Such Happens
© by Yevgeny Yevtushenko

Such happens
what occurs to me:
old friend of mine,
he doesn’t visit me.
But many stranger ones,
one after one,
in idle vanity
they come and come and come.
And he, like me, with wrong ones,
is  wandering somewhere there,
and doesn’t care.
If even able to get and understand it , too,
we are unable to find the explanation
for this dissension.
And maybe both of us,
by tiff tormented, -
wrong oriented?

Such happens
what occurs to me:
wrong people
put their hands on me
and steal me in this way
from that one
whom I belong to
by his right -
from me myself, as well,
let’s name it
“from my mind”.

I yell.
I’m yelled at.
I cheat.
I’m cheated.
If even I look simple, sincere,
innocent and plain,
behind the affable smile
and teeth of white
I hide my palate black,
and my tongue bifurcated.
I fear
to take a look at tongue
in mirror.

I flatter.
I abuse.
I envy.
I dissemble.
I lie.
I often lie.
I’m used to lie.
I play the hypocrite.
I steal.
And i am robbed.

O, how many there nervous
and sick connections
And how many
needless friendships!
In me already grown bitterness and ache.
O someone!
o anyone!
You please come,
come and destroy
the close souls’ dissociation,
and aimlessness of coupled strangers.
Break it all dead.
I beg…..

Translated and submitted by Ludmila Radchenko

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