Sylvia Plath. Mad Girl’s Love Song. Russian Translation by Shlomo Krol

Also in Translations:

Ophelia1
N. Kossman "Ophelia"
Sylvia Plath. Mad Girl's Love Song. Russian Translation by Shlomo Krol

“I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;

I lift my lids and all is born again.

(I think I made you up inside my head.)
 

The stars go waltzing out in blue and red,

And arbitrary blackness gallops in:

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.
 

I dreamed that you bewitched me into bed

And sung me moon-struck, kissed me quite insane.

(I think I made you up inside my head.)
 

God topples from the sky, hell’s fires fade:

Exit seraphim and Satan’s men:

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.
 

I fancied you’d return the way you said,

But I grow old and I forget your name.

(I think I made you up inside my head.)
 

I should have loved a thunderbird instead;

At least when spring comes they roar back again.

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

(I think I made you up inside my head.)”
 
 
Любовная песня безумной девушки
 
Сомкну глаза – помрет весь шар земной,

Открою – снова все оживлено.

(Мне кажется, что ты придуман мной).
 

Вальс звезд на пурпуре с голубизной,

Вдруг мрак ворвался, всё черным-черно:

Сомкну глаза – помрет весь шар земной.
 

Приснилось мне, что стала я шальной

От чар твоих, объятий, песен, но –

Мне кажется, что ты придуман мной.
 

Бог рухнул вниз, погас геенны зной,

Выходит ангел, черт с ним заодно:

Сомкну глаза – помрет весь шар земной.
 

Вернешься ль? Нынче стала я иной,

И кто ты – позабыла я давно,

(Мне кажется, что ты придуман мной).
 

Гром-птицу мне б любить: они весной

Вернутся, будет грохота полно.

Сомкну глаза – помрет весь шар земной.

(Мне кажется, что ты придуман мной).
 

About the Author:

Sylvia-Plath photo
Sylvia Plath
Boston, MA, USA - London, UK

Sylvia Plath (October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) was an American poet and author. She is widely regarded as a leading example of the confessional poetry movement. Her work, known for its intense emotion and imagery, explored themes of death, rebirth, female identity, and mental illness. Plath’s poems, including “Daddy” and “Lady Lazarus,” are celebrated for their technical brilliance and fierce honesty. (Wikipedia)

About the Translator:

Shlomo-Krol-translator-photo
Shlomo Krol
Tel Aviv, Israel

Shlomo Krol translates poetry from Hebrew, English, Italian, Latin. In his early years, he lived in St. Petersburg. He moved to Israel in 1992. Currently, he lives in Tel Aviv.

Sylvia Plath Сильвия Платт
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EastWest Literary Forum Bilingual Poetry & Prose Reading. July 13, 2025.
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