Lithuania

March 11 was Lithuania’s Independence Restoration Day. (Yes, it is late—I can only apologise and plead that the busyness of grad school rendered me a little vague on which day it was this week...) Lithuania actually celebrates its independence twice: they have an Independence Day—or Restoration of the State Day—on February 16, to celebrate their independence of 1918; March 11 celebrates the restoration of independence in the post-Soviet era. That said, Lithuania was established as a kingdom in the 13th century, and in the 15th century it was actually the largest state in Europe.

In between periods of being integrated into other nations, Lithuania in the early twentieth century had a number of political regimes—in 1922, for a brief three-year period Lithuania became a democratic state; in 1926 this elected government was overthrown in the coup d’etat, resulting in a 12 year dictatorial leadership. Before Soviet rule began in 1944, the country was annexed by Russia at one time and under German occupation at another. They regained independence in 1990.

Today’s poem, by Lithuanian poet Nijole Miliauskaite comes from the Vintage Book of Contemporary World Poetry. In 1996 she was the recipient of the Lithuanian Writer’s Union Prize. She died of breast cancer in 2002.



on winter nights

on winter nights, when my grandmother
went to work
I carried a lantern
to light her way

large snow drifts on either side of the path
the Big Dipper, the north star, the moon
and the man who lives there
walking with a lantern, because he’s cold and sad

he looks
at our lighted windows
at the burning candles, at the Christmas tree
at my eyes, filled with sleep

— Nijole Miliauskaite
translated by Jonas Zdanys
From The Vintage Book of Contemporary World Poetry