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Olga Levadnaya: “For a long” and other poems

Olga Levadnaya
Poetryzine Magazine presents the selected poems by the Russian poetess Olga Levadnaya

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).


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