Black tea for two

Ýëè Ñèãåëüìàí
— àâòîðñêèé ïåðåâîä —

"Tales of the Vienna Woods"...
two full turns
and rustling steps ...
and the sweated palm,
eyes smiled,
and the beauty shone in the features of your face.
And the silk was shy when touching the parquet.

Here and there the mustache tickled
gentle bend of a neck
and the hand were going down,
down the slope of the back ...
body odor ... perfume ...

And a machine gun was knocking
in the embrasure of fate.
Train stations were drowning in white cotton.
They adorned themselves by azure of a naive winter.
Scandals roared on the platforms.

One hundred years flew by,
like a layer cake:
peace and war ... peace and war ...
and vanilla custard of illusions
was mixed with a roar of dashing “Hurray!”
as the basis of peoples’  great union.

Black tea for us, two...
there are only you, only me
in an empty restaurant,               
on the doorstep
completion of a personal era;
we keep quiet,
we are waiting for orchestra in total dismay.

In adulthood, vodka is a living water.
It may treat longing and pain.
I was in love with you,
but maybe, you were not,
or you preferred to be very touchy...


 * "Tales of the Vienna Woods"
One of the most fabulous and magical works in the work of Johann Strauss-son.  It should be noted that the composition received the title of the longest waltz ever written by composer.

11.2020