marikia Poetry (260)

When February's tapping at the window pane,
When distance is obscure from raging snow,
I so regret that miracle won’t happen then,
That neither joy, nor sorrow is to ever fly
In through my window like a freezing bird.

And it is snowing. Snowstorm's ripping wild.
And time is creeping on. The night's so dark ...
I am so sorry, truly so, my faithful wife,
For such a thirst in me to fall again in love!

Respond to call, oh my friend from afar,
Tell what is new, tell me please how you are?
I’ve been in no singing mood since long time.
My leisure’s unvarying, monotone one.

- It’s you, you alone, who’s to blame for this fact,
Look round and see that the spring's at its height! -
I hear the jackdaws so much like tradeswomen
Make hubbub so joyful outside in the yard.

What if I ran down, made straight for the yard
And scolded for din and for bothering us?!
But can I be bothered, should I make a fuss
Over things that in fact I don't care so much?!

Oh they, that's for sure, will shout me down,
With every good reason, and they will be right ...
See here and there the grass pushing up.
See streamlets so busily playing around.

The wind itself is acting crazy.
The ancient oak in sheer feeze
Has squared shoulders with a wheeze,
Bent on becoming green and glazed.

Let them the voices stay up nights,
Keep crying, ringing, blabbering much.
If I’m not ready, not in mood to write,
For me, I guess, springtime is still a long, long way to come.

The Sun with its limb will be touching the end of earth,
And windows with crimson will soon be ablaze,
Insomnia comes to harass and to rack my soul
From where she was hiding in black cave by day.

My soul is grieving, saying prayers
On edge of deep abyss,
It’s waiting for insomnia
To start her game with me.
My grief is chasing me to grave -
For past I have to pay.
Insomnia, I plead you go away!
For him I must forget!

I can recall happy days, days so full of joy,
But all of a sudden they’re shielded by pain,
I’m running from past to escape from it all night long,
But nowhere from past I can ever escape.

My soul is grieving, saying prayers
On edge of deep abyss,
It’s waiting for insomnia
To start her game with me.
My grief is chasing me to grave -
For past I have to pay.
Insomnia, I plead you go away!
For him I must forget!

Morning will come and my soul it will pacify,
Azure will be shining again in the sky.
But there in black cavern the she-wolf insomnia
Remembers me, waits for the evening to come.

My soul is grieving, saying prayers
On edge of deep abyss,
It’s waiting for insomnia
To start her game with me.
My grief is chasing me to grave -
For past I have to pay.
Insomnia, I plead you go away!
For him I must forget!

Who could deny oneself such love?!
For life – it doesn’t end tomorrow ...
I’ll stop to wait for you, resign,
And then you’ll come out of my sorrow -
Who could deny oneself such love?!

And you will come when it is dark,
When windows shake in beastly weather,
When you recall how long has passed
Since time we’ve been together,
Yes, you will come when it is dark.

And you will crave so much for warmth
You failed to come to love at one time,
That you will find the line too long
Of men waiting for turn at phone box -
That’s how you’ll long and crave for warmth!

I’d give all that I have for this!
And I so trust in what I’m feeling,
That not to wait I wouldn’t think
All day clinging to door like limpet -
I’d give all that I have for this!

Who could deny oneself such love?!
For life – it doesn’t end tomorrow ...
I’ll stop to wait for you, resign,
And then you’ll come out of my sorrow -
Who could deny oneself such love?!

Who could deny oneself such love?!

In wild of north, in cold, alone,
On bare peak pine stands,
Rocking in slumber and the snow
It shrouds in priestly vest.

It stands and dreams: in desert far,
On land where sun is hot,
Alone and sad on cliff up high
A beauty palm tree grows.


Cliff

A golden cloudlet passed the night
On breast of giant cliff,
In early morn she roamed blue sky
In playful childish glee.

But dampish trace was left in fold
Of old cliff. He, a lonely soul,
Stands on his own absorbed in thought
And softly cries in desert hot.

The curse of our age is haste,
And man, who’s mopping sweat from face,
Rushes as pawn about his ways
Brought by time pressure to the bay.

In haste they drink, in haste they love,
And soul is going down.
In haste they beat, in haste destruct
And then repent in hurry.

But you for only once in world,
When it’s asleep or boils and fumes,
Stop for a while as horse in foam
That scented precipice at hooves.

Stop on a halfway, do not go,
Trust in the heaven as in judge,
Think hard – if not about the Lord –
Think of yourself at least, your life.

Under the rustle of decrepit leaves,
Under steam engine’s raucous scream,
He’s sorry sight who runs off feet,
Who stopped to run – he’s great, he’s big.

Sweeping small worries off your life
Start thinking of eternity at last.
And hesitation holy, please do mind,
Will pour in legs like lead to stop your run.

Great power hesitation has,
When stepping on a faulty way
Towards faulty stars that loom ahead
You’re undecided, hesitate to wade.

Treading on someone’s faces as on leaves,
Halt for a while! You are as blind as Viy.
The very chance to stop and think
Don’t ever kill with all your rushing zeal.

When trampling busy toward the goal
On bodies as if they were stones,
Stop you, who has neglected God, –
Mind, it’s yourself you’re walking on!

When you are pushed by spite and all
Towards disregard of soul and heart,
Towards infamy of shot and word,
Don’t be in hurry, don’t comply.

Stop, do not move, you walking blindfold,
The populace of Mother Earth!
Stand still, you bullet, flying from Colt,
The bomb in air, do not move, just stop!

Oh man, oh you, whose name is holy,
Lifting up eyes with prayer filled,
Betwixt the breakup and the lechery
Just stop and do not move, stand still!

1967

(“Once could the Morn’s first beams, the healthful breeze,
All Nature charm, and gay was every hour: - But ah!..”
“Pain” by S. T. Coleridge)

If you can still partake of, feel the breeze
Which brings in waves the freshness of the air,
And find within yourself a joy that lingers there,
No stranger yet to youth you are at least.

But when the pain inside your soul assails
And in your eyes life’s color gets so dim,
Each stressful night makes any prospect grim,
Now that you’re old, tell, what’s the point of wait?

You sound less joyful, no more zest, no fire,
No friends, whose company adorned much younger days,
They're gone, only a few of them remain,
No love is left, just poetry to kindle soul with lyre.

So what’s to gain by waiting through the nights?!
There's neither joy in olden age, nor much delight!

I’m so alone, I feel my heart is bleeding,
Is there a soul with whom my grief to share?!
I’m so alone, I feel the walls to close in
Of cell that is my life, for me in void to stare.

I’m so alone, is there a soul who feels the pain,
For whom loneliness is no news, who thinks the same?!
I’m so alone, my heart extends to friends,
Who’re leaving little corner day by day.

I am so sad, with every parting, every farewell
You're cutting binding cords, make gashes in my soul.
Don’t take away your words expressed so well,
Just leave your poetry alone where it belongs.

I’m so alone, I call out for a friend, a kindly soul,
For whom a solitude’s no foe, but friend instead.
I’m so alone, my heart extends to all
With whom to while away and kill my days.

I’m so alone ...

Who knows where mystery of inspiration lies?!
It is in outbursts of feelings, heart, desires,
Coated with tender darkness, splendid, prime,
It’s in the tough relationships of ours.
All mystery of inspiration is in you alone,
The inspiration’s gift worth only you, my soul!

Pick a style, scramble your way through the words,
Push for prize there’s no chance you will earn,
Loaf around for a while, at loose ends on day off,
You’re a bard, no straw man, warts and all.
Take a palindrome word, even phrase,
Turn around – makes sense just the same.
I was reckless to waste all my efforts in vain,
If not smart, no loose screw ever trams.

The glades of lilac flowers
That blossomed in drowsy hills.
The twinkling of flitting fireflies
That heavenly messengers lit.

Children of difficult times!
What’s in store, who can ever guess?
There’s no point, you will never find
Human face unadorned, without mask.

Who can possibly walk with no ford
In such chaos of terror and dark?!
Word of God – only few ever hold
Till the end true to miracle such.

Our path’s ever narrower, steeper,
Hardly visible in pitch-dark.
We won’t let darkness spoil the picture,
Close up heavens on top of us.

And starless eye of cities great
Hides from us truth of basic grounds.
What if in boundless cosmic space
Towns are waiting for chance to be found?!

And with the radiance richer than Sun’s,
Bright are gates of towns and walls.
Take a look, try to open your mind,
Do as Christ did it once and for all.
Don’t you see our planet is crying,
Guiltless, perishing from the woe?!

Brace yourself against troubles of day,
Ring the bells for the people to pray,
Irrespective of case, you don’t wait,
Never yield, don't succumb to the fate.
Give all to Love, true to Love try to stay.

People normally don’t miss a chance,
Even once if you stumbled and swayed,
All'll rejoice in your blunder, disgrace,
Celebrate every moment you’re stuck,
Elevate their hopes that this time

Thanks to God theirs wasn't bad luck,
Other people have suffered, not us.

Maybe time has come we learned to care
Each of us to others should be fair.