История - перевод Р. Рождественского

History
by Robert Rozhdestvensky

History!
Though I was -
         a naive boy.
I believed much and long,
     too sincerely,
that you are -
       more precise,
            than any mathematics,
indisputable,
than any trivial
truth...

But what can I do? -
      boys are growing old.
Your winds
are cutting their faces...
And seconds are presenting an account to hundreds of years!
I'm speaking from the name of seconds...

History -
      beautiful as a glow!
History -
      cursed like a begging!
Which is tranforming people in the new type
and retreating
before the meanness.
History -
direct and ridiculous!
How often you were named -
remember! -
bad,
though was
marvellous!
Good -
though was
shamefully
mean!
How you were depended
of the petty tastes.
Of vanity.
Of stupidity of soul.
How you were afraid of the rulers,
who were measuring you
with their own
invented arshin!
(* arshin - the old russian unit of measurement of distance)

Swearing by your name,
the peoples were stupefied.
Having your name as a shield
the lands
were plundered!
You were powerdered.
And reddened.
And even recoloured!
And recutted!
You were filled
with heart-rending shouts
and did the giants
from the weak men...

History!
Merry
history!
Listen!
You are not only
the dust of archives!
History!..
Clutch your dry fingers.
Open your living heart
to people.
Look,
how thriftily
your eternal
founders are waking up!
They are swallowing
their simple breakfast.
They are in haste.
They kiss their wives.
They are
going out!
And the green smell
excitingly covers them.
They are blinded
by the sun rays.
Hooters are
crying "Au".
From pipes there is flowing
an unperturbable smoke...
You will surely become
the most exact
science!
You will be.
You ought to be.
We want you
to be
such.


1963