Levon Shant (1869-1951) was an Armenian poet, playwright, and novelist. This is my translation of “Philosophers” from Armenian to English.

Philosophers

Under the bright full moon,
in the distance, in the bosom of the field,
white, hunchbacked mountains
lean on each other’s heads.

Mountains? Who said so? They’re
grey-haired, brooding ravens
that have come together
wrapped in sheets.

And their serious, ugly faces
are lost in deep thought.
Maybe they’ll find the meaning
of being and the world.