Boris Ryzhy
Wind my life a little way back . . .
Wind my life a little way back
and a little more:
there I am drunk, crossing the park,
an autumnal leaf-fall.
And I’m walking, a girl to the left
holds an oar, to the right
another holds a ball. Time rises, stands
and the leaves fly.
All the park attractions closed,
no one nearby
but in the far distance
my companion, the microphone.
What it’s singing, the devil only knows –
what it always sung,
that love has passed and life will pass
and the years soon gone.
I won’t ever come back here
in my final years
or glance at the sky and then
stroll through the leaves,
mumbling along that love
has passed and life will pass,
remembering no one, ancient devil,
on the edge of the abyss.
and a little more:
there I am drunk, crossing the park,
an autumnal leaf-fall.
And I’m walking, a girl to the left
holds an oar, to the right
another holds a ball. Time rises, stands
and the leaves fly.
All the park attractions closed,
no one nearby
but in the far distance
my companion, the microphone.
What it’s singing, the devil only knows –
what it always sung,
that love has passed and life will pass
and the years soon gone.
I won’t ever come back here
in my final years
or glance at the sky and then
stroll through the leaves,
mumbling along that love
has passed and life will pass,
remembering no one, ancient devil,
on the edge of the abyss.
Translated by Sasha Dugdale
Page(s) 37
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