Afanasy Fet
I Have Come to You

I have come to you with greetings,
To say that the sun has risen
And that it is quivering on the leaves
With its fiery light;

To say that the forest has woken —
Everything has woken, every branch,
Every bird has stirred,
Full of springtime thirst;

To say that I have come to you,
As yesterday, again with joy,
That my whole soul is now ready
To serve both happiness and you;

To say that from all around
Gaiety is flowing into me,
That I don’t know what I’ll sing myself —
But only that a song is forming.

Translated by John Cobley