Hops
Beneath the willow wound round with ivy
we take cover from the worst
of the storm, with a greatcoat round
our shoulders and my hands around your waist.
I've got it wrong. That isn't ivy
entwined in the bushes round
the wood, but hops. You intoxicate me!
Let's spread the greatcoat on the ground. translated from the Russian by
Jon Stallworthy and Peter France
a further translation by A S Kline:Khmel (Hops, and Intoxication)
Under the willow, wound with ivy,
we shelter from the storm.
A greatcoat covers our shoulders,
my arms, to keep you warm.
I’m wrong. The trees in this wood
are circled with hops not ivy.
Better to spread the coat
on the ground, here, beneath me.
