My Wife's Songs

Janga Todosh Bedyurov

Translated from Altai by Elena Koroleva

Thick fog from a motionless lake
When will it soar skyward?
The face of black-browed beloved
When will you fade from my eyes? 

Thick mist from a bottomless lake
When will it float skyward?
The face of black-browed beloved
When will you melt from my eyes?

1944 y.

Janga Todosh Bedyurov (1916-1961). The Altai poet Janga from the exogamous Todosh family was born in 1916 and worked since the age of 9. When his father died, he independently learned to read and write in the Altai and Russian languages. In 1928, he was drafted into the army and subsequently spent almost all his life in military service. In 1936, he was repressed, spent a year and a half in prison, and was deprived of all military ranks and awards. In 1939, Janga was again drafted into the army, took part in World War II, and participated in the Battle of Moscow, the Battle of Kursk, and the siege of Konigsberg. He was discharged from the service in 1946 after nine severe wounds. Later, until his death, he worked in agriculture in the Gorno-Altai Autonomous Region of the USSR.

Elena Koroleva is a historian and folklorist. Her research investigates oral history of Russian Old Believers and Altaians in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Koroleva’s dissertation is on Altai folk legends as historical sources. She is a professional translator of historical texts from the language of the Turkic-Mongolian peoples into Russian and other European languages. She continues to develop in this direction and carry out scientific activities at the present time.