“Autumn” by Nikolai Gumilyov, trans. from the Russian by Oksana Kobzarenko and Claire Muraoka
Autumn
Orange-red sky...
A gusty wind moves
a bloody cluster of rowan.
I am chasing the running horse
past greenhouse glass,
old park grating
and the swan pond.
Shaggy, red dog
running next to me,
dearer than my brother.
I will remember her
if she dies.
The clatter of hooves quickens,
dust rises higher.
It is difficult to chase a horse
of pure Arabian blood.
You have to sit down,
perhaps suffocating, on a rock
white and flat,
dully marvel at
the orange-red sky,
dully listen to the
screaming piercing wind.
Николай Гумилев - Осень
Оранжево-красное небо…
Порывистый ветер качает
Кровавую гроздь рябины.
Догоняю бежавшую лошадь
Мимо стекол оранжереи,
Решетки старого парка
И лебединого пруда.
Косматая, рыжая, рядом
Несется моя собака,
Которая мне милее
Даже родного брата,
Которую буду помнить,
Если она издохнет,
Стук копыт участился,
Пыль все выше.
Трудно преследовать лошадь
Чистой арабской крови.
Придется присесть, пожалуй,
Задохнувшись, на камень
Широкий и плоский,
И удивляться тупо
Оранжево-красному небу
И тупо слушать
Кричащий пронзительный ветер.
Nikolai Gumilyov
Nikolai Gumilyov (1886-1921) was the son of a naval physician. In 1905, he published his first collection of poems and subsequently became one of the founders of the Acmeist movement which focused on concrete imagery over emotional romanticism. He travelled and was especially intrigued by Africa, which inspired his poetry. When World War I started, Gumilyov returned to Russia and served in the corps of elite cavalry. During the 1917 Socialist Revolution,
he served in the Russian Expeditionary Force in France. In 1920, he co-founded the All-Russian Union of Writers to support writers during the turbulence and uncertainty. A patriot and monarchist, he made no secret of his anti-communist views and was executed by Cheka at the age of thirty-five. After his death, his ex-wife Anna Akhmatova and son Lev were oppressed, by association.
In his 1917 poem “Autumn,” the season’s approach is vividly imagined and accepted with a stoic, unvarnished calm.
Oksana Kobzarenko
Oksana Kobzarenko is a graduate of Moscow Linguistic University with experience teaching both English and Russian.
Claire Muraoka
Claire Muraoka has degrees in Engineering and more recently an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts.