An amazing Kazakh poet

Amangeldi Aizhan,
The student of the 11^th «B» Grade
Gymnasium #140

Homeland is one

She is a natural mother.

You can’t buy it.

It cannot be sold.

To live and die in it.

And resurrect again.

Oh, if it were

Everyone could understand.

Mukagali Makatayev is an amazing Kazakh poet, whose poetry touches the heart of every person.  He lived a short but bright creative life. The author was born on February 9, 1931 in the village KarasazNarynkol (nowadays Raiymbek) the region of Almaty area. Karasaz -Makatayev’s small homeland that helped him in the most difficult minutes of his life. It gave him wings and foreordained a destiny of a poet. The poet’s full name is Mukhametkali, but since hischildhood, he was tenderly called Mukagali, considering that a load of responsibility can complicate the child’s life.

The war destroyed Mukagali’s childhood: his father went to the front, and all the hardships of life fell on the teenager’s shoulders. He felt responsible for his relatives, realizing that now he was a man in the house.  A huge impression on us, readers, is made by his verse about a mother who did not believe in the death of her son and who waited for him until the end of her days:

Still in my memory. Before death, my grandmother,

At death, our old man deceived her in front of me.

She lay raving in deep oblivion,

But the old man was not particularly taken aback, saying:

“Your son is alive, we received a letter from him,

Do not torture yourself, exhausting your soul … »

«Yes, I knew it … He must be alive …» —

She said, kissed everyone on the cheeks,

Her restless soul calmed down,

Falling asleep with eternal sleep … «. From this piece of poem we can notice, how sensually author could show readers feelings of the mother, sympathy to her of loved ones.  After the death of his father at the front, M. Makatayev realized that he must leave a mark in this life.According to the recollections of the poet’s mother, at the age of fourteen, Mukagali became seriously interested in poetry.  He drew creative inspiration and charge from the world around him and from different books.  Mukagali was very fond of reading Abai, M. Auezov, S. Seifullin, G. Musrepov.  He learned Russian on his own, loved to read Russian literature, especially the poetry of A. Pushkin, S. Yesenin, A. Blok.  The poet was also fond of reading foreign literature, most of all he was interested in the works of O. Balzac, D. London and W. Shakespeare.  The theme of the Motherland occupies a special place in the poetic work of M. Makatayev.

Makatayev lived a life full of hardships, somepeople often did not understand him.  The first collection of poems came out only thirteen years  andMukagali never saw translations of his works into Russian.  Unfortunately, fame came to MukagaliMakatayev after his death in the 1980s. In Almaty, a street was named after him and in his house was installed a memorial plaque.  His poetry collections were included in the golden fund of Kazakh poetry.  And gentle poetic lines are set to music and sound like songs. “The poetry of Mukagali reflects the nature of all Kazakhs. His mysterious poems touched the hearts of many readers. The poet’s anniversary coincided with the 30th anniversary of our Independence. This is an anniversary holiday for every Kazakh family”.I really appreciate Mukagali Makatayev’s works that give a lot of thoughts and feelings to the young generation.