Nikolay Gumilev
Have thou mercy! Enough of this pain and frustration...

Have thou mercy! Enough of this pain and frustration,
Let it end, this dark torture of shame and despair!
I forsook my self-will and its deadly temptations
I am tamed, thine for good. For my fate I don’t care.

We’ve been lost for too long in the depths of the ocean,
Locked in iron embrace of the shimmering tide,
Monster waves swirled us round in their merciless motion,
Beat and threw on the rocks where Grief took its hide.

Now, behold! Like white horses escaping from battle
Scraps of thunderous clouds are rushing away.
Shall we come to the isle where Sun goes to settle,
Step on its golden sand, kneel together – and pray?

Translated by Ekaterina Wagner