Life being short, poverty and wealth
are final verdicts, in that
poverty and life are of equal duration
and wealth and cold indifference
are perennial and hereditary, like diseases.
(from /May, Eternal/, 1988, tr. by Anselm Hollo)
And, briefly:
The old part (1754-1762) is known as
The Winter Palace.
Accordingly everything,
Floor, ceiling, walls
Is covered with these exalted beings:
Venus, Jupiter, many ladies
Of a full-bodied vintage.
You can still see how many a man
Lost head and hat
By the Berezhina River,
You can see that Borodino
Was a victory;
Of such
I'm talking, here,
Under the roof
Thatched by my hair.
(from /The Winter Palace/, 1959, tr. by Anselm Hollo)
http://wordstrumpet.blogspot.com/
