Stiven Krejn. Polnoe sobranie stihotvorenij --------------------------------------------------------------- The Complete Poems of Stephen Crane Perevod: Anatolij Kudryavickij, Andrej Sergeev, Vladimir Britanishskij OCR: G.Kudryavcev --------------------------------------------------------------- The Complete Poems of Stephen Crane Stiven Krejn Polnoe sobranie stihotvorenij v perevodah Anatoliya Kudryavickogo Andreya Sergeeva Vladimira Britanishskogo Stihotvoreniya iz sbornika "CHernye vsadniki" - 1895 - - 1 - Black riders came from the sea. There was clang and clang of spear and shield, And clash and clash of hoof and heel, Wild shouts and the wave of hair In the rush upon the wind: Thus the ride of Sin. CHernye vsadniki primchalis' s morya. Stuchali, zveneli podkovy i shpory, Bryacali, gremeli shchity i laty, Dikie kriki i razvevayushchiesya volosy Smeshalis' v vihre. Tak nachalos' nashestvie Greha. Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo CHernye vsadniki s morya. Lyazg, lyazg pik o shchity, Stuk, stuk podkov i kopyt, Dikie kriki i volny volos Proneslis' po vetru: Nabeg greha. Per. Andreya Sergeeva - 2 - Three little birds in a row Sat musing. A man passed near that place. Then did the little birds nudge each other. They said: "He thinks he can sing". They threw back their heads to laugh. With quaint countenances They regarded him. They were very curious, Those three little birds in a row. Tri malen'kie ptichki Dremali, sidya ryadkom na vetke. Nevdaleke prohodil chelovek. Ptichki vstrepenulis'. - Slyshite? On dumaet, chto sposoben pet'! - Skazali oni drug drugu i zakatilis' smehom. Potom oni dolgo smotreli emu vsled S iskrennim sochuvstviem. Oni byli tak zabavny, |ti tri malen'kie ptichki! Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo - 3 - In the desert I saw a creature, naked, bestial, Who, squatting upon the ground, Held his heart in his hands, And ate of it. I said: "Is it good, friend?" "It is bitter-bitter," he answered; "But I like it Because it is bitter, And because it is my heart." V pustyne YA vstretil cheloveka - nagogo, dikogo; Sidya na kortochkah, On derzhal v rukah svoe serdce I gryz ego. YA sprosil: - Vkusnoe li ono, drug? - Ono gor'koe, gor'koe! - otvetil chelovek, No mne nravitsya ego gryzt', Potomu chto ono gor'koe I potomu chto eto moe serdce. Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo V pustyne Nekto golyj, zveropodobnyj Sidel na kortochkah, Derzhal v rukah svoe serdce I el ego. YA sprosil: - CHto, vkusnoe? - On otvetil: - Gor'koe - gor'koe, No mne nravitsya, CHto ono gor'koe, Potomu chto eto moe serdce. Per. Andreya Sergeeva - 4 - Yes, I have a thousand tongues, And nine and ninety-nine lie. Though I strive to use the one, It will make no melody at my will, But is dead in my mouth. Da, tysyacha yazykov u menya vo rtu, No devyat'sot devyanosto devyat' lgut. YA nadeyalsya, chto poslednij Pomozhet mne propet' to, chto ya hochu, No on zastyl vo rtu kak mertvyj. Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo - 5 - Once there came a man Who said: "Range me all men of the world in rows." And instandy There was terrific clamor among the people Against being ranged in rows. There was a loud quarrel, world-wide. It endured for ages; And blood was shed By those who would not stand in rows, And by those who pined to stand in rows. Eventually, the man went to death, weeping. And those who stayed in bloody scuffle Knew not great simplicity. Odnazhdy vyiskalsya chelovek, Skazavshij: - Postrojte mne vseh lyudej na Zemle v sherengi! Nemedlenno podnyalsya strashnyj shum - Lyudi ne zhelali stroit'sya v sherengi. Ves' mir ohvatila mezhdousobnaya vojna; Ona prodolzhalas' dolgie gody. Prolilas' krov' lyudej, Terpelivo stoyashchih v sherengah I ne soglasnyh v nih vstavat'. V konce koncov tot chelovek, stenavshij ot straha, Byl predan kazni. Lyudi, perezhivshie eti krovavye vremena, Izbavilis' ot byloj naivnosti. Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo YAvilsya nekogda chelovek, Skazavshij: "Postrojte mne vseh lyudej vsego mira v sherengi". I srazu Uzhasnyj ropot nachalsya v narode Protiv togo, chtoby stroit'sya v sherengi. I shumnaya svara poshla po celomu miru, I dlilas' ona vekami; I krov' prolivali Te, chto ne zhelali stoyat' v sherengah, I te, chto zhazhdali stoyat' v sherengah. I umer tot chelovek, i pered smert'yu plakal. A te, chto vystoyali v krovavoj shvatke, Tak i ne ponyali prostuyu istinu. Per. Vladimira Britanishskogo - 6 - God fashioned the ship of the world carefully. With the infinite skill of an all-master Made He the hull and the sails, Held He the rudder Ready for adjustment. Erect stood He, scanning His work proudly. Then-at fateful time-a wrong called, And God turned, heeding. Lo, the ship, at this opportunity, slipped slyly, Making cunning noiseless travel down the ways. So that, forever rudderless, it went upon the seas Going ridiculous voyages, Making quaint progress, Turning as with serious purpose Before stupid winds. And there were many in the sky Who laughed at this thing. Bog zabotlivo snaryadil korabl' mirozdaniya. S prirozhdennoj snorovkoj mastera na vse ruki Sladil on ostov i parusa, Derzhal v rukah i rul', Sobirayas' ego pridelat'. Tut raspryamilsya Bog, s gordost'yu vziraya na svoyu rabotu. Vdrug - v eto rokovoe mgnoven'e - ego po oshibke okliknuli I on povernulsya uznat', v chem delo. Korabl' zhe - smotrite-ka - uluchiv moment, Myagko, besshumno soskol'znul v vodu. S teh por, naveki lishennyj rulya, plyvet on po moryam, Sleduya nepredskazuemym kursom, Zahodya sluchajno v gavani progressa, Podchinyayas' lyuboj prihoti shal'nyh vetrov, Slovno golosu razuma. I mnogie na nebesah Poteshayutsya nad etim. Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo Gospod' postroil korabl' mirozdan'ya tshchatel'no. So vsej iskusnost'yu velichajshego mastera Sdelal On korpus i parusa, I rul' derzhal On v rukah, Sobirayas' ego priladit'. I stoyal On gordo, lyubuyas' svoej rabotoj. I tut, v rokovuyu minutu, chto-to sluchilos', Bog povernulsya vzglyanut', v chem delo, Korabl' uluchil moment i, lovkij, lukavyj, Tihon'ko-tihon'ko - shast' - i skol'znul so stapelya, I, navek ostavshijsya bez rulya, poshel po moryam, Bluzhdaya prichudlivymi putyami, Sovershaya strannye evolyucii, Sleduya samym ser'eznym obrazom Durostyam vetrov. I byli mnogie na nebe, Smeyavshiesya nad etim. Per. Vladimira Britanishskogo - 7 - Mystic shadow, bending near me, Who art thou? Whence come ye? And-tell me-is it fair Or is the truth bitter as eaten fire? Tell me! Fear not that I should quaver, For I dare-I dare. Then, tell me! O tainstvennaya ten', nerazluchnaya so mnoyu, Kto ty? Otkuda ty yavilas'? Skazhi mne, torzhestvuet li spravedlivost', Ili tebe vedomo nechto, zhgushchee tebya, kak raskalennyj ugol'? Pover' mne svoyu tajnu! Ne bojsya, ya ne orobeyu, U menya dostanet muzhestva. Itak, rasskazhi mne vse! Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo - 8 - I looked here; I looked there; Nowhere could I see my love. And-this lime- She was in my heart. Truly, then, I have no complaint, For though she be fair and fairer, She is none so fair as she In my heart. YA iskal vokrug, YA iskal vdali; Nigde ne mog ya najti sebe vozlyublennuyu. No vse eto vremya Lyubimaya byla v moem serdce. YA ni o chem ne sozhaleyu - Kak by prekrasna ni okazalas' moya izbrannica, Ej nikogda ne sravnit'sya s toyu, CHej obraz zhivet v moem serdce. Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo - 9 - I stood upon a high place, And saw, below, many devils Running, leaping. And carousing in sin. One looked up, grinning, And said: "Comrade! Brother!" YA stoyal na vozvyshenii, A vnizu bylo mnozhestvo chertej, Begayushchih, skachushchih, Upivayushchihsya Grehom. Odin posmotrel vverh, usmehayas', I skazal mne: - Tovarishch! Brat! Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo - 10 - Should the wide world roll away, Leaving black terror, Limitless night, Nor God, nor man, nor place to stand Would be to me essential, If thou and thy white arms were there, And the fall to doom a long way. Kogda b ogromnyj shar zemnoj ukatilsya proch', Ostaviv posle sebya lish' chernyj uzhas, Besprosvetnuyu noch', Ni Bog, ni lyudi, ni mesto, gde ya okazhus', - Vse eto ne imelo by dlya menya znacheniya, Esli b ryadom ya videl tebya i tvoi belosnezhnye ruki, I prezhde chem ischeznut', my proshli by dolgij put'. Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo - 11 - In a lonely place, I encountered a sage Who sat, all still, Regarding a newspaper. He accosted me: "Sir, what is this?" Then I saw that I was greater, Aye, greater than this sage. I answered him at once: "Old, old man, it is the wisdom of the age." The sage looked upon me with admiration. V uedinennom meste YA nabrel na mudreca, Kotoryj spokojno sidel, Perelistyvaya gazetu. On sprosil menya: - O gospodin, chto eto takoe? Togda ya pochuvstvoval svoe prevoshodstvo, Da, prevoshodstvo nad etim mudrecom. YA totchas otvetil emu: - O staryj, staryj chelovek, zdes' pishut to, CHto v nash vek schitaetsya mudrost'yu. Mudrec posmotrel na menya s voshishcheniem. Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo V uedinennom meste YA vstretil mudrogo muzha, Kotoryj sidel v razdum'e, Razglyadyvaya gazetu. On obratilsya ko mne: "Sudar', chto eto za veshch'?" I ya uvidel, chto ya umnee, Da, da, umnee etogo mudrogo muzha. YA otvetil emu mgnovenno: "Starik, eto razum nashego veka". Mudrec posmotrel na menya s voshishchen'em. Per. Vladimira Britanishskogo - 12 - "And the sins of the fathers shall be visited upon the heads of the children, even unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me." Well, then, I hate Thee, unrighteous picture; Wicked image, I hate Thee; So, strike with Thy vengeance The heads of those little men Who come blindly. It will be a brave thing. I grehi otcov padut na golovy detej vplot' do tret'ego i chetvertogo kolena nenavidyashchih menya. Da, potomu ya nenavizhu tebya, nepravednyj kumir, Zlobnyj idol, ya nenavizhu tebya. Tak bej zhe, mstitel'nyj Bog, Po golovam mladencev, CHto yavlyayutsya na svet ne po svoej vole. |to ved' stol' doblestnoe deyanie! Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo - 13 - If there is a witness to my little life, To my tiny throes and struggles, He sees a fool; And it is not fine for gods to menace fools. Esli est' tam, naverhu, kto-to Nablyudayushchij za moej nezametnoj zhizn'yu, Za moimi malen'kimi gorestyami i skromnymi pobedami, On vidit pred soboj glupca. No bogam ne podobaet gnevat'sya na glupcov. Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo - 14 - There was crimson clash of war. Lands turned black and bare; Women wept; Babes ran, wondering. There came one who understood not these things. He said: "Why is this?" Whereupon a million strove to answer him. There was such intricate clamor of tongues, That still the reason was not. Gremel bagrovyj grom vojny. Opustoshennaya zemlya pochernela, ZHenshchiny plakali, Deti metalis' v ispuge. Vdrug ob®yavilsya chelovek, Kotoryj ne mog postich' smysl proishodyashchego. On sprosil: - Zachem vse eto? Totchas milliony lyudej zahoteli emu otvetit'. Podnyalsya nestrojnyj mnogogolosyj gvalt, No otveta na etot vopros ne bylo. Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo Zvuchal bagryanyj gul vojny. Zemlya chernela i chahla; ZHenshchiny plakali; Deti bezhali, oshelomlennye. Odin chelovek ne videl, v chem zhe tut smysl. On sprashival: "Radi chego?" Zashumel million zhelavshih emu ob®yasnit'. Takoj byl nechlenorazdel'nyj gvalt, CHto smysla ne bylo slyshno. Per. Vladimira Britanishskogo - 15 - "Tell brave deeds of war." Then they recounted tales: "There were stern stands And bitter runs for glory." Ah, I think there were braver deeds. - Rasskazhite o geroizme na vojne. I oni rasskazyvali skazki: - Soldaty stojko uderzhivali pozicii I shli ternistymi dorogami k slave. Ah, ya dumayu, tam sovershalis' Bolee geroicheskie postupki! Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo - 16 - Charity, thou art a lie, A toy of women, A pleasure of certain men. In the presence of justice, Lo, the walls of the temple Are visible Through thy form of sudden shadows. Miloserdie, ty - lozh', Igrushka dlya zhenshchin, Zabava dlya inyh muzhchin. V prisutstvii Spravedlivosti - smotrite-ka Steny tvoego hrama prozrachny, I skvoz' nih vidna tvoya sushchnost' - Igra tenej. Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo - 17 - There were many who went in huddled procession, They knew not whither; But, at any rate, success or calamity Would attend all in equality. There was one who sought a new road. He went into direful thickets, And ultimately he died thus, alone; But they said he had courage. Mnogo bylo lyudej, shagavshih tolpoyu. Oni ne znali, kuda idut, No chto by ih ni ozhidalo - uspeh ili neudacha - |to stanovilos' ih obshchej sud'boj. Byl odin chelovek, iskavshij novyj put'. On zabrel v neprohodimye debri I v konce koncov umer tam v odinochestve. Ostal'nye priznali, chto on byl ne lishen muzhestva. Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo Bylo velikoe mnozhestvo dvigavshihsya tolpoyu, Ne vedaya kuda; No, kak by tam ni bylo, bedstvie ili pobedu Oni podelyat na vseh. Byl nekto odin, iskavshij novoj dorogi. On zabrel v neveroyatnye debri, I konchilos' tem, chto on tak i pogib, odin; No, govoryat, on byl hrabr. Per. Vladimira Britanishskogo - 18 - In Heaven, Some little blades of grass Stood before God. "What did you do?" Then all save one of the little blades Began eagerly to relate The merits of their lives. This one stayed a small way behind, Ashamed. Presently, God said: "And what did you do?" The little blade answered: "Oh, my Lord, Memory is bitter to me, For, if I did good deeds, I know not of them." Then God, in all His splendor, Arose from His throne. "Oh, best little blade of grass!" He said. Na nebesah Predstali pered Bogom Malen'kie travinki. - CHto vy svershili v zhizni? - sprosil on. I vse, krome odnoj, S gotovnost'yu nachali perechislyat' Svoi zaslugi. Lish' odna travinka Stoyala pozadi, pristyzhennaya. Nakonec Bog sprosil ee: - A ty chto svershila v zhizni? - Gospodi, - otvetila malen'kaya travinka, - YA ne v silah eto pripomnit'. Esli ya i delala chto-to horoshee, To ne vedala etogo. Tut Bog podnyalsya s trona Vo vsem bleske svoego velichiya. - O dostojnejshaya iz vseh travinok! - voskliknul on. Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo Na Nebe Malen'kie travinki Predstali pred Bogom. - CHto vy sdelali v zhizni? I vse travinki, krome odnoj, Nachali bojko rashvalivat' Svoi dobrodeteli. A odna stoyala poodal', Smushchennaya. I Bog sprosil ee: - A ty chto sdelala v zhizni? - - Gospodi, - otvechala travinka, - Esli ya hot' kogda I sdelala dobroe delo, To teper' nichego ne pomnyu. - I Bog vo vsej svoej slave, Vosstav s prestola, skazal ej: - O luchshaya iz travinok! Per. Andreya Sergeeva - 19 - A god in wrath Was beating a man; He cuffed him loudly With thunderous blows That rang and rolled over the earth. All people came running. The man screamed and struggled, And bit madly at the feet of the god. The people cried: "Ah, what a wicked man!" And- "Ah, what a redoubtable god!" Bog v gneve Izbival cheloveka, Nanosil emu Oglushitel'nye, gromopodobnye udary; Ves' shar zemnoj hodil hodunom. Otovsyudu sbezhalis' lyudi. CHelovek krichal, otbivalsya I v isstuplenii kusal Boga za nogi. Lyudi vosklicali: - Ah, kakoj nehoroshij chelovek! I dobavlyali: - Ah, kakoj groznyj Bog! Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo - 20 - A learned man came to me onge. He said: "I know the way,-come." And I was overjoyed at this. Together we hastened. Soon, too soon, were we Where my eyes were useless, And I knew not the ways of my feet. I clung to the hand of my friend; But at last he cried: "I am lost." Odnazhdy prishel ko mne uchenyj chelovek. On skazal: - YA znayu put'. Pojdem! YA ochen' obradovalsya. Ne teryaya vremeni, my otpravilis' v dorogu. Skoro, ochen' skoro ochutilis' my tam, Gde glaza moi nichego ne videli I ya ne znal, kuda stupayu. YA krepko derzhalsya za ruku moego druga, No v konce koncov on vskrichal: - YA pogib! Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo - 21 - There was, before me, Mile upon mile Of snow, ice, burning sand. And yet I could look beyond all this, To a place of infinite beauty; And I could see the loveliness of her Who walked in the shade of the trees. When I gazed, All was lost But this place of beauty and her. When I gazed. And in my gazing, desired, Then came again Mile upon mile, Of snow, ice, burning sand. Predo mnoyu Na sotni mil' Prostiralis' snega, l'dy, raskalennye peski. No ya sumel zaglyanut' eshche dal'she - I otkrylas' mne tam pervozdannaya krasota; Zametil ya i prelest' toj, CHto progulivalas' v teni derev'ev. Kogda glyadel ya na eto - Vse vokrug merklo Pered krasotoyu teh mest i Ee krasotoyu. Kogda glyadel ya na eto, Ustremivshis' tuda dushoj, - Vnov' stali vidny mne Prostirayushchiesya na sotni mil' Snega, l'dy, raskalennye peski. Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo Predo mnoyu, Milya za milej, Byli snega i l'dy i zhguchij pesok. No vzglyadom ya dosyagal iz etih predelov Do beskonechno prekrasnyh mest; I mog ya uvidet' ee, vo vsej krasote, Gulyashchuyu pod sen'yu derev'ev. Kogda ya glyadel, Vse ischezalo, Krome nee i etih prekrasnyh mest. Kogda ya glyadel I, zaglyadevshijsya, grezil. A potom opyat' predo mnoyu, Milya za milej, Byli snega i l'dy i zhguchij pesok. Per. Vladimira Britanishskogo - 22 - Once I saw mountains angry, And ranged in battle-front. Against them stood a little man; Aye, he was no bigger than my finger. I laughed, and spoke to one near me: "Will he prevail?" "Surely," replied this other; "His grandfathers beat them many times." Then did I see much virtue in grandfathers, At least, for the little man Who stood against the mountains. Odnazhdy ya uvidel, kak rasserzhennye gory Vystroilis' v boevom poryadke, - Im brosil vyzov malen'kij chelovechek; Pover'te, on byl rostom chut' li ne s moyu ladon'. YA zasmeyalsya i sprosil soseda: - Neuzhto on voz'met verh? - Konechno, - otvetil tot, - Ego predki pokoryali ih mnogo raz. Togda ya ponyal, kak polezno imet' takih predkov; Po krajnej mere, dlya malen'kogo cheloveka, Kotoromu protivostoyat gory. Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo Odnazhdy ya videl, kak gory gnevalis' I vystraivalis' v boevoj poryadok. Protiv nih stoyal malen'kij chelovechek; Ej-ej, on byl ne bol'she moego pal'ca. YA rassmeyalsya i skazal odnomu poblizosti: "Razve on odoleet?". "Razumeetsya, - vozrazil mne tot, - Ego dedy bivali ih ne edinozhdy". I ya uvidel, chto est'-taki doblest' v dedah, - Po krajnej mere, dlya malen'kogo chelovechka, Stoyashchego protiv ogromnyh gor. Per. Vladimira Britanishskogo - 23 - Places among the stars, Soft gardens near the sun, Keer your distant beauty; Shed no beams upon my weak heart. Since she is here In a place of blackness, Not your golden days Nor your silver nights Can call me to you. Since she is here In a place of blackness, Here I stay and wait. Luzhajki sredi zvezd, Tihie sady bliz Solnca, Ne manite menya svoej dal'nej krasotoj, Ne struite luchi na moe bezzashchitnoe serdce. S teh por kak Ona zdes', V etom sredotochii t'my, Ne prel'shchaet menya Ni vashe poludennoe zoloto, Ni serebristoe siyan'e vashih nochej. S teh por kak Ona zdes', V etom sredotochii t'my, Stoyu i ya zdes' v ozhidanii. Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo - 24 - I saw a man pursuing the horizon; Round and round they sped. I was disturbed at this; I accosted the man. "It is futile," I said, "You can never-" "You lie," he cried, And ran on. YA vstretil cheloveka, chto gnalsya za Gorizontom Tak i bezhal za nim vokrug sveta. Menya ohvatilo volnenie. YA obratilsya k nemu: - Poslushaj, - skazal ya, - eto pustaya zateya. Tebe nikogda ne udastsya... - Lzhesh'! - kriknul on I pobezhal dal'she. Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo CHelovek gnalsya za gorizontom, Gorizont ot nego uskol'zal. YA uvidel, vstrevozhilsya I skazal cheloveku: - |to nemyslimo, Ty nikogda... - Vresh'! - kriknul on I prodolzhil pogonyu. Per. Andreya Sergeeva - 25 - Behold, the grave of a wicked man, And near it, a stern spirit. There came a drooping maid with violets, But the spirit grasped her arm. "No flowers for him," he said. The maid wept: "Ah, I loved him." But the spirit, grim and frowning; "No flowers for him." Now, this is it - If the spirit was just, Why did the maid weep? Vzglyani - vot mogila greshnika; Ee sterezhet neumolimyj duh. Pechal'naya deva podoshla k mogile s buketom fialok, Odnako duh ostanovil ee ruku. - Nikakih cvetov emu, - skazal duh. Deva zaplakala: - Ah! YA ego lyubila. No duh, mrachnyj i nepreklonnyj, povtoril; - Nikakih cvetov emu! Teper' rassudi - Esli duh postupil po spravedlivosti, Pochemu zhe plakala deva? Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo - 26 - There was set before me a mighty hill, And long days I climbed Through regions of snow. When I had before me the summit-view, It seemed that my labor Had been to see gardens Lying at impossible distances. Ogromnaya gora vozvyshalas' predo mnoyu, Mnogo dnej ya vzbiralsya po sklonu ee, Pokrytomu vechnymi snegami. Kogda vzoshel ya na vershinu i oglyadelsya, Okazalos', chto ya karabkalsya na goru lish' zatem, CHtoby uvidet' prekrasnye sady, Do kotoryh mne nikogda ne dojti. Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo - 27 - A youth in apparel that glittered Went to walk in a grim forest. There he met an assassin Attired all in garb of old days; He, scowling through the thickets, And dagger poised quivering. Rushed upon the youth. "Sir," said this latter, "I am enchanted, believe me, To die, thus, In this medieval fashion, According to the best legends; Ah, what joy!" Then took he the wound, smiling, And died, content. YUnosha v bogatom, sverkayushchem odeyanii Otpravilsya na progulku v dremuchij les. Tam povstrechal on ubijcu, Oblachennogo v srednevekovyj kostyum. Zametiv za kustami yunoshu, Ubijca rinulsya na nego S zanesennym kinzhalom. - Ser, - skazal yunosha, - Pover'te, ya vsegda mechtal Vstretit' smert' vot tak, Na starinnyj lad, Tochno v drevnej legende. Ah, kak ya rad! On s ulybkoj podstavil grud' pod udar kinzhala I umer, udovletvorennyj. Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo - 28 - "Truth," said a traveller, "Is a rock, a mighty fortress; Often have I been to it, Even to its highest tower, From whence the world looks black." "Trurh," said a traveller, "Is a breath, a wind, A shadow, a phantom; Long have I pursued it, But never have I touched The hem of its garment." And I believed the second traveller; For truth was to me A breath, a wind, A shadow, a phantom, And never had I touched The hem of its garment. - Pravda, - skazal strannik, - Pohozha na gornyj pik, na krepostnuyu bashnyu. YA chasto byval tam, Na samoj vershine, Otkuda ves' mir kazhetsya chernym. - Pravda, - skazal drugoj strannik, - Pohozha na vzdoh, na legkij veterok, Neulovimuyu ten' ili viden'e. Dolgo ya gnalsya za neyu, No ni razu ne kosnulsya Dazhe kraya ee odeyaniya. I poveril ya vtoromu stranniku, Potomu chto Pravda byla dlya menya Vzdohom, legkim veterkom, Neulovimoj ten'yu, viden'em, I ni razu ne kosnulsya ya Dazhe kraya ee odeyaniya. Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo - 29 - Behold, from the land of the farther suns I returned. And I was in a reptile-swarming place, Peopled, otherwise, with grimaces, Shrouded above in black impenelrableness. I shrank, loathing. Sick with it. And I said to him: "What is this?" He made answer slowly: "Spirit, this is a world; This was your home." Vot vernulsya ya iz strany dalekih solnc I okazalsya v takom meste, Gde kishmya kisheli gady. Oni shipeli, polzali, izvivalis', Pytayas' preodolet' nezrimuyu pregradu. YA otpryanul v otvrashchenii - Zrelishche bylo toshnotvornoe. Potom ya sprosil: - Gospodi, chto eto takoe? Posledoval netoroplivyj otvet: - O dusha, eto mir; Zdes' ty zhila, Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo - 30 - Supposing that I should have the courage To let a red sword of virtue Plunge into my heart, Letting to the weeds of the ground My sinful blood, What can you offer me? A gardened castle? A flowery kingdom? What? A hope? Then hence with your red sword of virtue. Ty polagaesh', chto ya dolzhen, nabravshis' muzhestva, Dopustit', chtoby alyj mech Dobrodeteli Vonzilsya v moe serdce, Prolivaya na travu Moyu greshnuyu krov'. CHto zhe ty predlozhish' mne za eto? Dvorec, utopayushchij v zeleni? Bogatoe korolevstvo? CHto? Nadezhdu? I s nej, konechno, tvoj alyj mech Dobrodeteli? Per. Anatoliya Kudryavickogo - 31 - Many workmen Built a huge ball of masonry Upon a mountain-top. Then they went to the valley below, And turned to behold their work. "It is grand," they