Ermak
How strange a sight is this I see,
By thee revealed, Antiquity!
Beneath the gloomy garb of night,
By the pale moonbeam's cloudy light,
I gaze upon the Irtysh stream,
Whose waters foaming, whirling, gleam,
As on they rush with angry tide.
Two men I see, exhausted, there,
Like shadows in the murky air;
Their faces in their hands they hide.
One youthful is, the other old,
His beard hangs down with wavy fold;
Each wears a dress whose every part
With awe and wonder fills the heart;
Descending from their helmets down,
The coiling tails of serpents frown,
Mingled with owlet's bristling wing,
Their coats wild-beasts' skins borrowing.
Their breasts entire with thongs are hung,
Of flints, and rusty iron, strung;
Within each belt is firmly prest
A knife, whose edge well sharpened is;
Two drums are at their feet, I wis,
And close beside their lances rest:
They both are sorcerers of Siberian race,
And thus the meaning of their words I trace.
THE OLD MAN
" Roar on, old Irtysh, let our cry
Along thy stream re-echoing fly;
The gods have chastening sent in ire
And poured on us misfortunes dire. "
THE YOUNG MAN
" Woes, woes, upon us tenfold lour
In this our most disastrous hour. "
THE OLD MAN
" O thou, whose crown three nations bore,
Their names far-spread from shore to shore!
O mighty, proud, and ancient State,
Mother of many races great!
Thy glory's past and worn away,
No longer chief, thou must obey! "
THE YOUNG MAN
" As clouds of dust from whirlwinds hie,
So scattered quite thy people lie;
And he, Kuchum, dread of the world,
Is dead, on foreign deserts hurled. "
THE OLD MAN
" The holy Shamans, forced from home,
Throughout the rugged forests roam;
For this, ye gods of earth and air,
Was it that white has grown my hair?
Tell me, was it for this that I,
Through all my life your faithful slave,
Prostrate in dust before ye lie,
And thousands for companions have? "
THE YOUNG MAN
" And who are they have made thee fall? "
THE OLD MAN
" From Russia come they, one and all;
Why did not plague and famine loom
Upon our land with frightful doom?
Better if elemental wrath
Had fall'n in fury on our path,
And swallowed up Siberia's fame,
Than bow before this Ermak's name. "
THE YOUNG MAN
" Of Nature's self the curse and blight,
May curses heavy on him light!
Ye streams, and mountains old, 't is he
Has flung upon you infamy! "
THE OLD MAN
" As fiery columns passing on,
As icy blasts the land upon,
All fell by his destructive tread;
Where'er his fatal arrow sped,
There life grew pale, and death's dire smart
O'ertook each timid, cowering heart. "
THE YOUNG MAN
" By him deprived of mortal breath,
Our royal brother met his death. "
THE OLD MAN
" As I looked on, the hero's might
Shone forth in that terrific fight;
'T was on Muhammad-Kula's plain —
Such fight I ne'er shall see again.
His arrows hurtling in swift course,
His breast enkindled with strange force,
He drew from out its sheath his blade —
" Rather than weary life give death,
Free from captivity," he saith,
And fierce assault upon Ermak he made.
Most terrible the sight! as clash
Their swords, the lightnings from them flash;
Blow fell on blow with frightful sounds.
They give and they receive new wounds.
They seize each other in their rage,
And dreadful combat still they wage;
Arm against arm — breast against breast —
They in their struggle know no rest;
The wild woods with their cries resound,
They dig up with their feet the ground:
From brows ran down, like hail, their sweat,
And fearfully their bosoms beat;
Their heads incline from side to side,
And thus they grapple, to each other tied,
Still struggling on; until the weight
Of Ermak seals his foeman's fate.
" The victory's mine!" — 't is thus he cries:
" The land before me subject lies!" "
THE YOUNG MAN
" Accomplished is the prophecy,
That this our land should conquered be.
But shall the oppressed sigh in vain,
And never more to freedom rise again? "
THE OLD MAN
" Eternal is the fatal yoke:
Listen, my son! Late yesternight
Into the silent woods I took
My way; and there, while rapturous light
Enkindled all my inmost soul,
Burnt sacrifice I offered whole,
And to the gods made fervent prayer
That they would to our aid repair:
When, suddenly, the winds arise,
From off the trees the fresh leaves fall,
The cedars groan with creaking cries,
The goats away are scattered all.
Down sank I, when, above the noise
Of the dire storm, I heard a voice
Thus speaking: " Furious war does wage
Racha 'gainst sinners; to his rage
All those who sin devoted are;
Siberia has renounced my laws,
And righteous, therefore, is the cause
Why she be subject to the fierce White Tsar.
By morn and night ye shall be found
Alike in heavy fetters bound;
But Ermak's name shall never fade,
Nor of his race an end be made;
They 'neath the moon shall ever be
Eternal in their majesty."
When ceased the voice, the thunders loud
Rattled from out each stormy cloud;
On us has fallen Misfortune's hand,
Woe " — —
THE YOUNG MAN
" Woe to us, and our land. "
Then, while they yield to deepest sighs,
They from the moss-strewn stones arise,
And while their arms again they wear,
Along the shore they disappear.
Peace, Ermak, on thine ashes rest!
Thine image of bright silver made,
Which in Siberia's mines was laid,
Is by the crown of Russia prest.
But why speak I with hasty zeal?
What do my foolish words reveal?
We do not even know the place
Where rest thy bones in earth's embrace.
The wild beasts trample them upon,
Or Ostiaks, as they hurry on,
Chasing the antlered stag, and roe,
To bring them by their arrows low.
But, hero, from thine anger cease,
And let thy memory know peace!
Poetic genius every day,
When golden morning's beauties play,
Shall o'er thy corpse still float along,
And greet thee with triumphant song.
What matters it in any case
If to barbaric times we trace
Thy birth? Yet thou such deeds hast done
As have thy land victorious shown.
Although thine ashes disappear,
Though e'en thy sons no likeness bear
To thee, but, their great sire forgetting,
Their livelihood in wild woods getting,
They dwell the wolves and bears amid,
Yet never shall thy name be hid.
Thou shalt with demigods find place,
From age to age, from race to race;
And ne'er shall darken thy bright ray
Until grows dark the orb of day;
When with a crash the heavens fall,
And time shall cease to be, and ruin cover all.
By thee revealed, Antiquity!
Beneath the gloomy garb of night,
By the pale moonbeam's cloudy light,
I gaze upon the Irtysh stream,
Whose waters foaming, whirling, gleam,
As on they rush with angry tide.
Two men I see, exhausted, there,
Like shadows in the murky air;
Their faces in their hands they hide.
One youthful is, the other old,
His beard hangs down with wavy fold;
Each wears a dress whose every part
With awe and wonder fills the heart;
Descending from their helmets down,
The coiling tails of serpents frown,
Mingled with owlet's bristling wing,
Their coats wild-beasts' skins borrowing.
Their breasts entire with thongs are hung,
Of flints, and rusty iron, strung;
Within each belt is firmly prest
A knife, whose edge well sharpened is;
Two drums are at their feet, I wis,
And close beside their lances rest:
They both are sorcerers of Siberian race,
And thus the meaning of their words I trace.
THE OLD MAN
" Roar on, old Irtysh, let our cry
Along thy stream re-echoing fly;
The gods have chastening sent in ire
And poured on us misfortunes dire. "
THE YOUNG MAN
" Woes, woes, upon us tenfold lour
In this our most disastrous hour. "
THE OLD MAN
" O thou, whose crown three nations bore,
Their names far-spread from shore to shore!
O mighty, proud, and ancient State,
Mother of many races great!
Thy glory's past and worn away,
No longer chief, thou must obey! "
THE YOUNG MAN
" As clouds of dust from whirlwinds hie,
So scattered quite thy people lie;
And he, Kuchum, dread of the world,
Is dead, on foreign deserts hurled. "
THE OLD MAN
" The holy Shamans, forced from home,
Throughout the rugged forests roam;
For this, ye gods of earth and air,
Was it that white has grown my hair?
Tell me, was it for this that I,
Through all my life your faithful slave,
Prostrate in dust before ye lie,
And thousands for companions have? "
THE YOUNG MAN
" And who are they have made thee fall? "
THE OLD MAN
" From Russia come they, one and all;
Why did not plague and famine loom
Upon our land with frightful doom?
Better if elemental wrath
Had fall'n in fury on our path,
And swallowed up Siberia's fame,
Than bow before this Ermak's name. "
THE YOUNG MAN
" Of Nature's self the curse and blight,
May curses heavy on him light!
Ye streams, and mountains old, 't is he
Has flung upon you infamy! "
THE OLD MAN
" As fiery columns passing on,
As icy blasts the land upon,
All fell by his destructive tread;
Where'er his fatal arrow sped,
There life grew pale, and death's dire smart
O'ertook each timid, cowering heart. "
THE YOUNG MAN
" By him deprived of mortal breath,
Our royal brother met his death. "
THE OLD MAN
" As I looked on, the hero's might
Shone forth in that terrific fight;
'T was on Muhammad-Kula's plain —
Such fight I ne'er shall see again.
His arrows hurtling in swift course,
His breast enkindled with strange force,
He drew from out its sheath his blade —
" Rather than weary life give death,
Free from captivity," he saith,
And fierce assault upon Ermak he made.
Most terrible the sight! as clash
Their swords, the lightnings from them flash;
Blow fell on blow with frightful sounds.
They give and they receive new wounds.
They seize each other in their rage,
And dreadful combat still they wage;
Arm against arm — breast against breast —
They in their struggle know no rest;
The wild woods with their cries resound,
They dig up with their feet the ground:
From brows ran down, like hail, their sweat,
And fearfully their bosoms beat;
Their heads incline from side to side,
And thus they grapple, to each other tied,
Still struggling on; until the weight
Of Ermak seals his foeman's fate.
" The victory's mine!" — 't is thus he cries:
" The land before me subject lies!" "
THE YOUNG MAN
" Accomplished is the prophecy,
That this our land should conquered be.
But shall the oppressed sigh in vain,
And never more to freedom rise again? "
THE OLD MAN
" Eternal is the fatal yoke:
Listen, my son! Late yesternight
Into the silent woods I took
My way; and there, while rapturous light
Enkindled all my inmost soul,
Burnt sacrifice I offered whole,
And to the gods made fervent prayer
That they would to our aid repair:
When, suddenly, the winds arise,
From off the trees the fresh leaves fall,
The cedars groan with creaking cries,
The goats away are scattered all.
Down sank I, when, above the noise
Of the dire storm, I heard a voice
Thus speaking: " Furious war does wage
Racha 'gainst sinners; to his rage
All those who sin devoted are;
Siberia has renounced my laws,
And righteous, therefore, is the cause
Why she be subject to the fierce White Tsar.
By morn and night ye shall be found
Alike in heavy fetters bound;
But Ermak's name shall never fade,
Nor of his race an end be made;
They 'neath the moon shall ever be
Eternal in their majesty."
When ceased the voice, the thunders loud
Rattled from out each stormy cloud;
On us has fallen Misfortune's hand,
Woe " — —
THE YOUNG MAN
" Woe to us, and our land. "
Then, while they yield to deepest sighs,
They from the moss-strewn stones arise,
And while their arms again they wear,
Along the shore they disappear.
Peace, Ermak, on thine ashes rest!
Thine image of bright silver made,
Which in Siberia's mines was laid,
Is by the crown of Russia prest.
But why speak I with hasty zeal?
What do my foolish words reveal?
We do not even know the place
Where rest thy bones in earth's embrace.
The wild beasts trample them upon,
Or Ostiaks, as they hurry on,
Chasing the antlered stag, and roe,
To bring them by their arrows low.
But, hero, from thine anger cease,
And let thy memory know peace!
Poetic genius every day,
When golden morning's beauties play,
Shall o'er thy corpse still float along,
And greet thee with triumphant song.
What matters it in any case
If to barbaric times we trace
Thy birth? Yet thou such deeds hast done
As have thy land victorious shown.
Although thine ashes disappear,
Though e'en thy sons no likeness bear
To thee, but, their great sire forgetting,
Their livelihood in wild woods getting,
They dwell the wolves and bears amid,
Yet never shall thy name be hid.
Thou shalt with demigods find place,
From age to age, from race to race;
And ne'er shall darken thy bright ray
Until grows dark the orb of day;
When with a crash the heavens fall,
And time shall cease to be, and ruin cover all.
Translation:
Language:
Reviews
No reviews yet.