Ivan Bunin (b. 1870). Flax. Deutsch and Yarmolinsky, comps. 1921. Modern Russian Poetry

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Deutsch and Yarmolinsky, comps. Modern Russian Poetry. 1921.

Flax

By Ivan Bunin (b. 1870)


SHE sits on tumulus Savoor, and stares,
Old woman Death, upon the crowded road.
Like a blue flame the small flax-flower flares
Thick through the meadows sowed.

And says old woman Death: “Hey, traveler!	5
Does any one want linen, linen fit
For funeral wear? A shroud, madam or sir,
I’ll take cheap coin for it!”

And says serene Savoor: “Don’t crow so loud!
Even the winding-sheet is dust, and cracks	10
And crumbles into earth, that from the shroud
May spring the sky-blue flax.”