[Glenn Wright]

Osip Mandelstam was a Russian poet associated briefly with the Acmeist poets. He was romantically linked to Anna Akhmatova and Marina Tsvetayeva, whose poems have been recently translated in this Forum. He was a victim of Stalinist persecution.

I Tremble from the Cold

by Osip Mandelstam

I tremble from the cold,
wanting to say nothing!
But in the sky is dancing gold—
It orders me to sing.

Be tortured, stressed musician,
love, weep, and recall,
and from a planet, dim, forgotten,
catch the soft-thrown ball!

So this is it — a certain
link to the world so weird!
What a painful yearning,
what trouble has occurred!

What if over a chic shop
twinkling ever apart
suddenly a star would drop
like an icepick through my heart.

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Edits:
S2L1: Languish, fearful musician, > Be tortured, anxious musician, > Be tortured, stressed musician,
S2L2: love, remember, bawl, > love, weep, and recall,
S2L4: pick up the soft-thrown ball. > catch the soft-thrown ball.
S3L1: So here it is — a certain > So this is it — a certain
S3L4: a stiletto into my heart. > a stiletto through my heart. > like an icepick through my heart.

————————
Original (Интернет Библиотека Алексея Комарова)

Я вздрагиваю от холода

Осипа Мандельштама

Я вздрагиваю от холода —
Мне хочется онеметь!
А в небе танцует золото —
Приказывает мне петь.

Томись музыкант встревоженный,
Люби, вспоминай и плачь,
И, с тусклой планеты брошенный,
Подхватывай легкий мяч!

Так вот она — настоящая
С таинственным миром связь!
Какая тоска щемящая,
Какая беда стряслась!

Что, если, над модной лавкою
Мерцающая всегда
Мне в сердце длинной булавкой
Опустится вдруг звезда?

1912
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Edits:
S3L4: стряслось > стряслась
————————
Crib:

I Tremble from the Cold

by Osip Mandelstam

I tremble from the cold —
I want to be mute/numb!
But in the sky gold dances —
It orders me to sing.

Waste away, anxious musician,
love, remember, and weep,
and from a dim, abandoned/forsaken planet,
pick up/catch the easily-thrown ball!

So here it is — a real
connection with the mysterious world!
What painful yearning,
what trouble happened!

What if, above the stylish shop,
twinkling forever
a star drops [like] a long pin
suddenly into my heart.