b. 1945
Yurii Rybchynskyi
Lyricist of “Oi letily dyki husy”
Nina Matviienko and Ruslana sang “Oi letily dyki husy” (Wild Geese Were Flying); its words were written in 1969 by Kyiv poet Yurii Rybchynskyi. A poet, playwright and lyricist of many well-known songs, he has worked with Ihor Poklad, Mykola Mozghovyi and others. Hero of Ukraine (2020).
Key accomplishments
- Lyrics to “Oi letily dyki husy” (1969, music by Ihor Poklad)
- Lyrics to “Mynaie den” (The Day Goes By, music by Mykola Mozghovyi)
- Song lyrics since 1965; performers include Sofiia Rotaru, Nina Matviienko and Ruslana
- Hero of Ukraine with the Order of the State (2020, decree No. 340/2020)
Geese that have been flying for half a century
Did you know that the song “Oi letily dyki husy” (Wild Geese Were Flying) has a lyricist and a composer? Yurii Rybchynskyi wrote its words in 1969, and Ihor Poklad wrote the music. Its best-known singers are Nina Matviienko and Ruslana, who won the Slavianskyi Bazaar festival with it. The poet himself has said he cried several times listening to “Wild Geese.”
A poet from Kyiv
Yurii Rybchynskyi was born in 1945 in Kyiv. He began writing poems at school and graduated from the philology faculty of Taras Shevchenko Kyiv State University. He has been writing song lyrics since 1965. One of his first hits was “Glaza na peske” (Eyes on the Sand), sung by Tamara Miansarova.
Words for many voices
Rybchynskyi is a lyricist: his poems become songs together with composers such as Ihor Poklad, Oleksandr Zlotnyk, Eduard Khanok and Mykola Mozghovyi. With Mozghovyi he wrote “Mynaie den” (The Day Goes By). Among those who sang his songs was Sofiia Rotaru. He is also a playwright.
In 2020 Rybchynskyi was made a Hero of Ukraine with the Order of the State, for enriching Ukrainian culture, shaping national identity and many years of creative work. In 2026 the Hryhorii Veryovka Choir closed his jubilee year with the concert “Legends of Ukraine. Golden Hits” at the Palace “Ukraine” in Kyiv.
Why it matters today
Several generations have sung songs to Rybchynskyi’s words, and many people know them by heart without knowing who wrote the lyrics. For more than half a century “Wild Geese” has been heard both on stage and from choirs. That is how his words became part of what Ukrainians sing together. In a poem about the Ukrainian language he writes of carrying into the future “the language that won’t go out, the word that won’t be forgotten,” and anyone who sings along to “Wild Geese” helps carry it a little further.
