Afanasy Fet
Whispering and timid breathing...

Whispering and timid breathing,
        Nightingale’s trill,
Silver sheen of waters seething,
        Sleepy brooklet’s dishabille.

Noctilucence, nocturne shades,
        Lengthy shadows without end,
Alternating glow cascades,
        Charm to dear face lends,

On hazy clouds a rose-pink stain,
        In answer amber’s antiphon,
And kisses, weeping, silent pain,
        And then the dawn, the dawn!

Translated by U. R. Bowie