Sunday, October 24, 2010, my brother,

60 years old, healthy man, didn’t wake up.

Dedicated  to my brother.

Like fleeting Spring my cheerless life has passed,

The Fall acceded to the throne of Summer.

And I departed, as I knew I must, from face of Earth

To nothingness. I knew this day would come,

But so soon I didn't expect the closure.

Time and again I heard the sacred tale

Of our souls that will ascend to heaven

And will be granted the eternal Peace.

Now that I dwell among celestial bodies,

I'm still awaiting my eternal Peace...

But how can Peace descend upon a soul

Who lost the footing of the Earth's firm crust?

The clouds whisper to my lifeless ears

That Peace will cost me memories of Earth,

But even though a lonely life I had

I wouldn't ever trade the Earth for Peace.

On Earth we make our shaky toddler steps.

In Earth we bury our lifeless bodies

And pray that mother Earth would warm them up

And cuddle them in warmness of its heart.

I used to worship whiteness of the clouds

Majestically marching up above

And dreamt about walking barefeet

Upon their cotton softness, now that

I watch the clouds lying underneath,

Their whiteness no longer brings me joy

And I am straining eyes to recognize

My native Earth's familiar landscapes

Through milky vapor of my new abode.

Oh, dear Lord, you picked my poor soul

To dwell eternally in Paradise

And lifted off my broken back

The heavy stone of life I carried once.

But heaven, where dwells the bliss

Can not replace the smell of soil,

The fragrance of the grass fresh cut

It won't squeeze out of my soul.

I'll never know the happiness

Without my loved ones who I left,

But, pray, don't be in any rush

To reunite us, mighty Lord!

I'm used to loneliness on Earth.

May trees I shared insomnia with

Not miss me and may not be sad:

There's plenty still of folks on Earth

Who spend their nights in wooded groves

And talk of Love with silver Moon.

Who'll tell the squirrels in the wood

That they will never get a treat

From their friend who passed away?

Who can convince them that I wasn't

In fact, in real Paradise

When they awaited for me

On  the porch?

Who'll wait amidst the ink of night

For birds who’s songs break nature’s sleep?

Or someone else will follow me

On my unhappy, dismal road?

On my last day on gorgeous Earth

The yellow leaves fell on my path

And cried out as I passed along:

Farewell, the soul that never failed

To share its love with lowly leaves.

Together we will pass away:

There’s no longer reason to

Shake on the branches and await

The coming of impending doom.

There’s no reason any more

To bow low before the wind

In hope that the wind will let

Us live for one more day

Or one more week.

The rain was weeping over my soul

It used to love to fill with sorrow,

It tried to wash away the pain

So it will no longer grieve.

There at a distance far away

The wind was howling in the sky

And passed along to birds and trees

The news that Soul who loved them all

Had gone to heaven on autumn morning!

By Liana Margiva

Translated from Russian by Anatol Kardiukov.