Woe-mind, Slow-mind, and No-mind, three sisters, girls
in bridal veils, danced together with wild wails.
They circle, bend, and bind, with arms and legs entwined,
and dissolve in a puddle of maniac curls.
Неумь, разумь и безумь —
Три сестры плясали вместе
В покрывальностях бездумий,
В покрывальностях невесты.
Руки нежные свились,
Ноги нежные взвились,
Всё кругом сплелось, свилось,
В вязкой манни расплылось.
«My dear, one and only land! / Autumn rain from а tin sky drips. / In а puddle а shivering lamp / Reflects а head with no lips. Better don't look! Or something worse / May е, take me by surprise come / So all this rust-coloured murk / I view through screwed-up eyes. It's warmer tha...»
«The lives of us all are moulded / At birth — such is my belief. / I well might, if not а poet, / Have been а rogue or а thief. А thin little boy, but ever / А hero in the eyes of those / Young playmates of mine, I' d often / Come home with а bleeding nose. In а thick voice I'd...»
«Self-deception is not in my nature, / On my heart there weighs а thought appalling: / How come I have earned the reputation / Of а charlatan, а tavern-brawler? I’m no thug, I've not stopped folk and stripped them, / Shot wretches in jail or other places. / I’m а rake, the kind you...»
«It's settled! Yes, it is forever / I have left my native fields. / Never more shall rustling poplars / Shed on me their winged leaves. I'll not watch the old home crumbing. / My old dog died long ago. / In the winding streets of Moscow / I'll die — since God wills it so. I love this...»