The Icelandic Canadian - 01.09.1964, Blaðsíða 29

THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
27
THE LOFTY LOVE OF LAND
Taras Shevchenko (1814-1861)
Stephan G. Stephansson (1853-1927)
Hjahnar Jonsson (1796-1875)
What distinguishes the world poet
from others, though o£ skill and power
of expression, is that the ideals he
feels and fights for are universal. The
object of his love, in itself, is not all
important. With mastery of phrase he
weaves his ideals into the poem so
that it grips the one who reads and
brings out the best within, which other-
wise might have remained dormant.
When the universal poet selects love
of land as the means through which
he gives expression to those ideals he
rises above the commonplace, above
what the word patriotism connotes.
The land he loves is lifted above any-
thing mundane. It, in turn, becomes
an ideal upon which is lavished the
finest within the poet’s soul.
Actual locale looses significance; the
poet carries his ideal with him wher-
ever he is destined to go. His path
may lead to ease or penury; it may lead
to the confinement of prison walls.
The acts of those who rule or dwell
within that land are measured only in
their effect upon his ideal. Whether
what they do hurts or provides com-
fort to the poet himself is of little
moment. But if what they do mars that
ideal the curses of the poet are reeked
upon them.
Universal poetry is not confined to
love of land. But it is appropriate at
this time to pause for a moment and
turn to a universal poet whose ideals
oft have found expression in the love
of land in its loftiest form. This year
happens to be the 150th anniversary
of the birth of Ukraine’s world poet,
Taras Shevchenko.
Two poems from Shevchenko are
selected as they appear in “The
Ukrainian Poets” by Andrusyshen
and Kirkconnell. Both poems logically
follow that little gem “An Evening”
describing a cottage beside a cherry
grove in the Ukraine. The translators
repeat that it has been said that if
Shevchenko had written nothing else,
it would have made his fame.
Two other poets are selected to il-
lustrate the universality of the ideals
which find expression in love of land
in its purest form. One is Stephan G.
Stephansson, a Canadian poet “in the
foothills of the Rockies” recognized as
one of Canada’s “top rank poets”. The
other is Hjahnar Jonsson, a bard of
Northern Iceland.
Wherever Shevchenko may physical-
ly have been his Ukraine was always
with him, always as beautiful as he
painted it in “An Evening”. Very
fittingly the word picture is followed
by a poem the translators have en-
titled “It is Indifferent”.* Far away his
Ukraine is present.
* In “The Poetical Works of Taras
Shevchenko”, just out, the same trans-
lators use the title “It is all one to
me indeed”.