O caterpillar, daughter of the butterfly
You too one day will soar past tower and roof,
Past boring little dachas in the suburbs.
Yet no mere louse are you fated to remain –
You’ll outstrip yourself, slipping from your skin.
Wherever – over earth or leaf – you crawl
Your body has to work a little harder,
You’re a real
Shakin’ break-dancer,
And a hundred flowers all blaze bright for you.
Svetlana [Alekseevna] Ivanova (b. 1965) Russia
Translated by Jenefer Coates
Source: Modern Poetry in Translation, New Series No. 20 - 2002 [Poetry Magazines]
Note by translator: Line 3 recalls a line from Blok’s famous poem “Neznakomka” (The Stranger): “… nad skukoi zagorodnykh dach” (above the tedium of country cottages (dach)), which refers to the famous boredom of Russian country life.
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