Зимнее небо (Winter Sky) by Boris Pasternak

Out of the smoky air now are plucked down
 Stars for the past week frozen in flight.
 Head over heels reels the skaters' club,
 Clinking its rink with the glass of the night.
 
 Slower, slower, skater, step slow-er,
 Cutting the curve as you swerve by.
 Every turn a constellation
 Scraped by the skate into Norway's sky.
 
 Fetters of frozen iron shackle the air.
 Hey, skaters! There it's all the same
 That night is on earth with its ivory eyes
 Snake-patterned like a domino game;
 
 That the moon, like a numb retriever's tongue,
 Is freezing to bars as tight as a vice;
 That mouths, like forgers' mouths, are filled
 Brim-full with lava of breathtaking ice. 
 
 
 By  Бори́с Леони́дович Пастерна́к
 (Boris Leonidovich Pasternak)
 (1914-1916 )
 translated by Jon Stallworthy and Peter France 

Below is the original Russin version in Cyrillic

 Зимнее небо
 
Цeльнoю льдинoй из дымнoсти вынутa
 Стaвший с нeдeлю звeздный пoтoк.
 Клуб кoнькoбeжцeв ввepxу oпpoкинут:
 Чoкaeтся сo звoнкoю нoчью кaтoк.
 
Peжe-peжe-pe-жe ступaй, кoнькoбeжeц,
 В бeгe ссeкaя шaг свысoкa.
 Нa пoвopoтe сoзвeздьeм вpeжeтся
 В нeбo нopвeгии скpeжeт кoнькa.
 
Вoздуx oкoвaн мepзлым жeлeзoм.
 O кoнькoбeжцы! Тaм - всe paвнo,
 Чтo, кaк глaзa сo змeиным paзpeзoм,
 Нoчь нa зeмлe, и кaк кoсть дoминo;
 
Чтo языкoм oбoмлeвшeй лeгaвoй
 Мeсяц к сeбe пpимepзaeт; чтo pты,
 Кaк у фaльшивoмoнeтчикoв, - лaвoй
 Дуx зaxвaтившeгo льдa нaлиты. 
 

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Pre-Cambrian by R. S. Thomas

Here I think of the centuries,

six million of them, they say.

Yesterday a fine rain fell;

today the warmth has brought out the crowds.

After Christ, what? The molecules

are without redemption. My shadow

sunning itself on this stone

remembers the lava.  Zeus looked down

on a brave world, but there was

no love there; the architecture

of their temples was less permanent

than these waves. Plato, Aristotle,

all those who furrow the calmness

of their foreheads are responsible

for the bomb. I am charmed here

by the serenity of the reflections

in the sea's mirror. It is a window

as well. What I need

now is a faith to enable me to out-stare

the grinning faces of the inmates of its asylum,

the failed experiments God put away.


by R. S. Thomas

from Frequencies (1978)

‘It Is Your Lynx Eyes, Asia…’ by Anna Akhmatova

It is your lynx eyes, Asia,

That spied something in me,

Teased it out, occult

And born of stillness,

Oppessive and difficult

Like the noon heat in Termez.

As though pre-memory’s years

Flowed like lava into the mind…

As if I were drinking my own tears

From a stranger’s cupped hands.

 

by Анна Ахматова (Anna Akhmatova) (1945)

from Седьмая книга (The Seventh Book)

translation by D. M. Thomas

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Fun fact: Termez (Uzbek: Termiz/Термиз; Russian: Термез; Tajik: Тирмиз; Persian: ترمذ‎ Termez, Tirmiz; Arabic: ترمذ‎ Tirmidh) is a city in the southernmost part of Uzbekistan near the Hairatan border crossing of Afghanistan. It is the hottest point of Uzbekistan hence Akhmatova’s referencing it in regards to this poem’s themes when referencing the noon heat there.

In January 1893 the emirate of Bukhara gave the land of the village Pattakesar to the Russian government to build a Russian fortress and garrison and a military border fortification, where the Amu Darya river port was built.

In 1928 as part of the Soviet Union, Pattakesar was renamed and took the city’s ancient name Termez. In 1929, the village became a town. During the years of Soviet rule industrial enterprises were built and a Pedagogical Institute and a theatre were opened.