BORIS PASTERNAK: The Exclusive Days
The Exclusive Days
1959
In the lifetime of many days,
I hold in mind the days of ‘solstice’,
And every one was in his way,
And every – midst themselves not noticed.
And, link by link, the whole chain
Was self-assembled by collecting
Just those days, exclusive, when
We dream that time is stopped and waiting.
I do recall them one by one:
The winter to his first half go,
The road’s wet and roof is run,
And sun warms self on an ice-floe.
And they, in love, as in the dreams,
Stretch their body to another,
And in the height, on palms of trees,
Hot sweating pearl a starling-house.
And dozing watch-legs hang to fetch
Their meetings on the dial-faces
And day is longer than all age,
And no end for warm embraces.
Translated by Yevgeny Bonver, May, 2001