Modern Russian Poetry/From Alexandrian Songs
FROM "ALEXANDRIAN SONGS"
Dying is sweet
On the battle-field
In the hissing of arrows and spears,
When the trumpet sounds
And the sun of noon
Is shining,
Dying for country's glory
And hearing around you:
"Hero, farewell!"
Dying is sweet
For an old, venerable man
In the house
On the bed
Where your forebears were born,—where they died,
Surrounded by children
Grown men,
And hearing around you:
"Father, farewell!"
But sweeter,
Wiser,
Having spent the last penny,
Having sold the last mill
For a woman
Who the next day is forgotten,
Having come
From a gay promenade
To the sold, dismantled mansion
To sup,
And to read the tale of Apuleius:
The hundred and first reading,—
In the warm, fragrant bath,
Hearing no farewell,
To open your veins;
And through the long skylight
Must come the scent of stock-gilliflower;
Dawn must be glowing,
And flutes be heard from afar.
This work is a translation and has a separate copyright status to the applicable copyright protections of the original content.
| Original: |
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929. The longest-living author of this work died in 1936, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 87 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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| Translation: |
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse |
