Boris Pasternak
Summer in the City

Soft exchanges fill the air
And in some fervent rush,
From the forehead, strands of hair
Were gathered with a brush.

Helmed, she casts a single glance
Upon your face and waits,
Throwing back her head at once
With her dangling braids.

While the humid, muggy night
Insinuates a storm,
All the passersby outside
Quickly scatter home.

And the thunder can be heard now.
There, resounding, it rings.
By the widow-frame, the curtain,
In the crosswinds, swings.

All is silent, all is hushed now
And it’s humid all the while,
And the lightning’s golden flashes
Are still groping in the skyline…

But the sunrise will ensue
With a breaking light, so stifling,
And dry the puddled avenues,
From the downpours and lightning.

You will see a look still stagnant,
From the lack of sleep, sedate,
On those age-old, on those fragrant
Limes that simply will not fade.

Translated by Andrey Kneller