Someone spotted a fruit, so green, so thin; From a tree it was shaken and fell, it fell... Here’s a song how a guy failed to sing, to sing Never using his voice which was swell, quite swell... He was never among Fortune’s pets, pets, And for him luck was pie in the sky, in the sky; And the strings that he strung on the frets, on the frets With a latent defect then would lie... He started with the note “do”, But failed to finish, failed to do... To dot the i’s and cross the t’s, the t’s, He lit no fire in the dark, in the dark... A cat was licking off the fleas And dogs would bark... It’s funny, isn’t it? It is, it is! He started joking - failed to end, He’d rather speed but had to freeze, He’d rather rise but had to bend! He had only begun the initial round, round, He was playing the opening set, set, He had just finished looking around, around, And the ref was not counting yet. Though, of course, he expected to win, to win - He was hesitant, slow and meek, too meek... Hardly seen, from all pores in his skin, his skin Just like sweatdrops his soul would leak, would leak. The whole world from A to Z He craved to know, but failed to see, To seize the answer, to have won A long-desired wisdom pool. And she, who was the only one, Did not receive his love in full! It’s funny, isn’t it? It is, it is! He hurried, but was late a bit, No one can cope with the quiz - That quiz that he could not complete. In no word, in no line do I lie, oh, no! Strong addiction to Beauty he felt, he felt; And he wrote her songs on the snow, on the snow, But, unfortunately, snows would melt, would melt! Those days there were snowfalls with no breaks, And the freedom to write on the snow! Big hailstones and beautiful flakes, and flakes With his lips he would catch on the go... He was already on the wane, And her he simply couldn’t gain... His cart he couldn’t push or pull, So she remained too far away... Meanwhile his zodiac sign - the Bull Lapped up a cold Milky Way. It’s funny, isn’t it? It is, it is! A second missing all the time, A missing flash, a missing piece, A missing chance, a missing dime... It’s funny, isn’t it? All right, all right! You all agree, I feel the same... For interrupting race or flight Who is to blame? Who is to blame? Who is to blame?
© George Tokarev. Translation, 2001
Edited by Robert Titterton