There are no plains here, Here the climate is different - Here the avalanches follow each other, And here behind one fall of rocks pother one growls And one can make a turn, Md avoid the precipice But we are choosing the difficult way, Dangerous like the military path. One who never was here, One who never risked here - That one has never tested himself - Even though at the bottom he caught stars, Falling down from the sky. At the bottom you’ll never see Such wonders as these, No matter how you strive in your happy life... Even one tenth of beauties and wonders. There are no crimson roses And mourning ribbons, And that rock doesn’t look like A monument, That sacred rock With rewarded you with the rest. Like with the Eternal Flame the peak each day Glitters with emerald ice, The peak that your haven’t conquered Despite your try. And let people talk, yes, let people talk, But no, no one dies here in vain... Better to die here, Than from vodka or from flu! Others will come, Replacing the coziness For risk And the excessive work, They’ll take the most untrodden route. The plumb walls... Hey, do not yawn! Here you shouldn’t depend on luck, Nothing’s hopeful in the mountains: Not rocks, nor cliffs, nor ice. We only depend on the strength of our hands, The hands of our friends and a driven hook, And we pray at times, So the insurance Would not let us down. We’re cutting our steps down - We cannot step back! And our knees tremble from tension. And the heart is ready to fly To the summit straight from your chest. The whole world - on the palm of your hand! You are very happy and numb, And you’re only jealous of those - The ones who are yet to conquer their peak!
© Nathan Mer. Translation, 1991