячмінь».

In 1896 were printed translations of poetry done by Vasyl’ Shcurat «Кругом лягла осіння мгла» (“The Lazy Mist”), also he printed a review on the collection “Доля” of Hrabovs’kyi in which he formulates his ideas on the method of the translation.

Another popularizor of Burns’ writings was Pavlo Hrabovs’kyi. In 1897 the translations of the verses in the magazine “Zoria” were published, particularly a famous one “Bruce’s address to his army at Bannockburn” tr-n – “Поклик Брюса до дружини”.

1898 in Chernihiv the translation of poem “Tom O’Shanter” (“Хома Баглій”) was published.

Some translations done by Hrabovs’kyi were published for the 1-st time in 3-volume edition 1959-1960.

In 1896 on the occasion of hundredth anniversary of death of a poet, Ivan Franko translated and published in “Zhytie i slovo” («Житє і слово») the article about Burns that was published in Munich newspaper. To that article I. Franko added his own translations of six Burns’ poems: (“a man’s a man for a’that” – «а муж є мужем, будь-що-будь», “The deil’s awa wi’ the exciseman” – «Ішов дідько через місто свищучи», “on the author’s farther” – «в чиїх очах є сьози співчуття», “Holy Willies Prayer” – «Молитва пастора», “Tragic Fragment” – «Трагічний уривок», “Though fickle fortune has deceived me” – «ледве часом зберетесь з трудом».

Among the translators of the XXc. the greatest contribution into Ukrainian Burnsiana was made by M. Lukash and V. Mysyk. They acquainted Ukr. readers with the whole genre diversity of the author.

GEORGE GORDON BYRON. He was commonly known simply as Lord Byron, was a British poet and a leading figure in Romanticism. Byron was as famous in his lifetime for his personality cult as for his poetry. He created the concept of the 'Byronic hero' - a defiant, melancholy young man, brooding on some mysterious, unforgivable event in his past.

Ukraine did not experience such a trend of Byroniana as Russia or Poland, but G. Byron had a certain influence on the development of the Ukrainian literature. T. Shevchenko admired Byron and read his works in Russian or Polish translations.

The 1-st Ukr. Tr-n of Byron – 1841, in Kharkiv almanach “Snip” published several poems from the collection Hebrew Melodies, translated by Mykola Kostomarov.

1894- P. Hrabovs’kyi translated the Prisoner of Chillon, and A Sonnet to Chillon pulished in “Zoria” and monthly journal “Pravda”.

1929 – “Mazeppa” free translation by D. Zagula

1985 – the first full translation of “Don Juan” made by S. Holovanivs’kyi.

P. Kulish was a follower and admirer of Byron. Some elements of Byronism are traced in Kulish’s early works: epic poem “Ukraine”, novels “Mykhailo Charnyshenko”, “Chorna Rada”. But the influence of Byron and his poetry is still more clearly felt in Kulish’s works of the 1880’s and 1890’s: lyrico-epics “Muhammed and Hadyza” and “Marusya Boguslavka”, drama in verse “Baida, Knyaz Vyshnevetsky”. At the last decades of the XIX century the Ukrainian writer worked hard translating Byron’s poems “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage” and “Don Juan”. Kulish’s expierence as a translator helped him use Byronic themes and motifs in his own works. The above mentioned poems with their form, figurative system and intonation can be judged as the phenomenon of the same type character together with Byron’s creativity. It is stated that Kulish was one of the brightest representatives of the Byronic trend in Ukrainian literature.

After publishing his translation from the English of Byron's Cain, Franko followed it up with his own deeply philosophical and symbolistic poem, The Death of Cain. In it he continues and develops some of Byron's ideas, but in his own original manner.