And, Say, Who Goes There?

Yanka Kupala

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And, say, who goes there? And, say, who goes there?
In such a mighty throng assembled, O declare?
Byelorussians!


And what do those lean shoulders bear as load,
Those hands stained dark with blood, those feet bast-sandal shod?
All their grievance!


And to what place do they this grievance bear,
And whither do they take it to declare?
To the whole world!


And who schooled them thus, many million strong,
Bear their grievance forth, roused them from slumbers long?
Want and suffering!


And what is it, then, for which so long they pined,
Scorned throughout the years, they, the deaf, the blind?
To be called human!

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Comments3
  • benitowhitesides

    Wow, this poem really makes you think about the struggles people go through and how they just want to be recognized as human beings. So powerful and relatable.

    • SabineBouupbzp

      Honeslty, Yanka Kupala's poem didn't really click with me. Not sure why evrybody seems so in love with it. Lines like "All their grievance!" sounds pretentious to me. I mean, I understand it's about the struggle of ordinary people and wanting to be considered humans, btu it's just not for me I guess. Not feeling to much emotional connection here.

      • vickycrc60839

        I'm gonna be real, this poem didn't really do it for me. The imagery is all there but it just came off as too heavy-handed in its message? Like, we get it, they're suffering. Just felt repetitive and the rhythm was kinda off IMO. Looks like poetry's not my thing, lol. I'll stick to my math homework next time! 🙄🤷‍♂️✌️