“Oh, do not come in sadness” (“Не приходи уныло”), Karolina Pavlova

Pavlova wrote this in 1851. She was to live another 42 years, so whoever this is addressed to had a wait ahead of him. It’s quite a gem – fiendishly difficult to translate.

Oh, do not come in sadness
To where beloved’s lying,
Where all of life’s storm’s dying,
For all the force it had.

Your futile weeping’s madness –
No blooms or your reproaches;
Why roses’, tears’ approaches
To my ethereal shade?

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

К могиле той заветной
Не приходи уныло,
В которой смолкнет сила
Всей жизненной грозы.

Отвергну плач я тщетный,
Цветы твои и пени;
К чему бесплотной тени
Две розы, две слезы?..

Translation by Rupert Moreton