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A wandering little light twinkles at an awesome height!
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| A wandering little light twinkles at an awesome height! written by Osip Mandelstam |
| From Tristia. Translation by Alexander Sitnitsky. Source: Poesia.Ru. In Russian: На страшной высоте блуждающий огонь. |
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A wandering little light twinkles at an awesome height!
But is that so? The stars are lying.
Transparent star, a wandering little light,
Your brother, Petropolis’s dying!
At an awesome height, the earthly dreams are light.
And the green star is twinkling, flying.
If you are brother, Star, to water and to sky,
You brother, Petropolis’s dying!
At an awesome height a monstrous ship tonight
Stretches its wings, stillness denying.
In splendid beggary the grееn star, in the flight,
You brother, Petropolis’s dying.
Tonight transparent spring collapsed over the earth,
The wax of being is melting, us defying. …
If you are Petropolis, Star, that town of yours,
You brother, Petropolis’s dying!
1918
© Alexander Sitnitsky, Translation. Can be reproduced if non-commercial.
