Bulat Okudzhava
The Omen

If a crow flies around,
then a war is to break out.
If we let it whirl in flight,
if we let it whirl in flight,
then we’re all to go to fight.

To prevent the bloody war
we just have to kill the crow.
And to kill the vicious crow,
and to kill the vicious crow
we must charge the guns of war.

Once we charge the guns, we will
want to go to shoot and kill.
Once we open fire and shoot,
once we open fire and shoot
stupid bullets will make good.

For a bullet all is one.
It will hit just anyone,
friend or foe, — just anyone,
all and every singe one,
All and sundry, everyone!

Now there isn’t anyone,
any woman any man,
there is nothing, there is none,
just a crow, all on its own
and no one to shoot it down.

Translated by Alec Vagapov