Come out and bow to four of world’s corners
North, South, East, West. From the rooftop stretch out your palm --
Water and Sun, Clouds and Fire… Evening is calm.
Take in the world’s beauty, resplendent and dormant.
Saffron fog makes tattered torch flares blurry.
Taffeta gauze-drops in wet slender rays.
Towards the sky palms are raised up unhurried
Cloudlike parchment - sunset writ of past day.
Time-extinguished, dissolving and turning
Thoughts and events, ships and dreams slowly flee
Saved for that final journey of journeys –
Earth's best delusion in my memory.
1924
Максимилиан Волошин
Выйди на кровлю. Склонись на четыре
Стороны света, простерши ладонь...
Солнце... Вода... Облака... Огонь... —
Все, что есть прекрасного в мире...
Факел косматый в шафранном тумане.
Влажной парчою расплесканный луч...
К небу из пены простертые длани...
Облачных грамот закатный сургуч...
Гаснут во времени, тонут в пространстве
Мысли, событья, мечты, корабли...
Я ж уношу в свое странствие странствий
Лучшее из наваждений земли...
11 октября, 1924
Literal translation
Go out onto the thatch (ledge of the roof). Bow to all the four
Sides of the world, holding out your palm:
Sun, Water, Clouds, Fire –
To all that there is beautiful in this world.
A shaggy torch is in a saffron fog.
Like wet taffeta are the raylets of light (from the torch)
From the foam, towards the sky palms reach out
(In the he sky there are) cloud parchments of sunset manuscripts
Thoughts, events, dreams, ships dissolve in time,
Are muted (by the surrounding) space
I take with me into my treks and travels
The best delusion of this earth.