I should have seen the sign: “Fresh paint”,
But useless to advise
The careless soul, and memory's stained
With cheeks, calves, hands, lips, eyes.
More than all failure, all success,
I loved you, for your skill
In whitening the yellowed world
As white cosmetics will.
Listen, my dark, my friend: by God,
All will grow white somehow,
Whiter than madness or lamp shades
Or bandage on a brow.
«Не трогать, свежевыкрашен», —
Душа не береглась,
И память - в пятнах икр и щек,
И рук, и губ, и глаз.
Я больше всех удач и бед
За то тебя любил,
Что пожелтелый белый свет
С тобой — белей белил.
И мгла моя, мой друг, божусь,
Он станет как-нибудь
Белей, чем бред, чем абажур,
Чем белый бинт на лбу!
«Don't fear death in earthly travels. / Don't fear enemies or friends. / Just listen to the words of prayers, / To pass the facets of the dreads. Your death will come to you, and never / You shall be, else, a slave of life, / Just waiting for a dawn's favor, / From nights of poverty and...»
«Do you remember? In the harbor passive, / Just where green water calmly sleeps, / Set in the column, strong and massive, / Appeared navy's silent ships. All four were gray. And many questions / Were shortly overwhelming us, / And sailors, very tanned and fashioned, / To shore in solemn ...»
«The earthly heart quit freezes blood, / But, with my breast, I meet great cold. / I bear on the empty road / The virgin love to all mankind. But, behind love, grow the wrath, / Heavy derision, and desire / To read in eyes of all entire / Oblivion or the final choice. And let they call,...»
«To S. Soloviev The faithless shadows of day are running / And high and clear is the call of bells, / Steps of the church are blazed as with the lightning, / Their stones are alive and wait for your light steps. You'll here pass and touch the chilly stone, / That's dressed in awful sanity...»