Parallel Lines
Events commemorating prominent Ukrainians remind us of our history, prevent it from fading into the background of fresh pressing developments. The surrounding world, constantly nagging at our disoriented consciousness with its temptations, gradually becomes calmer and more orderly. Another such date will be marked soon: the 280th anniversary of the birth of Hryhory Skovoroda. Under any political weather his name firmly stands in the pantheon of national glory and pride. But let us recognize that Hryhory Skovoroda, as countless other Ukrainian geniuses, has become a symbol rather than a human being whose creative legacy is well known to posterity. The point is not the “practical” use of philosophic instructions or remembering those famous fables by rote. The point is the awareness of all that upon which our symbol rests — without this knowledge it becomes something too abstract. On the other hand, nor does this dust-covered medal lose its weight and significance. One can only wait for grateful descendants to wipe away that dust.
Meanwhile, active preparations are being made for the jubilee. The organizing committee, consisting of respectable governmental figures led by Vice Premier Volodymyr Semynozhenko, has visited the poet’s native land. As is known, Skovoroda was born in the village of Chornukhy, currently in Poltava oblast. Of late, the place name has often appeared on the pages of our newspaper, unfortunately not because, for example, the village is packed with all those eager to be close to the land that sired the genius. The reason is much more painful: the local library badly damaged by fire. Together with Olha Herasymiuk, The Day has long been on the project, Send a Book as a Gift. It has received an enthusiastic response from our readers and Channel 1+1 viewers. The number of books donated is increasingly difficult to count. Despite the fact that the project has been underway for quite some time, people are constantly bringing books and placing calls. Sometimes we simply have no time to collect all the donations, so we would like to ask forgiveness of those still waiting for The Day’s collection team to visit them. But they will visit you by all means.
The donors are mostly elderly people, well read and, most importantly, aware of the value of books: teachers, employees, pensioners, writers, and journalists, from the rank and file to most celebrated figures. A host of publishing companies have also responded. Characteristically most of these specialize in Ukrainian language literature. In a word, the project is effectively in progress. Surprisingly, the official attitude toward the approaching jubilee looks quite apathetic. The organizing committee visited Chornukhy, examined the territory, listened to musicians playing the bayan and other instruments — apparently providing for the cultural part of the visit (following a phone call from Poltava). Meanwhile, we have nowhere to store the books. First we were promised some premises in the center of the village. Then it transpired that the floor was rotten and that it would not withstand the weight of the books and everything would tumble down the basement. The latest we hear is that they are quickly painting a couple of rooms at the local boarding school. The authorities have actually given no money for the Skovoroda Library. Instead, they will check off another item on a list of official visits. Would not restoring the Skovoroda Library be a much worthier way to honor his memory?
And so people donating books to revive the library seem to live in one world and those wielding power in another one. Their parallel paths will never cross, an axiom proved by Pythagoras. However, it is also true that there is an exception to every rule.
One such exception was the literary-musical show, Happiness, Where Do You Live? staged last Tuesday at the National Philharmonic Society of Ukraine. It was based on Skovoroda’s literary writings and excerpts from The Life Story of Hryhory Skovoroda, Written in 1794, Kept in Old Style by his favorite pupil and first biographer Mykhailo Kovalynsky, and from The Garden of Divine Songs. The score was written by prominent contemporary bard Petro Prystupov. The program was rendered as so many parables teaching that it is not easy to win a duel with one’s own ego. This battle is not always won even by the most gifted warriors.
After the lights went out the show started with a flute performing Skovoroda’s theme A Sycamore Atop a Mountain... and then the key personae appeared onstage to the accompaniment of the Blahovishchennia male choir. Hryhory Skovoroda’s letters to Mykhailo Kovalynsky were read by Vasyl Dovzhyk, winner of republic recital contests and Lesia Ukrayinka Literary Prize. Passages from Kovalynsky’s Life Story... and from his letters to Skovoroda were recited by Oleksiy Bohdanovych, laureate of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize. Bard Petro Prystupov performed scenes from The Garden of Divine Songs Grown from the Seeds of the Holy Scriptures to his own music.
Even if the performers looked somewhat strained at the beginning, twenty minutes later their dramatic identification was complete, capturing the audience. Vasyl Dovzhyk was so absorbed in his performance, he would pick a pen and scatter leaves on the stage. A while later two charming girls appeared, laureate of the Khotkevych International Contest Bozhena Korchynska (fife) and winner of the Bach Harpsichord Contest (Leipzig) Larysa Bondar. They played Linke’s Little Sonata, with the fife now crying then laughing. Although the leaflets available to the audience read please no applause between the numbers, the people did applaud the duet.
After the show everyone in the audience could say he or she had just lived part of Skovoroda’s life with him, thanks to the excellent performance. Sofiya Maidanska, writer, author of the aesthetic concept, script, and stage director, was met with flowers and a standing ovation.
Too bad no one mentioned the burned library in Chornukhy, in Skovoroda’s home village, before or after the show. Maybe the organizing committee had no idea about the book-collecting project of 1+1 and The Day. If so, they should have studied the brilliant philosopher’s life after death, not just what had happened so many years ago, when preparing the soiree. So as to make parallel lines meet, even if virtually, contrary to sad tradition and rules of classical geometry.
