Marina Tsvetaeva
Girlfriend. 4. I understand, you didn’t feel like getting dressed again...

I understand, you didn’t feel like getting dressed again,
you were fine right there on the couch—
but I could have made
your every day to come
a glad one
if you’d just shared my gladness.

I understand. It was just too unappealing
to go out so late when the night was so cold,
my eagerness seemed to you childish—
but places and things
you were sure you’d long known,
I’d have made them feel, hourly, new.

You’re nearly thirty. You’ve seen it all.
Me, I’m just twenty-two;
I know you never meant to be mean,
I don’t blame you now for things
that you won’t and I can’t fix,
but you’re letting me slip away
like your youth.

Translated by Seraphina Powell