Однажды, в студёную зимнюю пору, Николай Некрасов

Once in a frozen winter day…

           Once in a frozen winter day,
           In the morning from the house,
           One rich gentleman goes out.
           More exactly he is a count
           And he slowly climbs up a mount.
           Outside is very cold,
           Snow glitters in the sun like gold.
           Suddenly some miles apart
           A boy approaches in a cart.
           He is very small and thin,
           The shirt ,the coat are large for him,            
            He is as little as a tin.
           Have to add he is skin and bone
           And in the forest is all alone.
           The boy is wearing one boot
           You hardly see him from brushwood.
           Everything is white and frosted
           The boy is a little bit exhausted.
         ``Are you dear on the right way?``
         ``Don`t care and go away``.
         ``What’s your name?``, the count  asks
           The answer is:  ``My name is Vlas``.
         ``Stay calm and don`t be afraid,
           Where is from in the cart the freight?``
         ``From the wood, my dad cuts off
           Then I load it and off``.
           The count also is told
           That the boy is six years old.
           Then he tugs the reins again
           And continues his way.
           All that looks like a performance,
           The count is amazed and stressed
           The whole scene makes him wordless.
           That is not imagination,
           But is a real situation.
           Real is the sun, the cart,
           To window snowbound small hut,
           And the love in peasant`s heart.
           Love that fills both soul and the body,
           And guides the thoughts of everybody.

перевод Алла Кердман
20.10.17