Gluttony
by Nikolai Oleynikov*
Once, I recall,
Once I saw your sweet face.
On our second encounter
We kissed and embraced.
But the hundredth encounter
Exhausted my zeal.
Then in all frankness
I had to reveal:
"Without butter and bread
My passion will die.
To keep this love burning
Bake me a pie!
Can't you see I'm wilting
Every day, every night,
Tatiana, Tatiana,
Feed me, love, or I'll die.
I'm hungry and thirsty,
Make a fine gourmet meal,
Boil a pot of meat dumplings
With peas, carrots and veal.
With some kvass** and some meat
My flames burn so bright,
Yes, our love will be sweet,
Gentle, noble, complete,
Feed me, feed me tonight!"
Tatiana's off to the kitchen
To find something to eat,
Then returning, she serves me
A cutlet of meat.
As my body refueled,
I felt fire indeed,
Then once more I committed
Our love's dirty deed.
With another meat cutlet
Our love would resume,
So it went until dawn,
As I hastened my doom.
With the sun fully out
I slept so well,
While a drunk by the window
Was calling for help.
So I slept in my bed
Three days and three nights,
While my bones were cracking
In my dreaming delight.
But then I awoke
And groaned and screamed,
As if my awakening
Were a horrible dream.
I cannot feel my legs
And at once realize
That my heart had stopped beating
And I am paralyzed.
Then I knew I was dead,
In the ground I lay,
Buried, covered with a horse-cloth,
Terrified and dismayed.
As my flesh starts to rot,
I'm trembling with dread,
And I feel I could eat
Even twice as much dead.
I'm hungry once more,
Give me a cutlet of meat,
And some tea would be nice
With some chocolate sweets.
I don't want any loving,
No steamy love scenes,
I just want lemonade,
Corn, potatoes and beans!
But there's no reply,
Just the creak of a board,
And this heart of a poet
Will rejoice no more.
No, this heart will stay numb,
Alas, eternally so,
And from its ventricles
Yellow water will flow.
And the world all around me
Isn't lovely and fresh,
As a worm in the coffin
Digs into my flesh.
1932
--translated by Alexander Shaumyan
*Oleynikov was executed in jail on November 24, 1937.
Officially the date of his death was announced as May 5,
1942 of typhoid.
**kvass is a Russian fermented drink made from rye,
barley, rye bread, etc.
Copyright © 2005 by Alexander Shaumyan