Clever Devil
My old best friend, my faithful Devil,
Sang me a ditty of his own:
"All night a sailor held sea level,
But at the dawn he sank like stone.
The waves like walls stood all around,
They fell then raised white crests again,
His great love passed, before he drowned,
In front of him as white foam mane.
He heard the call in deadly revel:
'Have faith, my vow I won't disown...'
But get it, - uttered clever Devil, -
That at the dawn he sank like stone."
Sang me a ditty of his own:
"All night a sailor held sea level,
But at the dawn he sank like stone.
The waves like walls stood all around,
They fell then raised white crests again,
His great love passed, before he drowned,
In front of him as white foam mane.
He heard the call in deadly revel:
'Have faith, my vow I won't disown...'
But get it, - uttered clever Devil, -
That at the dawn he sank like stone."
Перевод стихотворения Николая Гумилёва «Умный дьявол» на английский язык.