I was surprised to see that there was no thread devoted to KR's poetry!
I had managed a half-good translation of his beautiful "Колокола", Bells, but have since lost it. If anybody with good Russian skills wants to try their genius at translating some of his poems, they can be found here:
http://www.litera.ru/stixiya/authors/kr.htmlHere is my rough translation of one poem to cheer us up in the middle of winter. I also Romanized it (NB scientific transliteration), so those not so familar with the Cyrillic alphabet better can read the original Russian and appreciate the rhymes. Feel feel to improve the translation!
ВЕСНОЙ = VESNOJ = IN SPRING
Д. А. Муринову = D. A. Murinovu = To? D.A. Murinov? Вешние воды бегут... Засиневшее
Небо пригрело поля.
Зимнее горе, давно наболевшее,
Выплакать хочет земля.
=
Veshnie vody begut... Zasinevshee
Nebo prigrelo polja.
Zimnee gore, davno nabolevshee,
Vyplakat' khochet zemlja.
=
Vernal waters are running... turning blue
The sky has lukewarmed the fields.
For the mountain, winter became pining long ago,
The ground wants to sob out. Зори полночные, негою томною
Млея, гоните вы прочь
Тысячезвездную, холодно-темную,
Долгую зимнюю ночь.
=
Zori polnochnye, negoju tomnoju
Mleja, gonite vy proch'
Tysjachezvezdnuju, kholodno-temnuju,
Dolguju zimnjuju noch'.
=
Dawns of starry brilliance at midnight
Being thrilled, you drive away
The thousand-starred, cold-dark,
Long winter night. Ласточки, жаждой свиданья влекомые,
Милые дети весны,
Нам вы, вернувшися в гнезда знакомые,
Счастья навеете сны.
=
Lastochki, zhazhdojj svidan'ja vlekomye,
Milye deti vesny,
Nam vy, vernuvshisja v gnezda znakomye,
Schast'ja naveete sny.
=
Swallows attracted by the thirst for meeting,
Lovely children of spring,
Having returned to familar nests,
You bring happyness to our dreams. Яблоня, снег отряхнув, белоснежною
Ризой цветов убрана;
О, как пленительна свежестью нежною,
Как благовонна она!
=
Jablonja, sneg otrjakhnuv, belosnezhnoju
Rizojj cvetov ubrana;
O, kak plenitel'na svezhest'ju nezhnoju,
Kak blagovonna ona!
=
The apple-tree, having shaken off the snow, snow-white
With a shining coat it is adorned;
Oh, how bewitching is the tender freshness,
how pleasant does it smell! Грей ты нас, солнце; сияй ослепительно
Стуже на смену и тьме;
Дай насладиться весной упоительной,
Дай позабыть о зиме.
=
Grejj ty nas, solnce; sijajj oslepitel'no
Stuzhe na smenu i t'me;
Dajj nasladit'sja vesnojj upoitel'nojj,
Dajj pozabyt' o zime.
=
Heat you us, sun; shine dazzlingly
On the icy frost on change and on the darkness;
Allow us to take pleasure in the spring delightful,
Allow us to forget about winter. 4 мая 1902, Мраморный дворец = 4 maja 1902, Mramornyjj dvorec = 4th of May 1902, the Marble Palace