Vladimir Mayakovsky
* * * * *
Past one o’clock. You're probably in bed.
The Milky Way is like Oka of silver
No need for me to rush. I have no reasons left
to stir you with the lightnings of my cable ferver.
And so they say, the incident dissolved.*
The Love Boat smashed up on the dreary routine.
We’re even. There’s no use in keeping the score
of mutual hurts, affliction and spleen.
Look here, the world exudes an eerie calm.
The sky bequeathed to us its constellations.
In periods like this I’d like to be the one
with ages, history and the creation.
1930
*Mayakovsky purposefully used a non-idiomatic expression to point out that "the incident"
was not "resolved" by anyone, but rather it was broken down by unfortunate circumstances.
To indicate that he came up with a novel word in Russian (исперчен), which is a blend
of “spoiled” (испорчен) and “peppered” (перчен). The English word “dissolved” is used
here to render Mayakovsky’s intention albeit partially.
Mayakovsky's suicide note from April 12, 1930 read in part:
And so they say,
"the incident dissolved"
the love boat smashed up
on the dreary routine.
I'm through with live
and [we] should absolve
from mutual hurts, affliction and spleen. .
It was written two days before he shot himself on April 14th, 1930.
Владимир Маяковский
* * * * *
Уже второй. Должно быть, ты легла.
В ночи Млечпуть серебряной Окою.
Я не спешу, и молниями телеграмм
мне незачем тебя будить и беспокоить.
Как говорят, инцидент исперчен.
Любовная лодка разбилась о быт.
С тобой мы в расчете. И не к чему перечень
взаимных болей, бед и обид.
Ты посмотри, какая в мире тишь.
Ночь обложила небо звездной данью.
В такие вот часы встаешь и говоришь
векам, истории и мирозданью.
1930
