NIGHTINGALE

Beside the house, the cherry’s flowering,
Above the trees the May bugs hum,
The ploughmen from the furrows come,
The girls all wander homeward, singing,
And mothers wait the meal for them.

Beside the house, a family supper,
Above, the evening star appears,
The daughter serves the dishes here;
It’s useless to advise her, mother,
The nightingale won’t let her hear.

Beside the house, the mother lulls
The little children for the night,
Then she, too, settles at their side.
And all is still… Only the girls
And nightingales disturb the quiet.
– Taras Shevchenko, translated by Vera Rich

On February 24th, 2022, Vladimir Putin initiated his attempt to redraw the map of Europe, starting with an full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As of this writing, peaceful Ukrainian cities are under strike, but Kyiv has still not fallen to Russia’s military.

Ukrainian civilians are enduring unspeakable suffering. If you would like to help, here are some organizations that you should consider supporting during this dark time:

Voices of Children
https://voices.org.ua/en/

Razom for Ukraine
https://razomforukraine.org/

United Help Ukraine
http://unitedhelpukraine.org/

Emergency Humanitarian Aid for Ukraine
https://www.lphr.org/en/humanitaere-soforthilfe-fuer-die-ukraine/

Revived Soldiers Ukraine
https://www.rsukraine.org/

You can also chip in to help the Kyiv Independent keep reporting:
patreon.com/kyivindependent
https://www.gofundme.com/f/kyivindependent-launch

or donate to the UN Refugee Agency to help people worldwide that have been displaced: https://www.unrefugees.org/emergencies/

to Médecins Sans Frontieres to assist with medical care: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/what-we-do/countries/ukraine

or to World Central Kitchen, who are providing meals for Ukrainian refugees at the Polish border: https://wck.org/

We have crafted two scents as a fundraiser whose profits will be split between United Help Ukraine, who are providing medical supplies and humanitarian aid, and World Central Kitchen.

The national bird of Ukraine. A lovely and powerful song translated into scent: toasted bourbon vanilla, sweet oats and honey, cardamom, and cream.