Ludmila Katsba was born on the 3^rd of November in 1944. In 1966 she graduated from the Pedagogical Institute in Sukhum. She is a teacher of the English language. From an early age she liked poetry and enjoyed listening to the poems. As a girl she visited the house of Abkhazian poet Dmitry Gulia. Her grandmother Ekaterina Gulia was the poet’s sister. Many poets and writers came there. She wanted to write poems too. The Abkhazian language is her mother tongue. In 1999 Ludmila Katsba began translating poems from the Abkhazian language into English. She translated “Abkhazia” by D. Gulia, the poem “The song of the Makhajir” by Bagrat Shinkuba, an extract from “Nawey and Mzauch” by Iua Kogonia.

Her love for Abkhazia is so great that she began writing poems about her country in English. She wrote the poem “Apsuara”. This poem is about the traditions and habits of Abkhazian.

In July 1999 a group of schoolchildren visited “USA” and the poem “Apsuara” was read by one of the students there. Ludmila Katsba wrote such poems in English as “Abkhazia”, “Apsny”, “My town”, “My dream”, “With him again”, “My love”, “My feelings”, “My sorrow”. She also translated “The Hymn of the Youth” from the Abkhazian language into English. Ludmila Katsba leads a very active life and is fully involved in all events, which take place in her country.

Abkhazia

 Dmitry Gulia is an Abkhazian poet. He was born on the 21st of February in 1874 in the village Uarcha.
When the boy was four years old his family was deported to Turkey. The family soon came back and Dmitry Gulia lived in the village on the bank of the Kodor river.

He studied at “Gorskaya” school in Sukhum. Dmitry Gulia enjoyed reading and from the early age liked writing poems.

In 1892 D.Gulia and K. Machavariani wrote Abkhazian alphabet. Later he studied at the teacher’s seminary.

As he fell ill, Dmitry left the seminary. He worked as a teacher in the different villages. His first poems were published in 1912 in Tiflis. In 1925 Dmitry Gulia wrote the book “History of Abkhazia”. He led a very active life and was fully involved in all events which took place in Abkhazia. D.Gulia liked Abkhazian folklore, legends and tales. He organized the first theatre in Abkhazia. Dmitry Gulia published the first Abkhazian newspaper.

He died on the 7th of April in 1960. His house is a museum now. There is a large monument of this poet in the center of the town.

Ludmila Katsba

Dmitry Gulia

   Iua Kogonia is an Abkhazian poet. He was born in 1903 in the village Kutol. Many folk-tellers such as Iana Achba, Saidik Tsvinaria and others came to his house. There Iua heard many stories, legends and folk-songs.

As a boy he attended the local school. He enjoyed reading and from an early age liked poems and learned then by heart.

In 1919 Iua Kogonia entered the teacher’s seminary. In 1925 Iua went to Moscow and he studied at the Institute. His first poems were published at that time. Iua Kogonia could not graduate from the Institute as he fell ill and had to return to Abkhazia. His poems such as: “Zaskhan Achba and the son Beslan Zhanaa”, “Abataa Beslan”, “Hmich – the hunter”, “Nawey and Mzauch” are very popular in Abkhazia.

Iua Kogonia died in 1928 on 14^th of July. His life was not long. Although he lived only 25 years, he had written the best poems. All his poems were based on legends and folk-tales.

Taif Ajba

THE HYMN OF THE YOUTH OF ABKHAZIA

The Earth is not small, it’s so large

It’ rather rich and fine, it has much beauty

But about my land we say much -

It’s the best and very pretty.

Let it prosper, God gave us Apsny,

It lies between the mountains and the sea

May there be sunshine on my land,

Holy light will shine on the land that is free.

Our heroes died in my land,

And they will live in our hearts forever

Raise a flag together in your hand,

Carry it ahead and stop never.

Let it prosper, God gave us Apsny,

It lies between the mountains and the sea

May the be sunshine on my land,

Holy light will shine on the land that is free

Translated by Ludmila Katsba

Sukhum, 2000

Abkhazia