"Giraffe", a poem by Nikolay Gumilev for his wife Anna Akhmatova (in English and Russian)

Nikolay Gumilev (1886 - 1921) is my favorite Russian poet. This is one of his most well-known poems in both English and Russian at the same time. "Giraffe" is one of Gumilev's poems about Africa - the continent he visited twice and loved a lot. He dedicated the poem to his wife Anna Akhmatova, also a famous Russian poet.
Giraffe
Today I can see that your eyes are especially sad,
And the arms, that are hugging your knees, are so gentle, my love.
Just listen, in a faraway land by a lake called the Chad,
Wanders an elegant giraffe.
His elegant body is shining in afternoon heat.
It's covered with a beautiful pattern which no man can make.
A beauty with which only the African moon can compete,
When its light breaks and moves on the waters of African lakes.
His step is as smooth as the flight of a bird,
From a distance he looks like the colourful sail of a ship.
I know, there are so many wonders to see in the world,
At dawn when he hides in the cave of a big marble cliff.
I know all the legends and tales of mysterious lands,
About the black maid and the passion of a handsome, young chief,
But fog has been holding your heart in its cold, rainy hands,
When I talk to you - you don't listen and you don't believe.
And how will I tell you of gardens, you haven't seen yet,
Of slender palm trees and the smell of mysterious grass;
You're crying. Just listen. By a faraway lake called the Chad
Wanders an elegant giraffe.
(Translated by Marianna Kaufman)
Жираф
Сегодня, я вижу, особенно грустен твой взгляд,
И руки особенно тонки, колени обняв.
Послушай: далёко, далёко, на озере Чад
Изысканный бродит жираф.
Ему грациозная стройность и нега дана,
И шкуру его украшает волшебный узор,
С которым равняться осмелится только луна,
Дробясь и качаясь на влаге широких озер.
Вдали он подобен цветным парусам корабля,
И бег его плавен, как радостный птичий полет.
Я знаю, что много чудесного видит земля,
Когда на закате он прячется в мраморный грот.
Я знаю веселые сказки таинственных стран
Про черную деву, про страсть молодого вождя,
Но ты слишком долго вдыхала тяжелый туман,
Ты верить не хочешь во что-нибудь, кроме дождя.
И как я тебе расскажу про тропический сад,
Про стройные пальмы, про запах немыслимых трав…
Ты плачешь? Послушай… далёко, на озере Чад
Изысканный бродит жираф
#gumilev #russianpoetry #poetry

[@mysteryredactedtheater4900]

you read this poem so beautifully ❤️❤️❤️ i love this video sm!!!

[@sergeysvids2756]

Thank you!

[@user-ft1oi9bb1t]

Читаете очень похоже на Гумилева. Мне показалось, я слышу авторское исполнение.