When waters of the Flood returned To normal coastal lines, From foam of receding waves The Love stepped quietly onto the surface And then dissolved, diluted in the air Until the eon times... And some odd characters that still exist Fill their lungs with that incredible mix, Expecting neither punishment nor fame, And thinking that’s the normal way to breathe They incidentally fall into rhythm With someone else’s same uneven breathing. For lovers I will make the beds of meadows And let them sing their songs In real and in dreams!... I breathe, which means I love! I love, which means I live! There will be lots of traveling and rove: This land of love is greatest in the world! It tests the Knights of Love in ever rigorous manner, Imposing distances, demanding separations, Depriving them of peace, content and sleep... However these odd characters won’t flinch From paying any price, will put their lives in danger To keep the magic and invisible link, The thread, which tied them up together. The pure winds of change would intoxicate them, Would sweep them off their feet and resurrect Because without love the life would be a waste And breath would be a waste without love! However lots of them who choked with love Went to eternal silence, Will not respond no matter how we cry, - The idle talk and gossip will recount them But that narration will be soaked in blood. And we, we’ll burn the candles for the heroes Who died of this unprecedented love... Their souls shall roam forever in the flowers, Their voices shall be destined to sing in tune, They breathe the shared breath of the eternal, And they will date with sigh on their lips On frail bridges, passages and fords, On narrow crossroads of the universe. For lovers I will make the beds of meadows And let them sing their songs In real and in dreams!... I breathe, which means I love! I love, which means I live!
© Svetlana Rakhimova. Translation, 2013
© Svetlana Rakhimova. Performance, 2023