This poem is from a book that I found in the Art Shop at the Museum of the Chojin Lama. It is called “Modern Mongolian Poetry (1921-1986)” and was published in 1989, just before the non-violent revolution in which Mongolia made the transition from communism to democracy. It was my first introduction to Mongol poetry.
Poets and other creative people who objected to the communist government had to be very careful in what they said, wrote and painted. There are many poems in the book extolling the wonderfulness of the socialist system, heroic workers and battle victories. But, carefully couched in metaphor, are other points of view. I’ll be posting some of both in the future, but today’s poem is about a subject that I suspect all Mongols of the time could agree on…HORSES!
MONGOLIAN HORSE
Crowning our glorious motherland
With victory after victory.
Raising the victorious banner,
We always went on horseback.
As a Mongolian’s courage
Is measureless,
So the Mongolian horse’s strength
Is boundless.
When the good Mongolian people
With their history of victory
Did their good deeds
Their good horses played their part.
As a Mongolian’s courage
Is measureless,
So the Mongolian horse’s strength
Is boundless.
In doing work
For our happiness
Our spirited Mongolian horses
Will work with us ceaselessly.
As a Mongolian’s courage
Is measureless
So the Mongolian horse’s strength
Is boundless.
Dalantain Tarvaa
Susan Fox, American Artist 
Your quote “…the non-violent revolution in which Mongolia made the transition from communism to democracy…” seems like a small miracle to me.
Wonder if Cuba will ever be free from dictatorship/communism?
LikeLike
Nothing is forever, so I would say that the answer is “Yes”, but whether it will happen in our lifetime….? The Mongols’ history gave them an advantage since they could hark back to the days of Chinggis Khan and the use of councils to decide things like the succession. The reason their “revolution” was non-violent, according to someone I know who was there, is that the government finally decided to resign rather that commit violence on fellow Mongols. So then they and the democracy movement people all sat down together and said “Now what?”
I’m not sure the Mongol who told me the story (he was at the first meetings of the democracy movement and at all the protests in Sukhbaatar Square) really appreciates how rare and extraordinary it all was. I do and I get shivers thinking about what Mongolia has pulled off.
LikeLike
I suspect this poem is much more powerful in its native language, the translation has not done it justice. The glory and pride carries through extremely well though.
LikeLike