Alas! Helpless was I, None my child to mind I toiled upon the earth. Alas! My child Under an oilseed bush, To sleep, I left her As I toiled upon the earth. Upon her, came an eagle Away with her, Atop a giant tree. With every peck, My child, she cried, Oh mother! Mother of mine, In pain I am, save me. Oh child! Beloved child of mine, To save you, With shouts aloud A wrestle I’d try, Were it a creature of the land, But alas! A creature of the sky I am, but helpless. Oh child! Beloved child of mine, Hold no grudge, my dear In peace may you leave In peace may you leave. (Source – Xukishe Katty, Keltomi; From the book “A Glimpse of Long Ago” – a collection of Sumi-English folk poems compiled and translated by Ahikali Swu. The original Sumi Poem is called “Aza kumlo le”.)
