Marina Tsvetaeva
Stepan Razin. 3. Dream of Razin

3

(Dream of Razin)

And Razin dreams a dream:
Like a cry of a heron of the swamp.
And Razin dreams a ringing:
Like silver droplets drop.

And Razin dreams of the bottom:
With flowers, like a kerchief, covered.
And he dreams of one face —
Forgotten, with black brows.

He sits, like God's mother,
Stringing pearls on a thread.
And he wants to tell her,
But only moves lips instead...

The breath has been stifled - ah
In the chest there is a glass chip.
And the glass slope walks past them
Like a guard who wants to sleep.

* * *

Down the Volga-river with
The steering dawn drove he.
Over just a single shoe
Why did you leave me?

Who will want a beauty
In just one shoe?
For the other shoe, friend,
I will come to you!

And rings, rings the bracelet: Drowned
The happiness of Stepan!

Translated by Ilya Shambat