The Train Dialogue Разговор в поезде

A squabble on trains is the silliest matter –
It’s nothing to put in your soup;
But the train is en route; it is twilight, - they gathered:
A chat is in order – soon.

Two men in a deadlock, they clashed with a vengeance,
Their sleep – left behind on the tracks.
“Our life is a train,” – goes one, - “and an engine.”
“No, platform,” – the other dragged.

One fellow says: “And our route is clear!”
The other: “But just so far…”
“We steer the train, we are all engineers!”
“Nah, passengers – all that we are…”

The first one, he said: “Look, we’re headed to freedom,
We’re taking our train as we planned!”
The other: “Relax, no need to go reeling,
If we make it, I’ll be awfully glad…”

So one of them roared: “Our path is unhindered
For many a year to come!”
“Oh, not so many, if you only consider –
The ticket price really counts…”

The first of the two: “We can go wherever!
And turn if we choose,” – so he bragged.
The other, he answered that the trains, which are clever
Go only by the rules and by tracks.

They stepped off the train in the middle of nothing
And each went their personal way;
And the train went its own, and carried on puffing,
And that’s all that there is to say…

"Машина времени"