Sophia Parnok
We squeezed into a chair at twilight...

We squeezed into a chair at twilight —
my anguish and I, the two of us.
We all would have died long ago,
but we’ve no time to die.
And there is no one to complain to
And no one to blame that there’s no time
        to live
and no time
        to rebel
and that there’s no time to die,
that a human was falling into despair
at rolling a rock up a hill,
and a pendulum was getting tired
of swinging day and night.

Translated by Rainie Oet