Bulat Okudzhava
Lady Majestic

Darkness has curtained my cheerless world,
Quiet as under the sea
Lady Majestic, here at my door?
Something I couldn’t foresee!

The electricity here is dim,
Ceiling is dripping with tears.
Lady Majestic, well, all the same,
How did you venture in here?

Oh, your arrival’s like a fire site:
Smoky and gasping for air...
Let me invite you to step inside,
Why do you stand out there?

Who are you really and where’re you from?
Oh, how foolish am I:
You must’ve picked by mistake this home,
Avenue, city, and time.

Translated by Maya Jouravel