INFJ Yanka Kupala's BELARUSIAN poem "LET GO OF THOUGHTS ABOUT THE GLORIOUS PAST..."

Let go of thoughts about the glorious past,

With your thoughts, you will never bring it back to life;

And though you may try to sacrifice your life -

The past vanished for you, it flickered away.

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And your future has disappeared in a haze,

Joy does not illuminate the distant sky;

Uncertainty shackles you, whatever you try,

And unfeeling, the heart's hope it annihilates.

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Give up your fading regrets and illusions,

Although the heart suffers, there's no remedy,

Love what is to come with your soul's bright vision,

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Yield sincerely to the whims of destiny,

With silent toil, lay down the roads before you

That lead to a bright and glowing destiny.

ESSAY -- Embracing the Future: A Reflection on Change and Destiny

Yanka Kupala's poem explores the tension between past, present, and future, offering a meditation on the nature of time, human longing, and the necessity of embracing change. Through evocative language and a structured progression of ideas, it guides the reader from a place of regret and uncertainty toward an acceptance of destiny and a call to action.

The Illusion of the Past

The poem opens with a firm directive: "Let go of thoughts about the glorious past, / With your thoughts, you will never bring it back to life." This immediately establishes a theme of detachment, urging the reader to abandon nostalgia. The past, no matter how grand, cannot be revived through mere thought, and even the ultimate sacrifice--one's life--would not restore what has been lost. The imagery of the past as something that "flickered away" suggests its ephemeral nature, reinforcing the idea that it is an illusion to cling to it.

This perspective challenges a deeply human tendency: the longing for what once was. Many people idealize the past, believing it to have been better, simpler, or more meaningful than the present. However, the poem dismantles this notion, presenting the past as something irretrievably gone, urging the reader to shift their focus elsewhere.

The Uncertainty of the Future

While the past is depicted as lost, the future is presented as unclear and intimidating. "And your future has disappeared in a haze, / Joy does not illuminate the distant sky." Here, the poem acknowledges a common fear--uncertainty. If the past is beyond reach, and the future is obscured, where does that leave the individual? The answer is found in the next lines, which describe uncertainty as something that "shackles" the individual, preventing action and extinguishing hope.

The use of "haze" and "distant sky" evokes an image of an unclear horizon, emphasizing the difficulty of navigating an unknown future. Doubt and fear can become chains that inhibit movement, leading to paralysis. The poem warns of this danger, illustrating how hesitation and regret can consume a person, leaving them powerless.

The Call to Acceptance and Action

Despite acknowledging the pain of loss and uncertainty, the poem does not leave the reader in despair. Instead, it presents a solution: "Give up your fading regrets and illusions." This line acts as a turning point, urging the reader to release sorrow and false hopes. "Although the heart suffers, there's no remedy," reinforces the inevitability of pain but also implies that dwelling on suffering does not offer a cure.

The poem then presents an alternative: "Love what is to come with your soul's bright vision." Here, the emphasis shifts toward embracing the future with an open heart. Instead of seeing the unknown as threatening, the speaker urges the reader to love it, to see it as something bright rather than something to be feared. The phrase "soul's bright vision" suggests an inner light or wisdom that can guide one forward.

Surrendering to Destiny and Building the Future

The final stanza introduces the concept of fate: "Yield sincerely to the whims of destiny." This could be interpreted in two ways--either as an encouragement to passively accept whatever happens or, more likely, as a call to let go of rigid control and trust in life's unfolding path. The word "whims" suggests an unpredictable element to destiny, reminding the reader that not everything can be planned or controlled.

However, the last lines shift the focus back to action: "With silent toil, lay down the roads before you / That lead to a bright and glowing destiny." This serves as the poem's ultimate message--while the past cannot be reclaimed and the future is uncertain, the individual still has agency. The act of building, even through "silent toil," is what shapes the road ahead. The imagery of "a bright and glowing destiny" contrasts with the earlier descriptions of a "haze" and a "distant sky," implying that through effort and acceptance, one can illuminate the path forward.

Conclusion: A Poem of Transformation

At its core, this poem is about transformation--of perspective, of attitude, and of appoach to life. It moves from mourning the past to acknowledging uncertainty, then to embracing the future with both humility and determination. It warns against the traps of regret and fear, offering instead a vision of quiet, steady labor as the key to a meaningful future.

In a world where people often struggle with change, the poem serves as a reminder that while the past is beyond reach and the future unknown, the present moment is where action takes place. Through acceptance and effort, one can create a path to something radiant -- not by chasing what is gone, but by building what is to come.