Original (Russian)
На ладони недвижного моря
Я, как мёртвый, на Мёртвом лежу.
Звёзды древне-недрёмано смотрят
На меня — я на звёзды гляжу.
Дышит мёртвым дыханием Негев —
Обожжёт, обовьёт, обоймёт.
Но земная блаженная нега,
Словно снег, на меня снизойдёт.
Не тону я, оболган и предан,
Оплываю свечой, но плыву.
Море горькое слёз моих предков
Держит жизнь мою на плаву…
English translation
On the palm of the motionless sea
I lie, like a dead man, on the Dead one.
The stars look, ancient and unsleeping,
At me — I gaze at the stars.
The Negev breathes with a dead breath —
It will scorch, entwine, embrace.
But an earthly, blissful languor,
Like snow, will descend on me.
I do not drown, slandered and betrayed,
I gutter like a candle, but I float.
The bitter sea of my ancestors’ tears
Keeps my life afloat…
The English is a literal, line-by-line translation, given so that readers can follow the original.
About the poem
Impressions of the poem “On the Dead Sea”:
The poem “On the Dead Sea” is striking for its deep imagery and philosophical depth. The author makes masterly use of contrasts to create a vivid picture of a lifeless landscape and to set against it the living soul of the speaker.
Images:
- The Dead Sea: The central image of the poem, embodying emptiness, death and the absence of movement.
- The speaker: Absorbed in contemplating the Dead Sea, he feels himself a part of its lifelessness.
- The stars: Motionless, eternal, as if watching the speaker from on high.
- The Negev: The desert surrounding the Dead Sea; its sultry breath heightens the sense of lifelessness.
- The ancestors’ tears: The sea, in the speaker’s words, is filled with the bitter tears of his ancestors, which symbolizes a bond with the past, with history.
- The candle: A candle burning on the water is a symbol of the fragility of life, in contrast with the abyss of the Dead Sea.
Language:
- The language of the poem is poetic, rich in metaphors and symbols.
- The poem is written in iambs, which gives it smoothness and melody.
- The use of words such as “motionless”, “dead”, “will scorch” and “bitter” underlines the lifelessness of the Dead Sea and the contrast between it and the living speaker.
Themes:
- Life and death: The central theme of the poem is the opposition of life and death. The Dead Sea is, on the one hand, a symbol of death, but on the other hand life is hidden in it: “the bitter sea of my ancestors’ tears”.
- Eternity and transience: The stars, as a symbol of eternity, watch over the fleeting life of a human being.
- Memory: The ancestors’ tears in the sea are a symbol of the memory of the past, of one’s roots.
- Strength of spirit: Despite the lifelessness all around, the speaker does not give up; he “floats”, like a candle on the water.
On the whole:
“On the Dead Sea” is a deep and many-sided poem that makes one think about the meaning of life, about the bond with the past and about eternity.
