Long ago, you left the light

Vladimir Lugovskoy


Long ago, you left the light,
But I still speak with you,
I remember the bay,
a south wind,
Emerald green seas.
The docks.
The night.
Shadow of a plane.
Enormous face of the moon.
Alarmed by cool thorn apples
Brushing your lips
On the slopes.
Canvas summer clothes.
Our flag above --
The crimson star.
Till coming of dawn,
Till break of day
We did not part
our embrace
not then.
Crickets thundered.
And all about
Events evolving
bore their fruit,
Above us
sailed
iron thunder.
Given that, we enter the past,
Two shadows,
poured in silver?..

1957


Translated from Russian by Jerome Raymond Kraus (2008)
© Copyright Jerome Raymond Kraus (2008)