Song About Mother Poem by Borys Oliynyk

She richly sowed cornfields of life
with the years of her living,
Bowed low to the earth,
in the steppe gathered slow swaying grasses,
Her children she taught well
to live with their conscience untroubled,
Soft she sighed to herself
and silent set out on her way.
'Mum, where are you going? '
her children cry running behind her.
'Gran, where are you going? '
her grandchildren shout at the gate.
'I'm not going far, dears…
past the sun if I'm only not late there.
Time to go now, my darlings…
May long life and sweet joys you await'.
'What life's left without you?
How can you just go, dearest Mummy? '
'And who then, dear Grandma,

will read fairytales when we're good? '

'I'll leave you the rainbows,
the silver of dew at day's dawning,
The gold of the cornfields,
pale palm, and the bird in the wood'
'We don't want bright rainbows,
we don't want fine silver, gold riches,
If only for ever
you'll welcome us home at the gate.
Oh, dearest, will do
all the work in the house and the meadow,
Oh, stay with us, Mummy,
the sun will not mind if you're late.'
She turned away, smiling,
her face with grave pain cast in shadow,
Waved her hand,
and the cloth on her arm gently trembled.
'May joy shower upon you',
she said, and lives on in fields pensive,
In the silver of dew at day's dawning,
pale palm, and the bird in the wood.