Alexander Blok
You and I are forlorn, I presume...

You and I are forlorn, I presume.
Let"s relax in this quiet room.

In this corner, so warm and so bright,
Let us watch the October night.

As before, there are lights outside.
Dear friend, we are old and retired.

All is gone: hardship, blizzards and dread.
Why on earth are you looking ahead?

It appears you wish you could read
News or message you badly need.

Are you waiting for an angel's gift?
All is gone and can"t be retrieved.

All we have are the books, walls and days.
Dear friend, we won't change our ways.

I don't grumble, my wishes are small,
And I don't grieve for bygones at all.

And I wonder just why you begin
Threading beads on a shiny string

Like you did in the past, long ago,
Those were really the days, you know!

But you were young then, and how!
And your silk was brighter than now.

You were very dexterous then...
Take a bright, shining thread again,

So the shine of the thread, like a spark,
Might subdue, and surmount the dark.

Translated by Alec Vagapov