Osip Emilevich Mandelstam Life Poems
- 1. Tristia
I have studied the Science of departures,
in nightâ??s sorrows, when a womanâ??s hair falls down.
The oxen chew, thereâ??s the waiting, pure,
in the last hours of vigil in the town,
... - 2. Venetian Life
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The meaning of somber and barren
Venetian life is clear to me:
... - 3. The Age
My beast, my age, who will try
to look you in the eye,
and weld the vertebrae
of century to century,
... - 4. To Read Only Children's Books
To read only children's books,
To have only childish thoughts,
To throw everything grown-up away,
To rise from deep sadness.
... - 5. We Went Out Of Our Minds With The Easy Life
We went out of our minds with the easy life,
Wine from morning on, hungover by evening,
How can I keep this idle gaiety,
Your blush, O drunken plague?
... - 6. Why Do The Clock-hopperssing
Why do the clock-hopperssing,
And fever rustle
And dry stove crackle --
It is red silk burning.
... - 7. A Flame Is In My Blood
A flame is in my blood
burning dry life, to the bone.
I do not sing of stone,
now, I sing of wood.
... - 8. As Psyche-life Goes Down To The Shades
As Psyche-Life goes down to the shades
In a translucent forest in Persephone's tracks,
A blind swallow falls at her feet
With Stygian tenderness and a green branch.
... - 9. Just For Joy, Take From My Palms
Just for joy, take from my palms
A little sun, a little honey,
As Persephone's bees commanded.
...
