Poetry · Chapters

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Chapter companions for Poetry by Taras Shevchenko.

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Chapter 1
The Night of Taras
The Kobzar sings of Taras Traselo's night battle against the Poles, celebrating Cossack glory and lamenting Ukraine's loss of freedom. The song recounts the ambush, the feast of the Polish lords, the Cossack attack at night, and the aftermath of blood and vultures. The Kobzar ends his song in sadness, then tries to lift his spirits by playing a dance tune and heading to the bar.
Chapter 2
Topolia
The poem 'Topolia' (The Poplar) tells the story of a maiden who falls in love with a Cossack who departs and perishes. Unable to bear her loss and pressured by her mother to marry an old rich man, she seeks help from a fortune-teller who gives her a magical herb. After drinking it three times, she transforms into a poplar tree, standing alone on the steppes until the wind eventually uproots her.
Chapter 3
Hamaleia
The Cossacks, imprisoned in Skutari, sing of their homeland and pray for rescue. Their cries stir the Dnieper and Bosphorus, leading Hamaleia to lead a raid. He breaks into the prison, frees the captives, and together they burn Skutari, plunder its riches, and escape by boat.
Chapter 4
Khustina
A young orphan girl embroiders a betrothal kerchief (khustina) while awaiting her Tchumak lover's return. The Tchumak, burdened by misfortune and unrequited love, dies on the steppes before reaching her. The kerchief ends up waving on his grave cross, and the maiden enters a nunnery.
Chapter 5
Naimechka (The Servant)
An old couple, Trophimus and Anastasia, living in comfort but childless, find an abandoned infant at their gate and adopt him, naming him Mark. Years later, a young woman named Anna joins the household as a servant and devotes herself to Mark's care. After Anastasia's death, Mark grows up and marries Katherine. Anna, secretly Mark's birth mother, goes on pilgrimage to Kiev, bringing back blessings, but conceals her true identity.

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The Night of Taras

Topolia

Hamaleia

Khustina

Naimechka (The Servant)