By the glacier’s edge you walk the ground, The vertical is promising adventures. Mountains are breathing in the clouds, Breathing out deadly avalanches! Mountains are always on alert, They will warn you when a threat approaches. So to home, to safety you return From the landslides and the gaping gorges. Mountains now hear the falling shells. Smoke is rising over hills and canyons. Back then, it was hard for you to tell Falling rocks apart from firing cannons! If you ever called for help, the peaks They would send your message with the eagles. Winds would carry over mountain creeks Cries of echo, like radio signals. And when men were fighting on the cliffs, Rocks they were lending you their shoulders. By the snipers’ bullets you were missed, Guarded and protected by the boulders! If you’re weak, the mountains won’t help! But to you they walk, not to Mohammed. The rocks would soften, and the Ice would melt, And the fog would cushion up the summit. But If you forever find your rest, Mountains won’t leave you in the cold: Your peace Is guarded by their crests Like the firmest tombstone in the world!
© Vadim Astrakhan. Translation, 2008
© Vadim Astrakhan. Performance, 2008