Весна (Spring) by Boris Pasternak

Spring, I come in from the street, where the poplar is shaken,
Where distance is frightened, the house afraid it will fall,
Where the air is blue as the laundry bag
Of a patient released from hospital.

Where evening is empty, an unfinished tale
Left in the air by a star with no sequel,
Bewildering thousands of noisy eyes,
Expressionless, unfathomable.

by Бори́с Леони́дович Пастерна́к
(Boris Leonidovich Pasternak)
(1918)
from Темы и вариации (Themes and Variations)
translated by Jon Stallworthy and Peter France

Below is the original Russian Cyrillic version of the poem.

Весна, я с улицы, где тополь удивлен,
Где даль пугается, где дом упасть боится,
Где воздух синь, как узелок с бельем
У выписавшегося из больницы.

Где вечер пуст, как прерванный рассказ,
Оставленный звездой без продолженья
К недоуменью тысяч шумных глаз,
Бездонных и лишенных выраженья.

Additional information: This should not be confused with the other Весна (Spring) poem by Boris Pasternak from the collection Over the Barriers.

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MrHearne

Russian and Welsh poetry. Updated every Sunday. Also reviews of literature, films, theatre, food and drink, etc. Any support or engagement is appreciated.

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