Up out of an evil clinging pool
I grew, whispering like a reed,
Breathing the forbidden life
Passionately, languidly and tenderly.
And I bend over back into the cold refuge of the swamp,
Marked by no-one,
Met by the welcoming rustle
Of the brief autumnal moments.
I'm happy with this cruel affront
And in this dream-like life
I envy every other secretly
And am secretly in love with each.
Из омута злого и вязкого
Я вырос, тростинкой шурша, —
И страстно, и томно, и ласково
Запретною жизнью дыша.
И никну, никем не замеченный,
В холодный и топкий приют,
Приветственным шелестом встреченный
Коротких осенних минут.
Я счастлив жестокой обидою,
И в жизни, похожей на сон,
Я каждому тайно завидую
И в каждого тайно влюблён.
«Why such tenderness? / Not the first — these curls / I stroke, I’ve known, yes, / Lips much darker than yours. As stars fade and rise, / — Why such tenderness? / Eyes have risen / And faded to my eyes. Yet with no such song / Have I heard night darker / Crowned — O tender...»
«Two suns grow cool — Oh Lord, give rest! / One — in the sky, one — in my breast. How those two suns — can conscience free me? — / How those two suns scorched me madly! Both grow cool — neither pains the eye! / And the hotter one is the first to die.»
«I know the truth! Renounce all others! / There’s no need for anyone to fight. / For what? — Poets, generals, lovers? / Look: it’s evening, look: almost night. Ah, the wind drops, earth is wet with dew, / Ah, the snow will freeze the stars that move. / And soon, under the earth, we...»
«Starlit houses, and sky below, / Earth dazed in the nearness. / The same secret longing though / In Paris, so vast and joyous. The evening boulevards noisy, / The last ray of light dies, / Couples, paired round me, / Fierce lips, insolent eyes. I’m alone. It’s sweet to rest / My ...»