PUNISH US JUSTLY, LORD
Translation by Dmitri Manin
Punish us, merciful Lord, punish us,
Lead us into dark alleys and make us eat dust,
Show us the shiv, plug our pieholes,
All the same, we have no spirit, no soul.
All the same, we have no honor, no love,
Our temples have all been built on blood,
Our children are led in a zigzag pack
To the psycho who gobbles them for a snack.
Don’t spare us, Lord, hit us with bad luck,
Take away our last ruble, euro and buck,
Piss on us, beat us up, knock out our teeth,
Smear deadly poison on our bras and briefs.
Lure us into your blooming gardens,
Promise us pardon and then abandon us,
Hug us tight and snuff out once and for all,
All the same, we have no spirit, no soul.
Translation by Niles Watterson
Punish us justly, Lord, scourge and smite,
Behind a garage in the dead of night,
Brandish a blade, pull the garrote tight,
Who cares? Our dead souls won’t put up a fight.
Who cares? We don’t feel love or pride anymore,
Our temples are founded on blood and gore,
Our children are raised in a crooked path,
Devoured for dinner by a psychopath.
Proffer no pity, Lord, give no good will,
Don’t spare us a ruble or dollar bill,
Knock out our teeth and piss on our floors,
Smear lethal toxins in our under-drawers.
Tempt us with apples like Adam and Eve,
Promise redemption, but beat us like thieves,
Clutch us and crush us, grip our throats tight,
Who cares? Our dead souls won’t put up a fight.
The Original
Накажи нас, Господи, накажи,
Заведи нас ночью за гаражи,
Пригрози нам ножичком, придуши,
Все равно ни духа в нас, ни души.
Все равно ни гордости, ни любви,
Наши храмы строятся на крови,
Наши дети строятся невпопад,
На обед сжирает их психопат.
Не жалей нас, Господи, не жалей,
Не оставь ни долларов, ни рублей,
Выбей зубы нам, обоссы,
Смертоносным ядом натри трусы.
Яблоневым садом нас помани,
Обещай нам милость и обмани,
Обними, объятиями задуши,
Все равно ни духа в нас, ни души.
03.23.2022
Ksenia Kazantseva is a poet and composer. Her poems were included in Disbelief, an anthology of anti-war poetry (2022). She created several musical projects, such as Granddaughter of a Fantast and Nata Malama.
Niles Watterson, a poet and translator, grew up along the front range of the Colorado Rockies but has spent a significant portion of his life in the current and former authoritarian states of Eastern Europe, Russia, the Middle East, and Texas. His early university training is in Russian language and literature, and he translates from Russian and Czech into English. A world traveler at heart, his interests include the conflict between the individual and the state, religion, genocide, and the madness of crowds.
“Monkey’s Excuse” is a collection of short stories and parables by Nina Kossman, bilingual author of eight books of poetry and prose, compiler of the anthology “Gods and Mortals” (Oxford University Press), artist, and translator of Tsvetaeva’s poems into English.
This collection includes poems written in 2020-2023. (Russian edition)
“The Lingering Twilight” (“Сумерки”) is Marina Eskin’s fifth book of poems. (Russian edition)
Launched in 2012, “Four Centuries” is an international electronic magazine of Russian poetry in translation.
