25 The Song of the Forest

The Song of the Forest (1911), is a symbolist fantasy drama in verse that evokes the neo-romantic concept of “living nature.” Written in Kutaisi in the Caucasus, it reflects Lesia Ukrainka’s intense nostalgia for her native Ukrainian region of Volhynia and her deep appreciation of the folkways, beliefs, and mythology of its countryside, where she grew up.

In The Song of the Forest Lesia Ukrainka expressed her deepest idealistic outlook, focusing on the contrast between good and evil, loyalty and betrayal, and highlighting the ideal of harmony between humans and nature and the importance of being a free, independent spirit. Patrick John Corness’s meticulous translation of the play and his introduction and copious explanatory notes provide Anglophone readers with an opportunity to acquire a closer appreciation of this much-loved classic of Ukrainian literature.