David Samoylov
Winter Names

The winters sometimes go by names.
And Natalie was such a winter!
She was all mystery and glitter
And glowing azure, and haze.

Another one was called Elaine,
Then Catherine, Martha and Naomi
In wintertime it’s slow and gloomy —
I’d fall in love and go insane.

So passed the days like a snowfall;
Bejeweled by the morning manna
The winter dawned, her name was Anna.
She was the loveliest of all.

Translated by Maya Jouravel