Dancing for Ukraine

Dancing for Ukraine is a bilingual tanka by Gabriel Rosenstock in response to Three Ukrainian Dancers (1895) previously known as Les Trois Danseuses Russes by Edgar Degas. Many art galleries are now becoming conscious of having mislabelled works of art on display and in storage, having used the broad term 'Russian' when geographical, cultural-linguistic or, indeed, national reasons should have compelled them to look again.
when will you dance, girls
when will your hearts overflow
with hope and desire
when will men return from war
bodies numb and minds frozen
a ghirseacha liom
cathain a dhamhsóidh sibh
le dóchas is brí
cathain a fhillfidh na fir
ón ár, a n-anam reoite

Gabriel Rosenstock
Gabriel Rosenstock was born in postcolonial Ireland and is a poet, haikuist, tankaist, translator, playwright, novelist, short story writer and essayist.