Dmitry Merezhkovsky - The Curse of Love

Дмитрий Мережковский
    
ПРОКЛЯТИЕ ЛЮБВИ
   

С усильем тяжким и бесплодным,
Я цепь любви хочу разбить.
О, если б вновь мне быть свободным.
О, если б мог я не любить!

Душа полна стыда и страха,
Влачится в прахе и крови.
Очисти душу мне от праха,
Избавь, о, Боже, от любви!

Ужель непобедима жалость?
Напрасно Бога я молю:
Все безнадежнее усталость,
Все бесконечнее люблю.

И нет свободы, нет прощенья,
Мы все рабами рождены,
Мы все на смерть, и на мученья,
И на любовь обречены.

Poetic translation


THE CURSE OF LOVE

With heavy anguish, hopeless straining,
The bonds of love I would remove.
Oh, to be loosed from their enchaining!
Oh, freedom, only not to love!

The soul that shame and fear are scourging
Crawls through a mist of dust and blood.
From dust, great God, my spirit purging,
Oh, spare me from love's bitter flood!

Is pity's wall alone unshaken?
I pray to God, I cry in vain,
More weary, by all hope forsaken;
Resistless love grows great again.

There is no freedom, unforgiven,
We live as slaves, by life consumed;
We perish, tortured, bound and driven,
Promised to death, and to love--doomed.

THE CURSE OF LOVE

With heavy anguish, hopeless straining,
The bonds of love I would remove.
Oh, to be loosed from their enchaining!
Oh, freedom, only not to love!

The soul that shame and fear are scourging
Crawls through a mist of dust and blood.
From dust, great God, my spirit purging,
Oh, spare me from love's bitter flood!

Is pity's wall alone unshaken?
I pray to God, I cry in vain,
More weary, by all hope forsaken;
Resistless love grows great again.

There is no freedom, unforgiven,
We live as slaves, by life consumed;
We perish, tortured, bound and driven,
Promised to death, and to love--doomed.