Marina Tsvetaeva
The street awakens. She looks, exhausted...

The street awakens. She looks, exhausted
With the mute windows’ sullen eyes,
On sleepy faces, red from the cold,
That with thoughts chase the stubborn sleep away.

The blackened trees with rime are covered —
With trace mysterious of the night’s fun,
In gleaming brocade sad ones are standing,
Just like the dead the alive among.
The gray coat mingles, trampled upon,
The forage-cup with a wreathe, a bored look,
And the red arms, pressed to the ears,
And the black apron with the tied books.
The street awakens. She looks, unpleasant
With mute windows’ sullen eyes, it would seem.
To sleep, in a happy thought be forgotten,
What life seems to us, this is a dream!

Translated by Ilya Shambat