By the early sunrise seized,
I sing of love aloud,
In the garden, on my knees
Weeding goosefoot out.
I tear it out and I hurl —
Pardon this offense.
I see a little barefoot girl
Crying by the fence.
Voice of sorrow rings and swells,
Filling me with dread,
Stronger grows the tepid smell
Of the weed now dead.
Stone, not bread, will be my prize
To accept with poise,
Up above me, just the skies,
And with me, your voice.
Я на солнечном восходе
Про любовь пою,
На коленях в огороде
Лебеду полю.
Вырываю и бросаю —
Пусть простит меня.
Вижу, девочка босая
Плачет у плетня.
Страшно мне от звонких воплей
Голоса беды,
Всё сильнее запах тёплый
Мёртвой лебеды.
Будет камень вместо хлеба
Мне наградой злой.
Надо мною только небо,
А со мною голос твой.
«I mouthed to the rain to drizzle. / The dust had wrapped itself up. / I tied on my feet grass sandals, / And hooked on a walking crutch. And along this stretch of road / I rolled off into the distance, / Crossing my stick-like legs, / Having rescued my sadness.»
«I fell in love with you on amber day, / When new-born laziness was bleeding / In radiant gleam of azure ray / From every grateful branch proceeding. Your trunk grew white, as white as drunken daze / Of lake-land waters foaming. / And jolly Lel, with mocking plays, / Yo...»
«First to sharpen the ax-flint they bent, / On the green they had gathered, unpent, / They had gathered beneath the green tent. / There where whitens a pale tree-trunk, naked, / There where whitens a pale linden trunk. / By the linden tree, by the young linden, / By the linden tree, by th...»
«Upon an amber day I loved you first, / When, summoned by the radiant azure, / From every grateful twig there burst / Sweet indolence in dripping measure. Your whitely shining body gleamed as white / As heady foam on lakes unfolding, / Gay laughing Lei drew ou...»