Мчись над волной, смелый... 1982
Translated by Tanya Wolfson ©
* * *
Fly over waves, hellbent,
My little brave sailboat.
On my face and your bow
Mars casts a scarlet glow.
Changing course, ready about!
What if Mars is my abode?
What if I'm on a quest here?
An uninvited guest here?
What if for me there's no death,
And Milky Way is my path?
What if this path of my travels
Never completely unravels?
Is that a reef, or an island
With hostile warlike strangers,
Or a welcoming smile and
A hearth shielded from dangers?
Could this be my true face,
Or just a faint blue trace
In the tree rustling's largo,
In your own song, Virgo?
Maybe the night is nervous
And trying to force my sails?
Maybe, deep under the surface
These are a sea-devil's wails?
He scrubs the ships' underbellies,
He lifts them past an odd shoal,
But at night the beast bellows,
Begging me for my soul.
I'll give men lands of rich soil,
I'll give God skies of sweet air,
I'll give this devil my soul:
I have souls I can spare.
And, symbol of bad tidings,
My specter will dance, gliding,
In the tree rustling's largo,
In your own song, Virgo...
Why promise me peace, Maiden?
Why try to conceal your weeping?
I know the secret you're hiding:
You want my heart for the keeping.
Very well, doors are open,
But don't forget, I'm an alien.
Here is a heart you can rope in--
But I have over a million.
Each one special and precious,
Each holds my powers and wishes,
My will's flowing garments,
My hell's growing torments.
But this is not my true face,
Only a faint blue trace
In the tree rustling's largo,
In your own song, Virgo...