ALTYNAI TEMIROVA
KYRGYZSTAN

Altynai Temirova is a great kyrgyz poetess of a wide range, playwright and translator. She was born in 1960, in Aksy valley.

She began publishing with her poetry from 1980th. In 1990 graduated from the Institute of Literature named after M. Gorky in Moscow. Member of the Writers’ Union of the Kyrgyz Republic since 1991, International Pen Club since 2000, and Union of Cinematographers since 2014. She is a coordinator of Kyrgyzstan for “World Poets Movement” (WPM). Participant of the First worldwide Congress of WPM and Poetry Festival in Colombia and Venezuela (2023).
She was awarded the Rasul Gamzatov Special Prize. Laureate of the International Poetry Competition “Parnassus – Angelo La Vecchia Prize” (Italy, 2019).
In 2021, she received the State Prize of the Republic of Sakha-Yakutia (RF) “For contribution to Peace and Friendship of peoples” for cultural cooperation thanks to her excellent translations.
In 2015 and 2022 received the Golden Feather Award. She has Kyrgyzstan as a prominent member of Kyrgyz literature in several international festivals and won international awards.
A collection of poems was translated into German and published in Germany in 2022 and was awarded the Golden Diploma for achievements in literature.
Deep philosophy, authentic folk character, depth of images, historical direction, clarity, scope of the subject matter, unique aesthetics are characteristic of Altynai Temirova’s creativity and she stands out for her original style.
Altynai Temirova’s poetry was translated into German, Spanish, Russian, Bashkir, Finnish, Hindi, Chinese, Kazakh, Uzbek

, Sakha-Yakut, English, Norwegian languages. Her poetries were published in foreign presses, books, almanacs and anthological collections.
She is an author of over ten books. Five dramas, four translations were performed on the stage of the main theaters of Kyrgyz republic, and two plays were included in the Golden Fund.
The modern “bilingual” poetess, known for her unique poems, was the first to be published in the Movement of Poets of the World magazine, which selects the best poetic works. Thanks to this, a great kyrgyz poet Altynai Temirova was able to raise modern Kyrgyz poetry to the world level.

(1)

… Silently from the bottom of his heart
he was playing komuz the whole night!
Kinsmen were sitting around
to listen to melodies, they were quite lost
that they forgot that death was near…
Running his fingers across strums
he played komuz skilfully
prolonging life!..
What a talent!
Strings tuned imprisoned hearts!
They seemed to have escaped
A threatening terrible death…
Silently from the bottom of his heart
He was playing komuz the whole night! 

(2)

Dreams are like life
And life is like dreams
For someone who doesn’t know who to trust,
suffering souls are filled with
happiness…
But like a cunning playful fox
attracting a hunter
A thousand of lies in life
keep you out of your way
persuading you
“It’s me, your happiness
Get from me whatever you like!”
Little by little
You keep threading your way,
Unable to give matters fresh thought.
Actually no one managed to do that…

(3)

The most tender feelings became strange.
A bullish mood turned quite strange.
What will happen to those who lost hope?
How do those who have lost their faith live?!.. –
I ask the Truth:
“Show me your face
Invisible for me and people!..
Where was it lost? Where is its place?”
It makes people’s blood boil,
that like daggers and swords
they may be drawn!
Air is full of noise and clamour…
The square and a white house
are hit by damaging floods
destroying everything on the way
What a pity, deeply
People became frustrated
That is the price we pay
For fate wrapped up in lies!

(4)

Above the black and white world
two “birds” fly
flapping their wings
and land
twittering…
They flutter their wings
They sing sweetly
and sincerely…

Above the black and white world…

The whole world
Every living being
forget about everything,
Filled with astonishment
listen to amazing sounds –
great elegance and charm
produced by delicate hands
on a great world of
white and black keys
of PIANO!

(5)

Dancing rain
Running out from somewhere
rain dances barefoot on asphalt
among houses and trees
pitter patter
pitter patter
The leaves and grasses all around
are swaying and singing
with all their might..
And the rain
with a thousand strands of long, fair hair
billowing from wind
rolling on the ground
keeps dancing
keeps dancing…
It is because of magic,
nature loses all control
and breaks out
in a sweat…
After a while, all of a sudden
it disappears from sight,
it continues its journey
dancing.
And clear raindrops
dancing along the road
are all kissed
by the wind …

(6)

The stream of river splashes water gently,
White foam tries to escape incessantly.
Mountain breeze kisses the stream
That runs singing round the clock
Pulling the willows on the bank.
Red plums are girls’ favorites.
They cast a shadow playing
With sunlight and breeze
Swaying back and forth
One can be startled with
a ravishing angel of the stream.

(7)

The White Palace, on the Aegean Sea,
Is really nice, clean, new and solid.
So excited and totally amazed
The sea loves it with respect.
Undying love is only for the Palace,
Does it worship holiness?!..
Nice, huge, massive, solid and
White pillars of which touch the sea!
It supports it, sighs heavily, moans and loves,
Its thousand-year-old secret is felt,
From this melodious sound,
Will the universe change?!..

(8)

LIFE –
Like a deaf, blind and cruel
inquisitor of the times
and ages…
Life tortures people with all sorts of trials,
exposing to different tests
playing like a toy for its “jokes”…
All senses and colors of
whole our inner world
we’re wasting, for life
just to be able to say –
that we are here
to struggle for life…
On red and white string
of the Fate,
we threaded like rosary beads,
to the enigma,
and mystery
allure,
like tenderness of beauty
remaining enchanted…