The poem below has since been translated into Russian. The quote is from the poet, Mayakovsky; the poem is about the poet’s last days when he is on the death-list.
Mayakovsky Knows. (“The sum of the river equals the beauty of the moon”.)
Every song I may sing,
Is yours, Mayakovsky:
Is your silent face.
Every dream I have
Is yours, Mayakovsky
From within your heart.
When they took you away
On that cold Moscovian night,
Shifting laws to make amends
For what they may do.
Did you smile, Mayakovsky
And know that your name
Will always outshine theirs?
And when they beat you
So you were blind, Mayakovsky,
Did you have a poem
To share with God?
Every day I live,
I live, Mayakovsky
In memory of you.
And in those Russian snows,
The words cried out:
“MAYAKOVSKY,
MAYAKOVSKY,
MAYAKOVSKY KNOWS!”
The sum of the river
And the beauty of the moon.
—
Lord Pineapple
Comments (33)
I like the poem, it makes me thoughtful, oddly about something I have been thinking about already.
As a student of literature, I can’t help but wonder at the shadows of poets and writers I walk under. One can’t help but wonder if some fledgling will stare at my shadow, for that is my dream, though unlikely realized.
Thank you for your words. They often make me thusly thoughtful. ~Angie
Your poem is breathtaking Thierry ( spell ?) . What a blow !
On another note I know obviously the Chablis but not the one you told me .
In friendship Michel
it reminds me of the red indian poetry
You have outdone yourself here, I see it and I know it. This one is outstanding, very fine, extremely worthy.
to honner the ones who come befor
great poem
t
this is beautiful, terry….thank you for sharing!
..shadow..
The Russian soul is strong yet wistful. How coincidental that you post this now. I have recently fallen in love with a Russian girl via e-mail. I fall in love almost daily lately. It’s the only way I can feel truly happy. Mayakavsky knows. This was beautiful.
Wow, beautiful. Really nice.
I’m sure Mayakovsky would love this. You did an excellent job.
So absolutely beautiful and moving.
FABULOUS!! A passionate tribute.
Who translated it? Just curious. Peace.
Hi! I will try to update at least once per every two days while I am in Kansas City, MO. I am going for three weeks and I will be sure to post pictures of my trip while in am there. Hope you are having a great week! Thanks for stopping by. :) ~Andrew~
Thanks for the comment about my poem “Comfort of Company.” Yeah… the length has been an issue for me. I’ve been struggling about posting it since shortly after I started my site in February.
I know length turns many people off; however, I believe I wrote it as best I could, so it is as short as it can be. It’s from the heart… it’s real.
I didn’t just do the blues… I lived, and still do, live the blues. Many times it’s the besy way to perform the music… not to mention write it. Thanks for the compliment, and as always… peace.
http://wavcentral.com/sounds/movies/dante/dpcof.mp3
I liked this poem…
what a heavy poem….leaving my hear sad…but great at the same time….
something very cool in the construction here, almost, dare I say “constructivist” which would be logically Russian.
Powerful. His life seems light years away from us. I don’t know of that poet…in fact, I’m just discovering this whole circle of writers like you and others who I never knew about. But back to the poet-it’s so sad and I think about the hostage Johnson being killed today…what some leave behind and how that effects people when they’re senslessly killed.
i particularly liked the subtitle!
I read a bit about mayakovsy…I didn’t realize that he killed himself. But my comment above still stands with a different perspective on what people leave behind when they die and we consider it senseless. How does it effect the validity of their art?? ….pondering…
Maybe not my best work but they all can’t be great. I think you have had a few bad days. And, I didn’t cop out with a quiz like some difficult birds I know.
Hi there. Joshua Brian, formerly known as Guenther Bacon. Feel free to stop by sometime.
Hello. Joshua Brian here, formerly known as GuentherBacon. Please come to my site sometime.
hello there! piss on the moon here. I have nothing to say but want to leave props. I hear if you collect enough of them you can win some poker chips.
Lovely.
I have a strong affinity with Russian poets. I lived with Russians for several years, studied the language in University as well as the literature. One of my favorite poets is/was Anna Akhmatova.
I think your piece here is a very fine offering, the real work of poets – to be the memory for the world, for each other, the lens that we all can learn to see ourselves from.
best regards from Canada,
Bonnie
Filled with beauty….sad and thoughtful, I like your style.
Is this the poem you wrote in French originally? Thanks for giving me another poet to Google. I knew nothing about Mayakovsky and with the little something I learned can appreciate your poem all the more.
lovely…I feel the sadness…thank you for sharing…huggs…Sassy
I’d say it’s a beautiful and moving tribute to a brilliant artist, but that sounds so cliche and overused. Hmmm…I wish more people would have this much passion for their work. Imagine if politicians had this passion to help people and really change the world for the better. Imagine if passion were not for personal gain but rather, like this poem, for others. Speaking of which, humans are odd. Humans are the only species known to frequently kill members of their own species for no good reason. That was a bit off topic… Anyway, wonderful poem.
We Americans often sell the Russians short. In a letter to the editors of either Time, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report or This Week ( damned if I can find it now) a reader commented that we aggrandize ourselves in saying that “D-Day and the Americans who died there made a turning-point in WWII.” while ignoring the fact of the Russians turning back the German armies at Stalingrad and the terrible losses and suffering by the Russians. It is true. I remember as a teenager seeing a propaganda type movie about Russia that celebrated their bravery in WWII…that was like 1942. Then came the Cold War and we were given a different picture of the Russian people and their contribution (losses) during WWII. This is the reason I subscribe to all these news magazines in the hope that I will at least get a wider scope on world affairs.
Thanks for the wonderful poem, Terry!!!
And send those Sarah’s to bed without supper.
Hi! Yes, I believe you should come to the states, as well. I would like to go to England some day and I will eventually go, but for now…I can always dream. Anyway, if you ever do decide to venture over across the pond, I recommend going to Florida. But, that’s just where I live and I love it very much. I live in a fairly large city or metropolis, which ever you prefer. I like Florida loads and I could not imagine living anywhere else. If you ever do make it to FL…go to Clearwater or Orlando or anywhere else. It’s usually nice everywhere, with cooperation from the weather, of course. Have a great week! ~Andrew~
you are beautiful soul…enough said
Very moving.