Love conquers, deceitful and slow,
With a soft amateurish refrain.
So strange to think — not long ago
You weren’t dejected and gray.
In the garden, at home, in the field,
Whenever she flashed her smile,
Wherever you were, you believed
You were free and out in the wild.
Once taken by her, you glowed
And you drank her poisons, content.
Because all the stars seemed to grow,
And fields had a different scent,
Autumn fields.
Любовь покоряет обманно,
Напевом простым, неискусным.
Еще так недавно-странно
Ты не был седым и грустным.
И когда она улыбалась
В садах твоих, в доме, в поле,
Повсюду тебе казалось,
Что вольный ты и на воле.
Был светел ты, взятый ею
И пивший ее отравы.
Ведь звезды были крупнее,
Ведь пахли иначе травы,
Осенние травы.
«I like the fact that you’re not mad about me, / I like the fact that I’m not mad for you, / And that the globe of planet earth is grounded / And will not drift away beneath our shoes. / I like the fact that I can laugh here loudly, / Not play with words, feel unabashed and loose, / A...»
«I’d like to ask the mirrored glass, — / All hazy, mystical, and foggy, — / To show exactly where you’ll pass / And where you’ll stop for lodging. I look and see: An old ship’s mast. / There, on the deck, you’re standing... / You, by the clouded train... The vast, / Green f...»
«I’ve never honored commandments, never went to mass, / — Until a psalm is sung and I’m returned to ashes, / I’ll continue to sin — like I sin — like I’ve sinned in the past / With all five of the god-given senses: with passion! / Friends! — Accomplices! — Whose instigati...»
«I know the truth! All other truths - out of my sight! / There is no cause for us to hold these fights and battles! / Just take a look: there’s evening, look: there’s night. / Why do we fight — o poets, lovers, and commanders? The grass is dewy and the wind has settled down, / And soon...»