There was a house everybode knew it Napoleon was able to visit it At last officials said to pull it down The tenants left it long ago But it was still alive It was cold in the houså The front door was closed long ago Boys smashed the panes already Stucco peeled off all over But something still existed there On the third floor In sighed, it moaned and groaned up there And children often whined to their mothers And used to walk around the house Having joined with neighbouring courts Having armed themselves with spades and crowbars In came a crowd of Janitors quietly They stand inside puzzled and perplexed They hurry back so clearly afraid Perhaps Napoleon’s spirit hovers there Or perhaps it’s just an auditory Hallucination Rather afraid are the janitors But finally the order was out And a worker who pulled down the house Smashed the roof with all machine might And afterwards vowed that he heard Somebody’s groan Mournfully in the house Well now children never tremble with fear 200 years old house exists no more And soon along the plan of reconstruction Tens of storeys will grow upwards Concrete glass metal Happy and healthy and picturesque future.
© Alex Sokolov. Translation, 2011