At the gates of Zion, over Kedron,
There is a windswept hillock;
And where the wall gives temporary shade,
I happened to sit down beside a leper,
Who was eating toxic seeds.
His stench was indescribable.
The fool was poisoning himself.
But he would smile, for all that,
Looking blissfully around
And muttering: “Praise be to Allah!”
Merciful God, wherefore did you give us
Feelings, thoughts, and cares,
A thirst for action and amusement?
Happy are the cripples and the idiots,
And happiest of all — the leper!
У ворот Сиона, над Кедроном,
На бугре, ветрами обожжённом,
Там, где тень бывает от стены,
Сел я как-то рядом с прокажённым,
Евшим зерна спелой белены.
Он дышал невыразимым смрадом,
Он, безумный, отравлялся ядом,
А меж тем, с улыбкой на губах,
Поводил кругом блаженным взглядом,
Бормоча: «Благословен аллах!»
Боже милосердный, для чего ты
Дал нам страсти, думы и заботы,
Жажду дела, славы и утех?
Радостны калеки, идиоты,
Прокаженный радостнее всех.
«How dare you, on the Neva, gaze, / Advancing on these bridges calmly?.. / I’ve been saddened, in a daze, / Since your vision rose before me. / These black angels have sharp wings. / Final judgment’s drawing near. / And crimson flames, in fiery rings, / Rose-like, in the snow appear»
«The darkest days of the year / Must be lit up with splendor. / I can’t find the words to compare — / Your lips are so soft and gentle. But don’t raise your eyes in defiance, / Protect my life, my dear. / They’re brighter than first violets, / But deadly to me, I fear. I know, n...»
«Beneath this bare home’s frozen roof, / I do not count the deathly days, / I read Apostles’ texts for truth, / And Psalmists’ every single phrase. / But frost is downy, stars abound, / Such wondrous meetings come along, — / And from the Bible, sticking out, / A maple marks the ...»
«All year long, you have always been near me, / Always joyful and young, all along! / Could it be that you haven’t grown weary / Of the suffering strings’ troubled song, — Those, which used to be taut and loud, / And can now only moan slightly, spent, / They’re tormented and nearly...»