John Donne. The Good-Morrow. Russian Translation by Shlomo Krol

Also in Translations:

John Donne
Donne, a portrait by Isaac Oliver (c. 1595 )
John Donne. The Good-Morrow. Russian Translation by Shlomo Krol

I wonder, by my troth, what thou and I

Did, till we loved? Were we not weaned till then?

But sucked on country pleasures, childishly?

Or snorted we in the Seven Sleepers’ den?

’Twas so; but this, all pleasures fancies be.

If ever any beauty I did see,

Which I desired, and got, ’twas but a dream of thee.
 

And now good-morrow to our waking souls,

Which watch not one another out of fear;

For love, all love of other sights controls,

And makes one little room an everywhere.

Let sea-discoverers to new worlds have gone,

Let maps to other, worlds on worlds have shown,

Let us possess one world, each hath one, and is one.
 

My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears,

And true plain hearts do in the faces rest;

Where can we find two better hemispheres,

Without sharp north, without declining west?

Whatever dies, was not mixed equally;

If our two loves be one, or, thou and I

Love so alike, that none do slacken, none can die.
 

~ ~ ~

Что ж делали мы, право, я и ты

Пока не полюбили? Неужели

Как дети, пили млеко суеты

Иль как в пещере семеро храпели?

Обман — услады суеты земной,

И коль краса была любима мной,

Была то лишь мечта, сон о тебе одной.
 

Так с добрым утром, с пробужденьем вас,

О наши души, робко друг на друга

Глядящие: любовь, царица глаз,

Сжимает мир до маленького круга;

Пусть мореход стремится в дальний путь,

И пусть миры на карте многи суть,

Пусть мир твой буду я, а ты мне миром будь.
 

Мой лик в твоих очах, а твой в моих,

Открыто сердце в средоточьи взгляда;

Нет полушарий лучше, ибо в них

Заката нет и северного хлада.

Неравной смеси гибель суждена,

Но если стали две любви — одна,

И любим равно мы, то смерть нам не страшна.

About the Author:

John Donne 2
John Donne
London, England

John Donne (January 22, 1572, London – March 31, 1631, London) was an English poet, scholar, and soldier. Under royal patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral in London. He is considered the preeminent representative of the metaphysical poets. More in 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.

John Donne Джон Донн
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Length: 2 hrs. 08 min
Recorded: July 13, 2025