They have taken away the words from our mouths
They have taken away the words from our mouths,
our poems die under the bombs
with those who are killed in Kiev, in Mariúpol and in Kharkiv.
The brutal force wants to impose fear and it appears to win
on the sweet banks of the Dniéper.
But we know that a brotherly people
will always raise up
and that their victims’ blood
is not spilled in vain on the humiliated land.
We will continue standing by their side,
the fire of their sorrow,
the flame of their courage will shed light on us
we will not surrender.
Even if appearing annhilated,
the just person always emerges victorious from barbarism.
The vast plains of Ukrane, from Lviv to Donetsk,
where wheat grows in abundance and joy,
will never forget the outrage,
will not hide it in the fog of neglect.
Resistance will continue to sprout,
ever louder songs will continue to escape
increasingly invincible hymns
in honor of freedom
and of spring!
Let them invade
our silent and solidary glades!
Let the buds of our love bloom,
let’s hold high the colours
of our hearts!
Jean Lavoué, March 2nd, 2022
(Translated by Mertxe de Renobales Scheifler)