Ch ornohora
Ukrainian: Чорногора

the word means
BLACK MOUNTAIN


Chornohora is the highest mountain range in Western Ukraine.
It is within the Outer Eastern Carpathians.
Chornohora ascends to a peak elevation of 6,762 feet.

As I peruse
photos of Chornohora,
I find their mountains are not unlike the terrain
of Western North Carolina; the region I call home.

The views from the peaks and valley
of Chornohora,
are not unlike the views
in Western North Carolina.
The views surrounding Chornora are similar to
views from and around Mount Mitchell and Roan Mountain.

I live in the town of Black Mountain,
in the Blue Ridge Mountains Of North Carolina,
in the United States.

I love my country ,I love my freedom, I love my mountains.
The people of Ukraine love their country, they love their freedom, they love their mountains.

Somehow the world seems smaller upon knowing about
Chornohora, the Black Mountain of Ukraine.

What if my country were invaded by a foreign aggressor.
What if the cities of America were bombed and destroyed.
What if I had to leave my beloved Black Mountain and flee
to some unknown destination out of fear for my life....

..... not knowing if and when I would return.

Somehow the world seems smaller upon knowing about
Chornohora, the Black Mountain of Ukraine.

This evening I discovered the village of
Yasinya
Ukrainian: Ясіня

Yasinya is a small town in Zakarpattia Oblast in the mountains of western Ukraine.
Yasinya sounds very much like the small town I call home,
Black Mountain, North Carolina in the United States.

Yasinya has a population of 8,559.
Black Mountain has a population of 8,144.

Yaninya is nestled in a valley surrounded by high mountains.
Black Mountain is nestled in a valley surrounded by high mountains.

Yasinya promotes itself as a place where you can:

".....find a quiet relaxing holiday, solitude.
.....Clean mountain air, mountains overgrown with forests provide
an opportunity to have a great rest, gain strength and improve your health."

Black Mountain promotes itself as a place where you can:

".......relax and enjoy the slower pace of a small town. ....
.....Take in the natural beauty by relaxing in one of the many rocking chairs around town,
or climb the peaks where adventurers are rewarded with breathtaking vistas and fresh mountain air."

Yasinya is located among the Outer Eastern Carpathians.
The high peak of Chornohora ascends to an elevation of 6,762 feet.
The drive from Yasinia to the mountain of Chornohora is 1 hour and 26 minutes.

Black Mountain is located among the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The high peak of Mount Mitchell ascends to an elevation of 6,684 feet
The drive from Black Mountain to Mount Mitchell is 1 hour and 17 minutes.

Somehow the world seems smaller upon knowing about
the town of Yasinya in Ukraine.

As I read of the Russian War on Ukraine and the horrors being forced upon
the men, women, and children of Ukraine,
my thoughts turn a movie which was released when I was only a small child.

My thoughts turn to The Sound of Music.

The Sound of Music
tells the story of one family during the German invasion of Austria.
The Sound of Music tells the story of a family in Austria who loved their country;
a family who was forced to flee their homeland
as a foreign military force invaded their beloved Austria.

They chose to flee to the mountains... on foot.

I wonder
If my country were invaded,
would I go to an underground bunker.....
or would I flee to the mountains;
would I ascend Mount Mitchell or Roan Mountain,
seeking safety and seeking freedom.

I wonder
are there fearful families in Ukraine who
chose not to board a crowded bus or train,
heading westward to an unknown destination;
but instead chose to flee to the mountains,

perhaps to the Black Mountain of Ukraine
Chornohora.

I wonder.

Tonight I think of Chornohora and of Yasinya.

Tonight I think of all the people of Ukraine;

and I pray for peace and healing in that great land,

and for my brothers and sisters,

the great people of Ukraine.

Images of Chornohora and of Yasinya.
(or is it Western North Carolina?)

The National Anthem of Ukraine is based on an 1863 poem by Pavlo Chubynsky and it's title is:
The Glory and Freedom of Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished'

As I read the words of the anthem
I wonder
what goes through the minds of hearts of the Ukrainian people as they
sing this song penned over 150 years ago in 1863
in the midst of bombs and artillery fire and destruction today.

I close with an excerpt from a poem called THE CAUCASUS.
It was composed in 1845 by the great Ukrainian poet of the mid 19th century:
Taras Shevchenko.

This is but an excerpt from a much longer poem.

--------------------------------

Mountains beyond mountains,
crags in stormclouds cloaked,

Wild heights sown with sorrow,
soil that blood has soaked.

From the dawn of time, Prometheus

Hangs, the eagle’s victim;

All God’s days, it pecks his ribs,

Tears the heart within him.

Tears, but cannot drink away

The blood that throbs with life,

Still it lives and lives again,

And still once more he smiles.

For our soul shall never perish,

Freedom knows no dying,............

..... Meanwhile, I have seeds to scatter,

All my aching grief,

All my thoughts ;
God grant they blossom,

Speaking in the wind.

Peaceful winds from Ukraina,

Bearing dew, will carry

All my thoughts to you, dear brother,

Greeting them with sorrow,

You will read them to the end,

Recalling quietly,

The heroes’ graves, the plains, the hills,

The land you loved—and me.