Levon Shant (1869-1951) was an Armenian poet, playwright, and novelist. This is my translation of “Storm” from Armenian to English.
Storm
And outside, an opaque darkness:
the obliteration of light.
I stand facing my window,
silent and lonely.
And suddenly, the wind
sounds like a pack of wolves
howling fiercely to my face.
It howls, and then it fades.
And the rain’s many fingers
on my window pane,
they play one of the wild songs
composed by the chaos in me.
Levon Shant (1869-1951) was an Armenian poet, playwright, and novelist. This is my translation of “The Crescent Moon” from Armenian to English.
The Crescent Moon
From the dark sky at midnight,
it is the crescent’s odd eye
— thin, crooked, and unblinking —
that silently stares into my eyes.
And with a dry, mocking smile,
it’s as if it’s saying,
“Crumb of the universe! What are you doing there?
I know! A great deal! You are thinking!”
Misak Metsarents (1886-1908) was a Western Armenian neo-romantic poet. This is my translation of “Rejection” from Armenian to English. He wrote this one when he was 17 years old.
One kiss from you would have made me happy,
But you deprived me of that soft, beautiful gift.
You spat your merciless “No” at me indifferently,
And since that day, I’ve been suffering differently.
You deprived me of that soft, beautiful gift,
And you dipped in black the beam
Of my soft smile, sometimes burning, sometimes calm.
On that day, I became an unfortunate, miserable person.
You spat your merciless “No” at me indifferently.
That sharp-edged “No” made my heart bleed.
That cold bludgeon of rejection
Wrapped my soul in black.
Since that day, I’ve been suffering differently.
The suffering destroyed and ruined my heart.
Since that day when I drank from that cup of poison,
My heart has been bleeding without stop.
Bored Absurdist 