MARINA TSVETAEVA
To you – in ten decades
To you, who rightfully was granted entrance
A century past my retreat from Earth,
I, from the depths of it – as one death-sentenced,
Send my handwritten verse:
Friend! do not look for me! An ancient fashion,
I'm not remembered even by your grands. –
Here, across Lethe's waves, are my, with passion –
Too far for lips! – two hands.
I see your eyes: two rampaging infernos
That peer into my grave – my refuge – hell,
Through thickness of a hundred years discerning
Her – still as immortelles.
Held in my hand – a pinch of dust: my verses
Are here with me. - I see: in rainy haze,
You're looking for my home of youth - my birthplace,
Or – for my resting place.
With pride I watch the way you look at others –
Those, living, happy – and can hear you cry:
'Mob of impostors! You're all corpse-like! Rather
She is the one alive!
I knew, a faithful servant at her pleasure,
All of her secrets, all her rings and bands.
You're robbers of the dead! These buried treasures
Are stolen from her hands!'
Oh, hundreds of my rings! I'm so conflicted,
The first time ever feel remorse
For all those gifts – so random, and so frequent. –
They had to be all yours!
And presently, tonight, I'm feeling lonesome
From looking forward for so long: in shades
Of twilight, to the setting sun – and also
Our date – in ten decades.
I bet, your words of rigorous resentment
Will thunder to my friends' address:
'All eulogized! Has anyone presented
Her with a rosy dress?!'
They were so mercantile?! Nor was I better.
Since you won't kill, it makes no sense to hide
That I from everyone extorted letters –
For kissing them at night.
I will be straight! Non-being matters little.
Today you're my most amorous of beaus,
And you'll decline all lovers' pearly glitter
For love of that one's – bones.
Тебе — через сто лет
К тебе, имеющему быть рожденным
Столетие спустя, как отдышу, —
Из самых недр — как на смерть осужденный,
Своей рукой пишу:
— Друг! не ищи меня! Другая мода!
Меня не помнят даже старики.
— Ртом не достать! — Через летейски воды
Протягиваю две руки.
Как два костра, глаза твои я вижу,
Пылающие мне в могилу — в ад, —
Ту видящие, что рукой не движет,
Умершую сто лет назад.
Со мной в руке — почти что горстка пыли —
Мои стихи! — я вижу: на ветру
Ты ищешь дом, где родилась я — или
В котором я умру.
На встречных женщин – тех, живых, счастливых,–
Горжусь, как смотришь, и ловлю слова:
— Сборище самозванок! Всe мертвы вы!
Она одна жива!
Я ей служил служеньем добровольца!
Все тайны знал, весь склад ее перстней!
Грабительницы мертвых! Эти кольца
Украдены у ней!
О, сто моих колец! Мне тянет жилы,
Раскаиваюсь в первый раз,
Что столько я их вкривь и вкось дарила, —
Тебя не дождалась!
И грустно мне еще, что в этот вечер,
Сегодняшний — так долго шла я вслед
Садящемуся солнцу, — и навстречу
Тебе — через сто лет.
Бьюсь об заклад, что бросишь ты проклятье
Моим друзьям во мглу могил:
— Все восхваляли! Розового платья
Никто не подарил!
Кто бескорыстней был?! — Нет, я корыстна!
Раз не убьешь, — корысти нет скрывать,
Что я у всех выпрашивала письма,
Чтоб ночью целовать.
Сказать? — Скажу! Небытие — условность.
Ты мне сейчас — страстнейший из гостей,
И ты откажешь перлу всех любовниц
Во имя той — костей.
1919
М. Цветаева - Тебе через сто лет - In English
© Copyright: Александр Гивенталь, 2012
Свидетельство о публикации №112052501250
Свидетельство о публикации №112052501250
Рецензии
"Here, across Lethe's waves, are my, with passion –
Too far for lips! – two hands."
- Difficult to read, grammatically. I would look for a simpler way to say this. Something like this:
Friend! Do not seek me! Style no longer trendy,
I'm not remembered even by your grands.
Across Lethe's waters, here are my extending -
Too far for lips - two hands.
"Held in my hand – a pinch of dust: my verses
Are here with me. I see as you, obsessed,
Are looking for my home of youth, my birthplace,
Or – for my place of death."
I kind of don't like "obsessed." I think "wind" has a different meaning her. How about something like this:
"Held in my hand - a pinch of dust: my verse is
With me. I see how in the wind's unrest
You're searching for my home of youth, by birthplace
Or - for my place of death."
Just a humble suggestion. But the translation is gorgeous, congrats!
Евгения Саркисьянц 25.05.2012 18:27 • Заявить о нарушении
Too far for lips! – two hands."
- Difficult to read, grammatically. I would look for a simpler way to say this. Something like this:
Friend! Do not seek me! Style no longer trendy,
I'm not remembered even by your grands.
Across Lethe's waters, here are my extending -
Too far for lips - two hands.
"Held in my hand – a pinch of dust: my verses
Are here with me. I see as you, obsessed,
Are looking for my home of youth, my birthplace,
Or – for my place of death."
I kind of don't like "obsessed." I think "wind" has a different meaning her. How about something like this:
"Held in my hand - a pinch of dust: my verse is
With me. I see how in the wind's unrest
You're searching for my home of youth, by birthplace
Or - for my place of death."
Just a humble suggestion. But the translation is gorgeous, congrats!
Евгения Саркисьянц 25.05.2012 18:27 • Заявить о нарушении
Thanks!
In the first case, one of my initial variants was:
"Here are, through Lethe's waters, my, with passion ... " (or
"Here are my - across Lethe's waves - with passion ... ") which seem to
avoid your difficulty - but my editor didn't complain of the posted variant either.
In the second case, I am also not particularly fond of "obsessed." My first variant was:
"... I see in blizzard as / you're looking ... "
but my editor noted that "as" and "death" have different vowel sounds.
Your suggestions have other defects - with pace, diphthong "how" (I'm trying to avoid stressed diphthongs in the middle of a line) and the awkwardness of "wind's unrest" compared to "na vetru". So I'll have to think - but thanks for your reaction: It always helps.
Александр Гивенталь 25.05.2012 21:56 Заявить о нарушении
In the first case, one of my initial variants was:
"Here are, through Lethe's waters, my, with passion ... " (or
"Here are my - across Lethe's waves - with passion ... ") which seem to
avoid your difficulty - but my editor didn't complain of the posted variant either.
In the second case, I am also not particularly fond of "obsessed." My first variant was:
"... I see in blizzard as / you're looking ... "
but my editor noted that "as" and "death" have different vowel sounds.
Your suggestions have other defects - with pace, diphthong "how" (I'm trying to avoid stressed diphthongs in the middle of a line) and the awkwardness of "wind's unrest" compared to "na vetru". So I'll have to think - but thanks for your reaction: It always helps.
Александр Гивенталь 25.05.2012 21:56 Заявить о нарушении