Orpheica

Orpheus

Styx is dried out without tears. Charon has bored himself to death.
I’m passing the river by feet without wetting my knees.
Threads of forgotten destinies hang in the air thick with the faith
of past generations that have came down to the Hades.

That dreadful Cerberus leans to my feet, most peaceful of dogs,
And howls in three voices along with my lire.
It has forgotten to be a guardian, be faithful to the gods,
To guard the underworld without ever getting tired.

Three old Moirai are sitting not too far away: They’re weaving
shroud of oblivion out of lives of heroes that will never be born.
Alas! A life thread’s broken in the weakened hand of one of Moirai,
She’s crying helplessly, the others two cry also, and they all mourn.

I wish to comfort these bitterly crying old women,
But they can’t hear my song in this ever lasting night.
World’s light is quenched in their eyes and never enters them.
Deaf and blind are they, and wrinkled, and their hair are white.

How can I find in this haze, where shadows silently trickle,
One, I am wandering around for so long, along and unhappy?
How will I be able to recognize my lovely Eurydice
Among those shadows in this ghostly bleak country? 

Death transformed her delicate and gentle face,
Stopped run of live in her gracious body, made it cold and grim.
My wife, the clear spring of beauty and impeccable taste,
How much we didn’t end to tell, how much we didn’t end to sing!


Eurydice

I’ve dreamed that sudden Death came upon me,
And mourning women were gathering around my bed.
They washed my body and laid my hair with a pretty band.
They wrapped me in a shroud and an awful darkness came.
I’ve dreamed that I was really dead and will never be.

A deadly cold creped lustfully into my scared heart.
I couldn't breath, I couldn't scream in that murky darkness.
Though I discerned the mourners’ cries, I heard them less and less,
Get quieter still and further away, and now I couldn’t tell them apart.
Then weaker sound of their bitter cries went quiet. I shivered in the dark.

I’ve dreamed I’ve became a formless pale shadow.
No flesh, no desires, no sorrows, no feelings or anything else.
My fear has gone. I, a shadow among other shadows with no breath,
was looking for a thread of oblivion. My soul was lost, and sad and low.
I’ve dreamed that I’ve became a soulless shadow. 

Orpheus, my beloved husband, my chosen one,
How I’m delighted to hear your charming tune around!
I’m leaping with all my being to meet you now,
Let me just overcome this dreadful dreamy game and I’ll be done.
My soul will be light and happy near you and we’ll be gone.

How hard it was to sleep and se that dream! My dear Orpheus!
I’m back with you, at last awaken from that dreadful nightmare.
Let me embrace you. No, kiss me in stead, show how much you care.
How I’m glad to find tranquility again that I had lost. 
Don’t hide your eyes from Eurydice, my dearest Orpheus!

But what’s the matter, you keep turning your face from me.
What I have done to be treated like that?
Perhaps my sleepy complexion took you by surprise? My bad,
But you know, I’m not seventeen any more, do I look that terrible?
Wait, Orpheus, where are you leading us now? Please, look at me. 

I won’t make a step further or move away from this very spot until
you’ll look at me, my dear husband, I’m not lying.
Well, if you don’t love me any more, then, darling,
Tell it to my face, don’t play a fool with me.
I prefer the truth. Though it won’t be easy to cope with, I will.

Now, it was better… What are you crying then about?
What is this dreadful place? It looks like we’re in a crypt…
So, it wasn’t dream then after all… I’m dead, it’s obvious, indeed…
Farewell, Orpheus, my destiny is sealed and clouded…
Your love was real enough, you didn’t fool around.


Maenads

Maenads are women with a blackened reputation,
A mean rumour about them travels around all places:
They worship Dionysus, sing and dance with wild grace,
Drown their minds in vine, scream loudly for sexual attention.    

Then horny Satirises would gather from all sides
and shake their goatees wild and salivate with lust.
And orgy sing and dance, fall to the ground at last,
Drink all night waking envy in Gods that on Olympus reside.

Orpheus stands alone in fornicating crowd and sings about his love,
And orgy get quiet and listen how he mourns his departed wife.
They come to their senses, forget about lust and cry bitter and helplessly.
Seducing spell of Maenads is broken with Orpheus being passion so intensely.

They would like very much to soothe his heart, certainly they would,
but Orpheus is cheerless, he doesn’t cast a glance at their revealing dresses,
He doesn’t touch the vine, he sings about loss of Eurydice in his distress.
Unstoppable Maenads get furious at last and drag him to the woods.

Enraged crowd grab the poor Orpheus and lift him in the air,
They throw him in their ferocity right on to bleating Satirises’ horns.
Blood gushed from the body, they torn him to pieces and spread in the forest at dawn.
The crowd drank, stench of blood and fornication is impossible to bare.      

Head of the massacred Orpheus rolls down into the forest brook.
The crystal clear water gets crimson with his blood.
His lire is smashed in pieces in frenzy ecstasy and thrown to the mud.
Strings’ snafu ravel lays in the pull of vomit. His laurel wrath one drunken Satyr took.

Maenads  screech and moan with wavy hands smeared heavily with blood.
Their shriek was amplified by enthusiastic crowd, and fire was lit up.
They splash the vine down their throats and slurp it till they get hiccup.
Dionysus, sleek and sweaty, looks down at them from his Olympus, satisfied.


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Русская версия:
http://www.stihi.ru/2017/05/03/4807