Osip Mandelshtam
I see the heavens, dull and stony...

I see the heavens, dull and stony
Above the waters’ sluggish web.
And Erebus, soul’s hateful crony,
Enfolds me in his tedious ebb.

I comprehend this dread appalling,
And there’s a link I understand:
Not crumbling, still the sky is falling,
Not foaming, still sea strikes the strand.

Oh, pale chimeras’ shadows hover
Upon the rough sand’s glimmer-gold,
And, oh, the grey sail’s trefoil’s cover
Is cross-nailed, like my yearning’s hold!

Translated by Rupert Moreton