Lukomorje Лукоморье

An oak green by the Lukomorje*,
A Golden chain upon the tree…
A learned cat, both night and morning, -
He walks the rings and tells his treats:
When left he veers, a tale emerges;
Towards the right – a song is sung.
A wondrous land – of woods so virgin:
A forest sprite, a sylvan siren…

Upon the paths and trails untreaded –
The tracks of wondrous beasts unseen;
Without doors and windows rendered,
A cabin stands, on chicken feet;

The valleys, forests – full of wonder;
When wakes the sun, the waves of yonder
Will splash upon the sandy shores
And thirty warriors, strong and splendid,
Unbreak the seas, - formation headed
By their commander on that morn;

A youthful prince in passing captures
A mighty tzar - a feared lord.
The crowd gapes: a wizard ancient
And evil, soars above the world
And pulls the hero and his sword;
A princess glooms, for freedom yearning,
A brown wolf, her loyal servant;
A mortar cup with Baba Yaga*
A’walking freely goes yonder;

The evil Koschey grasps his gold…
It’s Russia – spirit, lore and soul.
I’ve seen the deeds, and sipped the mead,
I sat beneath the oak branches;
And in that land of stories ancient
The cat had told a tale or two.

I do remember one that’s fair –
T’is this, indeed, I wish to share…

By Alexander Pushkin, Introduction to poetic epic Ruslan and Ludmila


*Lumokorje is a magical land in the folklore of the Eastern Slavic people. It lies somewhere at the end of the world. Literally, the word means an “arc by the sea,” – so a bay or a harbor. The oak is, indeed, part of Lukomorje – the world tree or tree of life. Its roots go down to purgatory or the like and its branches stretch up to the heavens. Thus, it is a portal to other worlds and dimensions.

**Baba Yaga – a witch in Russian folklore. Most usually wicked, sometimes “neutral.” But she’s known for such kind deeds as luring kids into her hut and trying to bake them in the over.

***Kaschey, also Kaschey the Immortal, is worse yet. He’s an evil sorcerer, who keeps his soul (and his death) hidden away somewhere and does all kinds of unpleasant things with youth and maidens. In some stories, Baba Yaga and Kaschey appear as partners in crime. In some stories, the hero has to kill Kaschey.