Agniya Barto
Masha

Who is sleeping here,
Please say?
Who gets up
At the break of day?
Why, it’s Masha in her bed!
She has lifted up her head.
Pulling blanket off, and sheet,
She stands up upon her feet.

***

No, this isn't just a room:
It’s the biggest land you’ve seen.
Here two giant sofas loom;
There a field — the carpet green.

***

Masha took the looking-glass,
And she peeped inside.
She could scarce believe her eyes.
“Who is that?” she cried.

When she reached the chair,
She stood a little there.
And to the table then
She toddled off again.

***

We will draw a garden — so,
Where a lot of currants grow.
On one bush are currants black,
On another, currants red.
All the black belong to Jack,
All the red belong to Ted.

***

All day long, the Goldfinch sings,
In a cage upon the sill.
Though he’s almost three years old,
He’s afraid of Pussy still.

But Masha isn’t frightened
Of Goldfinch or of Cat.
She gave the bird some water
And told the Cat to scat.

***

All the lassies, in a ring,
Stood as still as still could be.
Father Winter lit the lights
On the great big New Year’s tree.

On the top, a star,
Beads, row upon row;
Don’t put out the lights:
May they always glow!

The clock has just struck eight.
The house will soon be still,
We’ll cover with a cloth
The cage upon the sill.

Now, Masha has a Daughter;
She’s getting on for two.
You’ll never hear her crying:
She sleeps the whole night through.

Shadows glide upon the wall,
Like huge jungle beasts they prowl.
In her sleep, the mother Cat
At her Kits is heard to growl.

We go to bed quite early
And draw the curtains tight.
The giant sofas stand there.
Like mountains in the night...

Lulla-lulla-lulla-by,
Sleep, my Masha, do not cry.

Translated by Eugene Felgenhauer