Moon, why you hide behind the clouds?

Perhaps, too shy to tell the truth:

My days are numbered, in the past

My life remains?

The time when lonely nights we shared,

And dreams of love – today it’s history!

Those days are gone when soul was brimming

With sweet anticipation of a fire set to ignite

My passion and desire.

Time and again Love stepped in my abode,

To take me far away on flutt’ring wings,

Its shine obscuring twinkling of the stars

That simmered in resentment, unaware

Of love so deep and selfless… so they laughed.

The shine of many souls that came before

Obscured stars’ dull shimmer till the clouds

Depraved them of the joys of love

And bitter tears rained from heavens.

Time and again my dream’s been coming true

Of love that I imagined in my head

And saw in other people’s eyes.

Time and again I heard his voice

As he appeared in my dreams

And softly whispered in my ear:

“You are the one for me, my darling.”

His hand felt warm and soothing on my face,

And tears of joy were running down my cheeks.

My bare soul, airborne on flutt’ring wings

To you ascended and its’ sine obscured

The twinkle of the stars.

Yet gloomy clouds, thundering with laughter

Moved in and took my joy away for years.

I know, Moon, beneath the skies

I walked a long and winding road,

Obscured now by the mist of years gone by.

Short were the days of joy on my long journey,

When love walked by my side.

The voice from dreams was silent in daylight,

It never whispered “You’re the one, my darling”,

I never felt his hand’s touch on my face,

And tears of sorrow were running down my cheeks.

My heart is filled with grief, it knows well

That time is almost up and soon the bell will toll

The soul will wave goodbye and leave the heart for good

As if it never caused enough distress

And never planted sorrow and despair

For missing of the whispered words:

“You are the one for me”.

Oh, Moon, for many days for you I waited

While you were hiding in the clouds, frustrated,

Forbidding stars from shining not to hear

The weeping of my soul.

Back then when love was so deep,

My soul was burning in the fire of passion

In vain: he never cared!

No tears left in eyes, the soul was crying

So bitterly as if the trees don’t bloom

Without love, or wind rips off the leaves

For sheer love! Or birds do sing of love and love alone,

Beholding tears in the eyes of the unloved.

I know, Moon, that I have come a long way,

But failed to grasp a reason for rejection.

Why love abandoned me? Entire life has passed

Devoid of love’s delights. It’s been a while

Since you and me shared dreams of love in twilight.

My heart is blue, the grief forever lingers

For want of softly whispered words unsaid

“you are the one for me, my darling!”

By Liana Margiva

Translated from Russian by Anatol Kardiukov