Воздушный город (The Aerial City) by Afanasy Fet a.k.a. Shenshin

At daybreak there spread through the heavens

Pale clouds like a turreted town:

The cupolas golden, fantastic,

White roofs and white walls shining down.

 

This citadel is my white city,

My city familiar and dear,

Above the dark earth as it slumbers,

Upon the pink sky builded clear.

 

And all that aerial city

Sails northward, sails softly, sails high;

And there on the height, some one beckons,—

But proffers no pinions to fly.

 

by Афанасий Афанасьевич Фет (Afanasy Afanasyevich Fet)

a.k.a. Шеншин (Shenshin)

(1846)

translated by ???

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Fun fact: A more straight forward English translation of the poem compared to the Scottish version posted previously Воздушный город (The Aerial City) by Afanasy Fet

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Воздушный город (The Aerial City) by Afanasy Fet

At the peep o day in the lift forgether

bonnie cloods like a steepled toun,

wi mony a dome like a bubble o gowd

and white roofs and white waas blinterin doun.

 

O yon is my ain white city –

or I came to the earth I bade there!

abune the derk warld quhile it sleeps

in the reid lift skinklan fair.

 

But it hauds awa to the North,

sails saftly, saftly, and high –

and a voice is fain that I’d join it –

but gies me nae wings to try.

 

by Афанасий Афанасьевич Фет (Afanasy Afanasyevich Fet)

a.k.a. Шеншин (Shenshin)

(1846)

translated by Hugh MacDiarmid

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Fun fact: MacDiarmid translation of Fey’s poem into a Scottish brogue. Here is a brief glossary to aid those not familiar with it.

waas blinterin = walls gleaming

or … bade = Before… lived there

quhile = while

reid skinlan = red sky glittering

For those wanting a more straight forward English translation Воздушный город (The Aerial City) by Afanasy Fet a.k.a. Shenshin