Three Poems by Pasternak
Translated by Henry Kamen These poems, written by Boris Pasternak in the last years of his life, are taken from `In the Interlude : Poems, 1945-1960,' to be published by the Oxford University Press next week. The poems will be published in two editions : the Russian originals with parallel texts of Henry Kamen's translations, at 30s.; and the translations alone, at 6s.
The Autumn Wood
The autumn wood, unshaven, lies Where shade and sleep and silence teem And where no squirrel or woodpecker Or owl can wake it from its dream.
And when the sun walks autumn paths Into the wood at fall of day, He squints round apprehensively Lest snares lie hidden in his way;
But only aspens, mounds, and swamps And moss and alder clumps grow there, And cocks are singing in a village Beyond the woodland marsh somewhere.
The cock gives full vent to his cry And then again falls silent long As though he had begun to doubt What meaning there was in his song.
But somewhere from his distant nook Another cock in turn gives cry, And like a sentry at the post He trumpets out his own reply, And like an echo his response Makes all the cocks in their turn mouth Their voices like signposts that stand To east and west, to north and south; Till, challenged by their clarion-call, The forest with newborn surprise Awakes, and stretches out to gaze At fields, horizon, and blue skies.
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