Looking for the Accomplice

From the book Vertep by Hrytsko Chubai (Jan. 23, 1949 – May 16, 1982), a brilliant Ukrainian underground poet, in constant conflict with the Soviet regime. Honoring him on his birthday with my translation. – Yuriy Tarnawsky

he saw today in his eye
yesterday’s tear

he saw tomorrow in his eye
yesterday’s tear

day after tomorrow he once again saw in his eye
yesterday’s tear and he understood
he’d never be able to shed it

and understood that this is
the end

THEN

he kissed the face of the evening road with the soles of his shoes
all the way to the abyss of silence long and painfully
stripped off himself the last phrase nervously
unbuttoning his words for a long time didn’t dare
to look at his reflection in the musical note re
and when he finally did look he saw there was nobody there

THEN

there shot up from the ground up a giant tree and it split in two the bell
and the tree of fright split in two the belfry
and left settle on its shoulder a huge flock of crows

this tree
took а long time to pass
and when it did pass
then all saw

HOW

along the spasmodic frozen line
а black apple came rolling down
а black apple rolls down
it stops in the field
and then the soul of the one who’s committed suicide rides in
on the gray horse of smoke

so as to find
the accomplice of the crime and the double of the soul
appears on the other side of the apple
atop а green clay horse
and the soul charges him with the crime

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and the double of the soul on the other side of the black apple
speaks his excuse

and then charges the soul of the double
with the same crime

and the soul repeats word by word
its own excuse

and when the double in anger
starts doubling for the third time
then the soul will hide behind a knife

and when the double doubles for the fourth time
then the soul will hide behind a candle

and the soul will hide behind a poppyseed kernel
when the double doubles for the tenth time
and everyone’s fright will start wandering aimlessly around and calling
in the middle of the three road signs passionately calling
to wonder around aimlessly
because a thousand of doubles
on the other side of the apple
will be grazing their green horses

A THOUSAND DOUBLES ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE APPLE

but there’s nowhere to hide
it’s not me no it’s not me
maybe it’s the flower
it’s not me no it’s not me
it’s the green horse
it’s not me no it’s not me

Translation by Yuriy Tarnawsky