Marina Tsvetaeva
No one was left at a loss...

No one was left at a loss!¹
I’m happy we’ve come to part.
I’m kissing you now — across
The gap of a thousand yards.

We’re not equal — I understand.
I’m calm — for the first time.
A young Derzhavin,² you can’t
Accept my undisciplined rhyme.

I christen your frightening flight:
Young eagle, rise in the air!
You stared at the sun! — my light
And delicate gaze can’t compare.

I stood, more tender than those
Who’ve witnessed you disappear…
I’m kissing you now — across
The gap of a thousand years.

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1. “No one was left at a loss…”: The poem was dedicated to the poet O. E. Mandelshtam (1891-1938).
2. Gavril Romanovic Derzhavin: (1743-1816) considered to be the greatest Russian poet before Aleksander Pushkin. 

Translated by Andrey Kneller