The Forest Song
A brief translated version of a poetic play, The Forest Song, originally written by Ukrainian writer Lesia Ukrainka. It is not exactly a folk fairy tale but it reads like one and is perceived as one. The play reunites most mythical creatures found in Ukrainian folklore – spirits of the woods, the rivers, swamps, fairies and in parallel the life of people, in a place where those two worlds meet, between the real and the imaginary. The Forest Song gathers and reinterprets strong characteristics of mythological figures that to this day shape the collective imagination of Ukrainians.
With the coming of spring, the woods awaken and with it so does the Forest Mavka, a forest spirit in the body of a beautiful young woman with light green clothes, long black hair that shines with hint of green. She wakes up in the hollow of an old willow, where she wintered, to the enchanting melody of a 'sopilka' flute. It's played by Lukash. Mavka wants to seek him but Lisovyk warns her: "Don't look at human boys. It's dangerous for forest girls." He asks her to remember her free will and advises Mavka to free herself of the bonds of human love. Mavka replies, "Well, how can free will disappear? Can wind 'just disappear' one day too?" Charmed by the magical sounds of the sopilka, whose song makes flowers bloom more brightly; birds sing louder.
Lukash nears with his song, he wants to draw juice from a birch tree, but Mavka runs up and prevents him from doing so, "The birch tree is my sister, her juice is her blood". Lukash, surprised by Mavka's words, finds a liking for the green-forest girl; her beauty, kind words, sensitivity to music. He tells Mavka that people mate when in love and that he himself is destined to marry this fall, a bride is to be found. When the forest girl asks, if people mate for a long time in his world, the answer is for life, forever. After this fateful meeting, Mavka and Lukash seem to fall in love.
A cloudy autumn night.
A sad howl of a wolf is heard. The last yellow glow of the moon fades into the chaos of the bare tree crowns. The walls of Lukash's house whiten in the dawn; by one wall, a blackened figure leans weakly against the door, you can barely recognize Mavka in her; dressed in black clothes and a gray haze, only a small bundle of red viburnum adorns her chest.
Lisovyk appears, surprised that "He who sits in the rock" allowed Mavka to return. The forest girl says that it is he, Lisovyk, who freed her with his crime by turning Lukash into a werewolf. The Lisovyk denies this to be crime, but instead revenge for Lukash's betrayal. Mavka warns him not to rejoice, because Lukash was saved, she found in her heart that magical word that turns even the wild back into people. When turned back into human form he fell to Mavka's feet then, filled with longing and remorse, he threw himself into the thorn bush and disappeared from sight. All Mavka can do now is wait for Lukash by the house, hoping that he will make it back here. Mavka also learns that Uncle Lev has passed, they buried him under the old oak tree, but now the old man rests near its stump. The tree that he protected, gone forever.
The Forest Song
An ancient forest in Volyn. A mysterious place. The wild land turns into coppices and reeds, shaping the shores of a forest lake.
It's the beginning of spring.
Uncle Lev and his nephew, Lukash, come to a forest clearing where a weeping willow and a big old oak tree grow. Uncle Lev, with long weaves of white hair that descend upon his shoulders from under a horned hat. Lukash – a young man, handsome, black-browed, there is still something childish in his eyes. He's dressed in linen clothes, no overcoat; on his head rests a wide brimmed straw hat. They plan to build a house here, by the forest lake.
Not far, the Lisovyk, spirit who rules over the forest, a bearded man, quick in his movements; dressed in clothing color of bark and shaggy hat, chats with the lake mermaid. The mermaid wears two wreaths – one bigger, green, and the other smaller, like a crown. With a sly smile, she brags of drowning people, who wander in her woods, appalled that they dare think of settling here; in response old Lisovyk tells her that Uncle Lev is kind and if it weren't for him, this old oak and other trees would have died long ago.
Late Summer.
People came to the lake, settled, brought their customs, noise. A house has been built in the forest near the old oak tree, a vegetable garden has been planted. Mother scolds Lukash for wasting time playing the sopilka while the work stands still. She needs a daughter-in-law to assist her and doesn't want to hear a word of Mavka because "she's of the witch's coddle". Uncle Lev intercedes for the forest beauty, saying that witches live in the village, not in the forest, "What the forest holds is not bad, sister, all kinds of treasures come from there...".
When Mavka comes to Uncle Lev's yard, Lukash's mother says the girl is not welcome.
However, she does not refuse Mavka's help: she gives her people clothes and sends her to the field to harvest. From a sea of golden rye and wheat, a field mermaid appears with golden hair that seems to cloak her, she begs dear Mavka not to spoil her beauty, not to cut her spikelets of wheat and so Mavka cuts her own hand with a sickle for an excuse to stop the reap. Lukash's mother, seeing that Mavka still has not begun to reap, scolds her. So Kylina, a local village girl, picks up the work. Joined by Lukash, they harvest and knit sheaves of wheat. Mavka sees Kalyna's nature. She finds the human girl cunning, evil, and "predatory, like a lynx." Abandoned by Lukash she gets up and walks to the lake in a quiet, tired gait, sits down on a leaning willow tree and quietly cries, the forest dwellers sympathize with her. It is raining lightly and Mavka asks old Lisovyk to make her as she was before, "Then give me festive clothes, grandfather! I will be like a forest princess again, and happiness will fall at my feet. Begging for my favor!"
The woodsman adorns Mavka in a crimson and silver haze. The sky fire spirit, Perelesnyk, flies in and circles Mavka in a feverish dance. Suddenly, from beneath the ground "He who sits in the rock" appears, persuading Mavka that she does not belong with the living, calling to go with him to the land of eternal peace, "I will take you to a distant land, an unknown land where quiet and dark waters sleep peacefully, like dead, dim eyes, the silent rocks there stand above them, dead witnesses ..." to which our dear Mavka answers "No! I live! I will live forever! I have in my heart that, which cannot die." She hears Lukash coming and learns that he is planning to send village elders to ask for Kylina's hand. Heartbroken, Mavka agrees to go with "He who sits in the rock". They disappear into oblivion.
Lukash's mother can be heard scolding Kylina, for sleeping in, for milking badly, for being absolutely useless; in reality it's forest folk that took revenge and caused all troubles for the women. Mavka, like a shadow, still wanders near the house, hoping to cross her lover instead, she finds Kylina, who accuses and curses Mavka. In that very moment the forest girl becomes a willow tree with weeping branches.
Lukash comes out of the forest – thin, with long hair, no coat, no hat. Kylina, rejoiced only for a second to see her husband, scolds him for dragging around somewhere for so long. Lukash stops her and asks where the big oak tree has gone, Kalyna answers, "And what did we have to eat here - hunger? The merchants came, bought the wood, that's it."
Lukash's mother also runs out of the house, glad to see her son. She soon complains to him about the unbearable life with "that witch" Kylina. Lukash answers, "Oh, she too is a witch now? — Well, I guess it is your fate to be a witch's mother-in-law. But who is to blame? You wanted her." Lukash's son approaches with a sopilka. He made it from the willow which Mavka has turned into, and asks Lukash to play. Lukash plays the forest song he once played for Mavka when suddenly instead of the sopilka's song, he hears her voice. He rushes to Kylina and asks what kind of willow it is? Magic? To which the woman says that she does not know, and advises to cut down the tree. Lukash swings his ax, but cannot. Kylyna utters "Let me do it!", swings the axe, when suddenly appears Perelysnyk, the sky fire spirit says to Mavka "I will set you free." And so the willow bursts into flames and the flames spread onto the house. Fussing, screaming Lukash's mother and Kylina try to save things from the fire. Lukash stands, indifferent. Kylyna insists they leave the forest and return to the village but Lukash won't hear of it. The two women leave him behind. Alone, in the woods he goes towards the birch tree when a white, light, transparent figure with a face reminiscent of Mavka's emerges from behind the tree and leans over to Lukash. Mavka forgives him for everything. Lukash plays the flute, first a sad song followed by a victorious song of love which turns winter into spring and Mavka sets ablaze with her former beauty. Lukash rushes to her in a cry of happiness but the wind knocks the white flowers off the trees. The flowers fall and turn into a dense snowfall.
The winter landscape visible again, a heavy canopy of snow crowns tree branches. Lukash is sitting alone, leaning against the birch tree, with a sopilka in his hands, his eyes are closed, a happy smile is frozen on his lips. Motionless. The snow falls on his head forming a hat, dusts his entire figure and falls, falls endlessly...
