22 May 2010, 15:21
Mykola Tomenko: The Words of Taras Shevchenko "But it´s worse to be free, And to sleep, and sleep, and sleep" are still Topical
After the mass dedicated to the 149th anniversary of reburial of Taras Shevchenko in the Church of the Nativity of Christ in Podol district, Mykola Tomenko, Deputy Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, stated that it was not merely the anniversary of reburial of Taras Shevchenko on Chernecha mountain in Kaniv, but "the day of Ukrainianhood."
M.Tomenko stated that since 1861, this day has been the one "when all the people who consider themselves Ukrainians address to the words and ideology of Taras Shevchenko, as it is not the point just to commemorate the Great Kobzar, but also to reflect upon his creative works and the values he advocated."
The Deputy Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stated that the process of reburial of Taras Shevchenko was followed by the spontaneous rallies of the Ukrainians. "It was a prohibited date: as in the times of the Russian empire, in the Soviet period they prevented laying flowers to the monument to Taras Shevchenko or holding any events on 22 May", he stated. "Although we are living now in the independent state, Ukrainian values are still the object of worries and anxiety", the Deputy Chairman stated. He reminded of T.Shevchenko´s verse "The days pass, the nights pass" written in 1845:
"It´s horrible to end up in chains
To die in captivity,
But it´s worse to be free
And to sleep, and sleep, and sleep—
And to fall asleep forever,
And to leave no trace."
"Demoralization and frustrations of the Ukrainians should pass as soon as possible, so that the Ukrainians take the efforts to prove that we are the nation capable of fighting for its place in the world", the Deputy Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stated.