Author's website Alexander Korotko

Today it became known that the Writers’ Union of China intends to translate into Chinese and publish 14 poems from Alexander Korotko’s upcoming collection Blackout (“Blackout”).

In the letter that the author received in the morning, it was noted that the Chinese Writers’ Union considers the poems from Blackout under the numbers: 2, 14, 19, 25, 44, 49, 50, 55, 61, 64, 67, 69, 70, 75 – particularly interesting for their culture.

Below we publish verse 25 in the original language and in an English translation. Translated into English by British chief-editor Andrew Sheppard.

* * * 25 * * *

Слепок

твоих последних слов

Солдат,

вперемешку с кровью

и грязью,

налипшей на подошвы

твоих ботинок,

видавших виды этой

бойни.

А рядом новый артефакт,

и это –

слепок тишины,

вперемешку со взрывами

снарядов,

и эхом отборнейшего мата.

А чуть поодаль третий

слепок

твоих открытых глаз,

в которых вперемешку с небом

голубым

мгновение застыло навсегда

уликой,

доказательством,

что новый день уже пришёл,

весёлый,

без войны и без тебя.

* * * 25 * * *

A cast*

of your last words,

Soldier,

mixed with blood

and mud

sticking to the soles

of your boots,

which have seen

this carnage.

And next to it is

a new artifact:

this is a cast* of silence

mixed with

explosions of shells,

and the echo

of the most select obscenity.

A little further away is a third cast* –

of your open eyes,

in which, mixed with

the blue sky,

the moment froze forever

as evidence,

proof

that a new day has already come,

cheerful,

without war, and without you.

* Figuratively, the cast that the poet has in mind is a death mask. (Tr.)