There Are Poets and There Are Poets

"Цель творчества — самоотдача,
А не шумиха, не успех.
Позорно, ничего не знача,
Быть притчей на устах у всех."

               --Борис Пастернак (1890 - 1960)

There are poets and then there are poets,
And I often wondered what it means—
It’s like a loud crowd in the darkness—
It is the poet’s words that seem to linger
Amidst all the incessant empty shouting.

Yes, there are poets and there are poets,
The ones who point and the ones who take you there,
It’s like the difference between a picture
And a vision, a constant thirst and
An actual drink of water.

I’ve been walking alone in this desert
Of all the hollow words and empty phrases,
All singing loudly of truth and freedom,
Until I heard a silent voice speak in the darkness,
That led me to my inner liberation.

Yes, there are poets and there are poets,
The ones whose silence is louder than all the poems,
Like there are artists and there are artists,
Whose canvas takes you into another realm.

Yes, there are poets and there are poets—
The ones who point and the ones who take you there.


   January 30, 2005
--Alexander Shaumyan