The poem ‘Romane Gilya’ [Romani songs] was written in 1974 when Leksa Manush had already moved to Moscow. The poem imitates a dancing song with many interjections, for instance, ay-ne-ne, tam-tari-dam etc. At the same time, it also touches upon an important topic for Manush’s poetry: the new settled life of Soviet Romani people. The poem suggests that even though Roma people are not itinerant anymore, the souls (which are ‘Romani songs’) of Romani people remained in the forests and with their nomadic life.

(Ilona Makhotina)

Source of text sample

Цыгане России [Cjigane Rossii] No. 1(5), 2009, p. 73.