tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Feb 14 03:05:00 1997

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bom qonbogh _Esenin_



What follows is a free translation of a poem by the Russian/Soviet poet
Sergej Esenin.  It's from his `Persian Motives', a cycle of lyric poems
which he wrote on a trip to the Caucasus.  See the end of this jabbI'ID
for the Russian original and a stanzawise translation into English.  --
I thank T'Lark for her comments on the first version.  --'Iwvan


  povam qaS wanI'vam.  lojmo' ngatwIj
  wa' mechwI' vIghoSDI', ghaH vItlhob:
  <_La'la_vaD _I love you_ ja'meH jatwIj
  nuq 'oH _Persian_ mu''e'?  qeS HInob!>

  jItungHa''egh 'ej mechwI' vIyu'qa',
  parmaqmo' leSbe'mo' qa'wIj nong:
  <_La'la_ 'IHmo' porghwIj botlhDaq tlhu' qa',
  DaH HISovmoH, _kiss_vaD nuq vIpong?>

  tIqwIjDaq <yIjot!  yItam!> vIra'meH
  HoS vIHutlhba'mo', mechwI' vIyu':
  <_La'la_ 'IHvaD _You are mine_ vIja'meH
  nuqDaq mu' vIlo'nISbogh vItu'?>

  jIHvaD jang mechwI'vetlh, ngat munobDI':
  <mu'mey jatlhbogh jat poQbe' parmaq;
  parmaqmo' bIvInglaH neH, bImobDI',
  meQtaHvIS mInDu', parmaq lumaq.

  pong ghajbe' _kiss_, 'oHvaD pagh pong 'u'maj,
  molmeyDaq Doch ghItlhlu'bogh 'oHbe'.
  ngab Hol, pongDaj jatlhtaHvIS wuSDu'maj,
  QoylaHmeH, wuSDu'Daj lo' je be'.

  len nejbe' tIq.  ngoj 'ej pe'vIl tlhu' neH.
  mu'mey Danejbe'nIS, not Datu':
  _You are mine_ luja'laHchu' ghopDu' neH, --
  Ha'quj luQeyHa'moHbogh ghopDu'.>


And now the original, as promised:

 _Ja sprosil segodnja u menjaly, / Chto dae"t za poltumana po rublju:
  Kak skazat' mne dlja prekrasnoj Laly / Po-persidski nezhnoe <ljublju>?_

`I asked a money-changer today / Who gives a rouble for half a tuman: /
How shall I say for fair Lala / In Persian the tender "I love thee"?'

 _Ja sprosil segodnja u menjaly / Legche vetra, tishe Vanskix struj,
  Kak nazvat' mne dlja prekrasnoj Laly / Slovo laskovoe <poceluj>?_

`I asked a shroff today / Lighter than the wind, quieter than the waters
of Lake Van: / How shall I name for fair Lala / the gentle word "kiss"?'

 _I eshche" sprosil ja u menjaly, / V serdce robost' glubzhe pritaja,
  Kak skazat' mne dlja prekrasnoj Laly, / Kak skazat' ej, chto ona <moja>?_

`And I also asked the shroff, / With shyness concealed deep in my heart: /
How shall I say to fair Lala, / How shall I say to her that she is "mine"?'

 _I otvetil mne menjala kratko: / O ljubvi v slovax ne govorjat,
  O ljubvi vzdyxajut lish' ukradkoj, / Da glaza, kak jaxonty, gorjat._

`And the shroff answered to me briefly: / Of love one does not speak in
words, / Of love one only sighs discreetly / And eyes burn like rubies.'

 _Poceluj nazvan'ja ne imeet, / Poceluj ne nadpis' na grobax.
  Krasnoj rozoj pocelui vejut, / Lepestkami taja na gubax._

`A kiss has no name, / A kiss is not an inscription on coffins. /
Kisses waft of a red rose, / Melting on the lips like petals.'

 _Ot ljubvi ne trebujut poruki, / S neju znajut radost' i bedu.
  <Ty -- moja> skazat' lish' mogut ruki, / Chto sryvali che"rnuju chadru._

`Of love one doesn't ask a guarantee, / With it one knows joy and trouble.
/ "Thou art mine" only the hands can say / That tore off the black veil.'

-- 
"reH Sov yInej 'ej Dap yImuS,          <dOstI bA mardom-e dAnA nEkO-st,
 jagh val qaq law' jup QIp qaq puS"     do^sman-e dAnA beh az nAdAn dOst>
                 (Sheikh Muslihuddin Abu Muhammad Abdullah Saadi Shirazi)
Ivan A Derzhanski  <[email protected], [email protected]>
Dept for Math Lx,  Inst for Maths & CompSci,  Bulg Acad of Sciences
Home:  cplx Iztok  bl 91,  1113 Sofia,  Bulgaria


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