TRANSLATIONS

Examples from Uzbek poetry
(Translated by Azam Abidov)

 

TURSUN ALI

---

TURSUN ALI, Poet and translator Tursun Ali was born in 1952 in Ferghana region. In 1971 he finished the second youth school in Tashkent and in 1981 he graduated from the National University of Uzbekistan. He translated Ancient Chinese landscape poetry into Uzbek. Tursun Ali's books include "The green clamor", "Words from the bottom of heart", "Bright days", "Threshold of grief", "Voice of the night", "My only darling", "Awakened silence", "Color of feelings" and "A silent scream". He was a prizewinner in a contest of "Smena" magazine in Moscow.

 

VOICE OF THE NIGHT

 

1

 

Does not give my eyes to sleep,

clashes strongly with the walls of heart

a coal-black voice of the night.

 

 

2

 

The whole night dogs didn't stop barking,

oh, these voices nibbled not the night

but the left side of my breast.

 

 

3

 

Night: sharply makes me wake up,

the passing from behind the window

is the foot voice of the moon.

 

 

4

 

Singing of an owl at nights

spread panic to my heart.

But a grove is still green.

 

 

 

THERE IS A WORD:

        There is a word that's pure as dawn:
                                                         R. Parfi

There is a word that

higher than the others,

the greatest among the words

there is a word:

some people wrote that word

to the veins of their heart,

gave it an eternal soul

and passed away.

Some people gave their tongues

to that word,

handed over eyes -

the window to the world.

And today I also

Keep this word in heart,

In the ball of the eye.

I throw myself on fire

For this word:

 

 

 

***

 

Call me toward yourself, a painter,

Paint a picture of my eyes.

Paint a picture of my heart.

 

 

***

 

I envy you, dew,

from the moon at night,

at dawn from the sun.

 

 

***

 

You've deceived,

Does gold grow on the branches

of the trees indeed?

Is it true that it will fall tomorrow?