A Poem by Marshak

(posted on Facebook by Интересно о гениях и известных личностях)
no copyright infringement intended

I talked about Samuil Marshak just recently: a poem I had wrongly attributed to him, actually authored by Sergey Mikhalkov. Well, I found on Facebook another Russian poem, by Marshak this time: Цветная осень (Colored Autumn). With my poor knowledge of Russian  I understood the rhymes only with big effort, but, as I was advancing line by line, getting its sense, I was more and more charmed by it. I tried then a rendering, in English and in Romanian.

They say traduttore, traditore (to translate is to betray). I couldn't keep to the exact words from the original, as some of them sounded superbly in Russian, while in translation they didn't have the same poetical force anymore. And the bigger betray is that from a great poem my renderings give only an idea on what it's about.

Цветная осень - вечер года -

Мне улыбается светло.

Но между мною и природой

Возникло тонкое стекло.

Весь этот мир - как на ладони,

Но мне обратно не идти.

Еще я с вами, но в вагоне,

Еще я дома, но в пути.

(http://s-marshak.ru/works/poetry/poetry006.htm)

(video by Svetlana Kolesnikova)

Autumn of colors, it's sunset of the year,
Light is so gently at me smiling.
Still between me and open air
It's like a thin glass that's emerging.

I have the whole world on my lap,
While still afar, not going back.
Again with you, yet still aboard,
Again at home, yet on the road.

Toamna de chihlimbar, anul ajuns in fapt de seara,

Sunt mangaiat cu-n zambet de lumina.

Si totusi intre ce-s eu si ce-i afara,

Sta ridicat un strat de sticla fina.

Am lumea-ntreaga-aici, in podul palmei mele,

Dar sa pornesc spre ea, nu, eu nu pot.

Din nou cu tine, totusi sunt plecat departe,

Din nou acasa, totusi pururi calator.

(Жизнь в Kнигах)