I have a secret that hurts my soul.
There is one night I will remember forever.
There is a debt I still owe to society.
There is a complaint I couldn’t voice to the UN.
There is a silence like that in the burial shrine.
There is a truth I could not bring myself to write.
There is our ancient culture which has left no trace.
There are some householders who are unworthy.
There are strong men who wasted their strength.
There are unloved women never seen naked.
There are eloquent people struck dumb by policies.
There are invisible political fetters around us.
So that the dumb would not be without song,
we broke the fetters and now we are free.
Alas, though, the truth became weakened –
like alcohol mixed with water.
Everyone was worried about the truth.
It was written down in poems and songs.
But the truth of the truth diminishes
as time goes by, if not told in time.
A lot of truth is all very well –
yet if told late, it loses its value.
My friend, tell, do tell the truth
if you want its dignity upheld.
Yesenqul Jaqypbek (1954 – 2013) Kazakhstan
Translated by Patricia McCarthy
Source: Contemporary Kazakh Literature - Poetry Anthology, Public Foundation National Bureau of Translations, 2019
There is one night I will remember forever.
There is a debt I still owe to society.
There is a complaint I couldn’t voice to the UN.
There is a silence like that in the burial shrine.
There is a truth I could not bring myself to write.
There is our ancient culture which has left no trace.
There are some householders who are unworthy.
There are strong men who wasted their strength.
There are unloved women never seen naked.
There are eloquent people struck dumb by policies.
There are invisible political fetters around us.
So that the dumb would not be without song,
we broke the fetters and now we are free.
Alas, though, the truth became weakened –
like alcohol mixed with water.
Everyone was worried about the truth.
It was written down in poems and songs.
But the truth of the truth diminishes
as time goes by, if not told in time.
A lot of truth is all very well –
yet if told late, it loses its value.
My friend, tell, do tell the truth
if you want its dignity upheld.
Yesenqul Jaqypbek (1954 – 2013) Kazakhstan
Translated by Patricia McCarthy
Source: Contemporary Kazakh Literature - Poetry Anthology, Public Foundation National Bureau of Translations, 2019
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