Ode to the Ukrainian Sunflower

Ukrainian sunflower, symbol of peace,
No other flower is held in such esteem.
You will grow again everywhere across
The Ukrainian landscape. The bat-black sky
Now hovering above you will not hide
Your radiant face for long. The heavens will turn
A deep, abiding blue, and the land become
A paradise of yellow fields.

Your seeds, nourished by sacrifice
And innocent blood spilled upon the earth,
Will sprout into valleys of sunrise-gold sunflowers.

And the roadsides and fields, now littered with tanks,
Will glow with flaxen gold when you return.
You will lift your beaming face and color
The landscape in bright shades of yellow,
Erasing the brown stain of death.

O queenly flower of the Ukrainian people,
You wait for the morning sun's first rays
To salute the brave soldiers who fought
Until the bright day of spring arrived,
Though their fallen bodies rest in the fields,

And the enemy lies vanquished in the pastures.
Yet still you will rise along roads and byways,
And the seeds of the brave will fill your fields.
Your bright eyes will peer above the fences
And cover the hills with a golden glow,

Out on the farms where you are born
Again and again, as in days of old.
You will salute your people too,
And nod to those who trudged muddy roads,
Who weave sunflower crowns and celebrate you
For brightening their way.

So, sunflower, grow tall, grow strong;
Spread across Ukraine your golden hope.
Though enemies have trampled and abused
Your birthright of freedom, still stand tall.
Let every steadfast stalk be seen,
Crowned in victory for all the world to behold.

Let the Ukrainians celebrate once again,
Dancing in the fields beneath your sunlit gaze,
Dancing on their farms, in their towns and cities,
Rejoicing in their hard-won victory,
Amid the dazzling splendor
Of the sunflower's golden eyes.