John Donne

GO and catch a falling star, Get with child a mandrake root, Tell me where all past years are, Or who cleft the devil's foot, Teach me to hear mermaids singing, Or to keep off envy's stinging, And find What wind Serves to advance an honest mind. If thou be'st born to strange sights, Things invisible to see, Ride ten thousand days and nights, Till age snow white hairs on thee, Thou, when thou return'st, wilt tell me, All strange wonders that befell thee, And swear, No where Lives a woman true and fair.

If thou find'st one, let me know, Such a pilgrimage were sweet; Yet do not, I would not go, Though at next door we might meet, Though she were true, when you met her, And last, till you write your letter, Yet she Will be False, ere I come, to two, or three.

At the round earth imagin'd corners, blow Your trumpets, Angells, and arise, arise From death, your numberlesse infinities Of soules, and to you scattered bodies goe. All whom the flood did, and fire shall o'erthrow, All whom warre, dearth, age, agues, tyrannies, Despaire, Law, chance, hath slaine, and whose eyes, Shall behold God, and never test death woe. But let me sleep, Lord, and me mourne a space, For, if above all these, my sinnes abound, 'Tis late to aske abundance of thy grace, When we are there; here on this lovely ground, Teach me how to repent; for that's as good As if thou'hadst seal my pardon, with my blood.

Marke but this flea, and marke in this, How little that which thou deny'st me is; It suck'd me first, and now sucks thee, And in this flea, our two bloods mingled bee; Thou know'st that this cannot be said A sinne, nor shame, nor losse of maidenhead, Yet this enjoyes before it wooe, And pamper'd swells with one blood made of two, And this, alas, is more then we would doe. Oh stay, three lives in one flea spare, Where wee almost, yea more then maryed are, This flea is you and I, and this Our mariage bed, and mariage temple is; Though parents grudge, and you, w'are met, And cloysterd in these living walls of jet. Though use make you apt to kill mee, Let not to that, selfe murder added bee, And sacrillege, three sinnes in killing three.

Cruel and sodaine, hast thou since Purpled thy naile, in blood of innocence? Wherein could this flea guilty bee, Exept in that drop which it suckt from thee? Yet thou triumph'st, and saist that thou Find'st not thy selfe, no me the weaker noe; 'Tis true, then learne how false, feares bee; Just so much honor, when thou yeeld's to mee, Will wast, as this flea's death tooke life from thee.

Перевод И.А.Бродского Marke but this flea, and marke in this, How little that which thou deny'st me is; It suck'd me first, and now sucks thee, And in this flea, our two bloods mingled bee; Thou know'st that this cannot be said A sinne, nor shame, nor losse of maidenhead, Yet this enjoyes before it wooe, And pamper'd swells with one blood made of two, And this, alas, is more then we would doe. Oh stay, three lives in one flea spare, Where wee almost, yea more then maryed are, This flea is you and I, and this Our mariage bed, and mariage temple is; Though parents grudge, and you, w'are met, And cloysterd in these living walls of jet. Though use make you apt to kill mee, Let not to that, selfe murder added bee, And sacrillege, three sinnes in killing three. Узри в блохе, что мирно льнет к стене, В сколь малом ты отказываешь мне. Кровь поровну пила она из нас: Твоя с моей в ней смешаны сейчас. Но этого ведь мы не назовем Грехом, потерей девственности, злом. Блоха, от крови смешанной пьяна, Пред вечным сном насытилась сполна; Достигла больше нашего она. Узри же в ней три жизни и почти Ее вниманьем. Ибо в ней почти, Нет, больше чем женаты ты и я. И ложе нам, и храм блоха сия. Нас связывают крепче алтаря Живые стены цвета янтаря. Щелчком ты можешь оборвать мой вздох. Но не простит самоубийства Бог. И святотатственно убийство трех.

Cruel and sodaine, hast thou since Purpled thy naile, in blood of innocence? Wherein could this flea guilty bee, Exept in that drop which it suckt from thee? Yet thou triumph'st, and saist that thou Find'st not thy selfe, no me the weaker noe; 'Tis true, then learne how false, feares bee; Just so much honor, when thou yeeld's to mee, Will wast, as this flea's death tooke life from thee. Ах, все же стал твой ноготь палачом, В крови невинной обагренным. В чем Вообще блоха повинною была? В той капле, что случайно отпила?.. Но раз ты шепчешь, гордость затая, Что, дескать, не ослабла мощь моя, Не будь к моим претензиям глуха: Ты меньше потеряешь от греха, Чем выпила убитая блоха.

The apparition WHEN by thy scorn, O murd'ress, I am dead, And that thou thinkst thee free From all solicitation from me, Then shall my ghost come to thy bed, And thee, feign'd vestal, in worse arms shall see: Then thy sick taper will begin to wink, And he, whose thou art then, being tired before, Will, if thou stir, or pinch to wake him, think Thou call'st for more, And, in false sleep, will from thee shrink And then, poor aspen wretch, neglected thou Bathed in a cold quicksilver sweat wilt lie, A verier ghost than I. What I will say, I will not tell thee now, Lest that preserve thee; and since my love is spent, I'd rather thou shouldst painfully repent, Than by my threatenings rest still innocent.

Перевод И.А.Бродского WHEN by thy scorn, O murd'ress, I am dead, And that thou thinkst thee free From all solicitation from me, Then shall my ghost come to thy bed, And thee, feign'd vestal, in worse arms shall see: Then thy sick taper will begin to wink, And he, whose thou art then, being tired before, Will, if thou stir, or pinch to wake him, think Thou call'st for more, And, in false sleep, will from thee shrink And then, poor aspen wretch, neglected thou Bathed in a cold quicksilver sweat wilt lie, A verier ghost than I. What I will say, I will not tell thee now, Lest that preserve thee; and since my love is spent, I'd rather thou shouldst painfully repent, Than by my threatenings rest still innocent. Когда твой горький яд меня убьет, Когда от притязаний и услуг Моей любви отделаешься вдруг, К твоей постели тень моя придет. И ты, уже во власти худших рук, Ты вздрогнешь. И, приветствуя визит, Свеча твоя погрузится во тьму. И ты прильнешь к соседу своему. А он, уже устав, вообразит, Что новой ласки просишь, и к стене Подвинется в своем притворном сне. Тогда, о бедный Аспид мой, бледна, В серебряном поту, совсем одна, Ты в призрачности не уступишь мне. Проклятия? В них много суеты. Зачем? Предпочитаю, чтобы ты Раскаялась, чем черпала в слезах Ту чистоту, которой нет в глазах.

A VALEDICTION FORBIDDING MOURNING As virtuous men pass mildly away, And whisper to their souls to go, Whilst some of their sad friends do say, "Now his breath goes," and some say, "No." So let us melt, and make no noise, No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move ; 'Twere profanation of our joys To tell the laity our love. Moving of th' earth brings harms and fears ; Men reckon what it did, and meant ; But trepidation of the spheres, Though greater far, is innocent. Dull sublunary lovers' love Whose soul is sensecannot admit Of absence, 'cause it doth remove The thing which elemented it. But we by a love so much refined, That ourselves know not what it is, Inter-assurèd of the mind, Care less, eyes, lips and hands to miss.

Our two souls therefore, which are one, Though I must go, endure not yet A breach, but an expansion, Like gold to aery thinness beat. If they be two, they are two so As stiff twin compasses are two ; Thy soul, the fix'd foot, makes no show To move, but doth, if th' other do. And though it in the centre sit, Yet, when the other far doth roam, It leans, and hearkens after it, And grows erect, as that comes home. Such wilt thou be to me, who must, Like th' other foot, obliquely run ; Thy firmness makes my circle just, And makes me end where I begun.

Перевод А.И.Бродского As virtuous men pass mildly away, And whisper to their souls to go, Whilst some of their sad friends do say, "Now his breath goes," and some say, "No." So let us melt, and make no noise, No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move ; 'Twere profanation of our joys To tell the laity our love. Moving of th' earth brings harms and fears ; Men reckon what it did, and meant ; But trepidation of the spheres, Though greater far, is innocent. Dull sublunary lovers' love Whose soul is sensecannot admit Of absence, 'cause it doth remove The thing which elemented it. But we by a love so much refined, That ourselves know not what it is, Inter-assurèd of the mind, Care less, eyes, lips and hands to miss. Как праведники в смертный час Стараются шепнуть душе: «Ступай!» и не спускают глаз Друзья с них, говоря «уже» Иль «нет еще» так в скорбный миг И мы не обнажим страстей, Чтоб встречи не принизил лик Свидетеля Разлуки сей. Землетрясенье взор страшит, Ввергает в темноту умы. Когда ж небесный свод дрожит, Беспечны и спокойны мы. Так и любовь земных сердец: Ей не принять, не побороть Отсутствия. Оно конец Всего, к чему взывает плоть. Но мы мы, любящие столь Утонченно, что наших чувств Не в силах потревожить боль И скорбь разъединенных уст,--

Our two souls therefore, which are one, Though I must go, endure not yet A breach, but an expansion, Like gold to aery thinness beat. If they be two, they are two so As stiff twin compasses are two ; Thy soul, the fix'd foot, makes no show To move, but doth, if th' other do. And though it in the centre sit, Yet, when the other far doth roam, It leans, and hearkens after it, And grows erect, as that comes home. Such wilt thou be to me, who must, Like th' other foot, obliquely run ; Thy firmness makes my circle just, And makes me end where I begun. Простимся. Ибо мы одно. Двух наших душ не расчленить, Как слиток драгоценный. Но Отъезд мой их растянет в нить. Как циркуля игла, дрожа, Те будет озирать края, Не двигаясь, твоя душа, где движется душа моя. И станешь ты вперяться в ночь Здесь, в центре, начиная вдруг Крениться, выпрямляться вновь, Чем больше или меньше круг. Но если ты всегда тверда Там, в центре, то должна вернуть Меня с моих кругов туда, Откуда я пустился в путь.