I AM THIRSTY, GIVE ME WATER!

I AM THIRSTY, GIVE ME WATER! (Khyukhanym, khyuzar biregez!), a poem. Written in 1987–88 by R.T.Bikbayev. The name of the poem points to the leitmotif of ecology and the importance of preserving one’s natural environment. It touches upon philosophical, social and political issues of the past and the present which concern the nature of Bashkortostan. The main character of the poem is allegorically represented by River Agidel which is a symbol of life and the eternal movement of being. The conversation between the Agidel, Karaidel and Dema rivers is the climax of the poem, in which strong statements are made about the ecological tragedies which have taken place in the Bashkir land. From the height of the holy MountainTratau, the lyrical character talks about the death of nature with a sinking heart. The ideological content of this poem goes back to the call for spiritual rebirth of people, and talks about the inextricable relationship between the ecology of human spirit and the state of the surrounding nature.

For the poem, the author was awarded the Salavat Yulayev State Prize of the Republic of Bashkortostan (1989).