About the Author:
Ilya Bronshteyn
New York, USA
Born in Moscow, Ilya Bronshteyn is a poet and photographer. He graduated from Moscow State University of Arts and Culture. He came to the US in 1991; he lives and works in New York City.
Winter bird, turn me into ice
Soaking the colors of the evening sky,
Into oblivion of a child’s trace,
Into а transparent spall without the notes.
Winter bird, turn me into snow,
Helplessly falling past the staircase,
Its steps are up there, unnoticed,
Passing through a cloud without me.
Winter bird, turn me into а garden
Of frozen trees, their roots running
Into the autumn water of the timid streams,
Standing still without any obstacle.
Winter bird, turn me into a fruit,
Shielded by its tiniest skin from death,
Spotted in childhood behind a tiny door
Through tiny drops of sweat.
Winter bird, turn me into running
Of cold minutes in a transparent light,
Reflected by a glass,
Searching for a summer
Of one boy from the past.
May 13, 2020
English translation by Svetlana Gluzman
Зимняя птица
Преврати меня, зимняя птица, в лёд,
Вбирающий краски вечернего неба,
В забытость во времени детского следа,
В прозрачный осколок с отсутствием нот.
Преврати меня, зимняя птица, в снег,
Идущий беспомощно лестницы мимо,
Ступеньки её наверху и незримо
Проходят сквозь облако, где меня нет.
Преврати меня, зимняя птица, в сад
Замерзших деревьев, корнями ушедших
В осеннюю воду ручьёв оробевших,
Застывших на месте без всяких преград.
Преврати меня, зимняя птица, в плод,
Закрытый тончайшей корою от смерти,
Увиденной в детстве за маленькой дверцей
Сквозь проступивший каплями пот.
Преврати меня, зимняя птица, в бег
Холодных минут по прозрачному свету,
Стеклом отражённому в поисках лета
Каким-то мальчишкой из пройденных лет.
13 мая 2020
Born in Moscow, Ilya Bronshteyn is a poet and photographer. He graduated from Moscow State University of Arts and Culture. He came to the US in 1991; he lives and works in New York City.
Svetlana Gluzman is a philologist and an educator. She graduated from the philological department of Moscow State University where she studied classics. She has lived in New York City since 1992.
This excellent anthology, compiled and edited by Julia Nemirovskaya, showcases poems by Russian (and Russian-speaking) poets who express their absolute rejection of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“Nina Kossman is equally at home in all genres of short prose: diary entries, mystical novellas, letters, autobiographical notes, and psychological sketches. She has good taste, a sober view of herself and others, and an innate gift for holding the reader’s attention.”
— Dmitry Bykov
This collection focuses on the war between Russia and Ukraine as seen by Russophone poets from all over the world.
Launched in 2012, “Four Centuries” is an international electronic magazine of Russian poetry in translation.