In Human Closeness... by Anna Akhmatova

 
In human closeness there is a secret edge,
Nor love nor passion can pass it above,
Let lips with lips be joined in silent rage,
And hearts be burst asunder with the love.

And friendship, too, is powerless plot,
And so years of bliss with noble tends,
When your heart is free and known not,
The slow languor of the earthy sense.

And they who strive to reach this edge are mad,
But they who reached are shocked with anguish hard --
Now you know why beneath your hand
You do not feel the beating of my heart.


~ Translated by Yevgeny Bonver, October 1995
Previous
Previous

streaked minnows and music by Miriam Margles

Next
Next

Words by Shinkichi Takahashi