Catherine Deneuve recites Lesya Ukrainka’s poem at the opening of the Cannes Film Festival

French film legend Catherine Deneuve spoke at the opening of the Cannes Film Festival, where she demonstrated solidarity with Ukraine by reading a poem by Ukrainian poet Lesya Ukrainka called “Hope”. The star translated the poem into French.

The 79-year-old actress could barely hold back her tears. After the performance, she was applauded for a long time.

⚡️ Catherine Deneuve read Lesya Ukrainka’s poem “Hope” at the opening of the Cannes Film Festival

Video: France 2 pic.twitter.com/8Z5IHKMjhk

– Ukrinform (@UKRINFORM) May 16, 2023

Poem “Hope” by Lesya Ukrainka in the original:

I have neither fate nor will,

There is only one hope left:

I hope to return to Ukraine again,

To look again at my native country,

To look again at the blue Dnipro river.

To live or die there, I don’t care;

To look again at the steppe, the graves,

For the last time, I recall the fervent speculations…

I have neither fate nor will,

There is only one hope left.

Author: Daria Skotchenko

Photo: pexels