Poetryzine Magazine presents the selected poems by the Russian poetess Olga Levadnaya
AGE
In a small house
on a GAUZE CURTAIN
a butterfly is dozing,
hiding from the cold.
DUSK in the room.
The door has paused for thought,
quietly opened
after the cleaning.
Autumn burns down
in the kindled stove
and damp runs around
the corners.
Grandpa is reading
yellowed letters,
feeling the impossible
return of time…
FOR A LONG TIME
Over the oldies roof of the hut
the speckled crow flies,
the wordless cherry tree rocks,
passing the GOOD days.
The cloud cherishes the twigs.
The seed is warmed by the earth.
The old man crafts the stools,
for the house, for a long time.
once distant become close.
***
In the semidarkness of the shore
the net of half-dozing
is cast casually.
Salty seagulls
circle over.
The trembling wind
stops on seeing
the burning eyes of the future.
I’ve lost my way
and I bend over the railings
of human non-existence.
I throw deliberately
a bold pebble,
further from the shore,
but it disappears
in the seething night…
The usual silence
on the edge…
***
Snow embroidered
by dry wormwood
like a meeting of future
with past.
I’m still only beginning
to get used
to the ageing tartness
of existence.
To how illness awoke
in the time of sleep.
Sleeplessness comes all the more often –
the fruitless night
of my imagination.
CRIMSON WINGS OF THE POPPY
Nothing appears
fro anywhere.
And these stones
running from the mountain
peak,
and the ships’ mast pines
rising on the steep bank
of the Volga,
and the swallows
weaving their nests
from last year’s grasses,
and the poppy
opening
its crimson wings of petals,
and the wrinkles
on the face
of the village mosque,
and I,
torn apart by doubts,
full of tears,
now joyful,
now sad,
now happy.
Translated into English
by Richard McCain
*Olga Levadnaya is a world-famous Russian poet of Russia, Honored Worker of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan (2008), laureate of all-Russian and international literary awards (2007-2022), member of Russian and international writers' unions (1997-2022), Ambassador of Peace (2021), member of the Eurasian Assembly (2023), artistic director of the Kazan Poetry Theater "Dialogue", creator and director of the Interregional Music and Poetry Festival "Handshake of the Republics" (2017-2023).
Author of books: “I live in anticipation of snow” (1992), “Go through the vicious circle” (1998), “In free fall up” (in Russian and Tatar, 2003), “Close to our past” (2003), “Rising on the ladder of thoughts” (2005), “Memories grow from the cry of birds” (in Russian, English, Tatar and Turkish, 2005), “Stargate” (2010), “Wind of the heart” (2014), “Vocal works on verses Olga Levadnaya" (2020), "Selected" in two volumes (2022), "Wind of the Heart" (in Russian and Tatar, India, 2022), "Wind of the Heart" (in Tatar, USA, 2022), "Turkish Tales "(in Russian and Turkish, Turkey, 2022), "Climbing the Stairs of Thought" (in Russian and English, India, USA, 2023), "Turkish Tales" (in Russian and Turkish, India, USA, 2023), "Selected" in 2 volumes (India, USA-2023).