One goes in straightforward ways,
One in a circle roams:
Waits for a girl of his gone days,
Or for returning home.
But I do go — and woe is there —
By a way nor straight, nor broad,
But into never and nowhere,
Like trains — off the railroad.
Один идет прямым путем,
Другой идет по кругу
И ждет возврата в отчий дом,
Ждет прежнюю подругу.
А я иду — за мной беда,
Не прямо и не косо,
А в никуда и в никогда,
Как поезда с откоса.
«Enraptured, and enraptured, / In broad daylight, dreaming, / No one could see me sleeping, / They saw I was — exhausted. And because in daylight brightness, / There were dreams before my eyes, / Oh, Night, now I lie here — restless. / And like a sad shade, breathless, / Over slee...»
«Dying, I’ll not say: "I was". / No regrets, I’ll not cast blame. / There are greater things in this world / Than love’s storm, and passion’s game. But you — wing-beat against my chest, / Fresh, guilty cause of my inspiration — / You I command to: — Be! / My obedience – »
«I’m no impostor — I’m home. / I’m no servant — I brought no leaven. / I’m — your passion, your Sunday rest, / Your seventh day, your seventh heaven. They hung millstones round my neck, / On earth, they flung me a penny. / — Lover! — Surely you know? / I am your swa»
«To kiss the brow — eases all anxiety. / I kiss the brow. To kiss the eyes — cures insomnia’s misery. / I kiss the eyes. To kiss the lips — one’s no longer thirsty. / I kiss the lips. To kiss the brow — erases memory. / I kiss the brow.»