Armenuhi Sisyan | Sometimes

***
I’m walking on you
leaving traces-
copies of my thoughts
sowing love.
Will you cover me
some day
with same affection,
earth?

***
Blissful Job,
dearest ancestor,
next of kin-
otherwise where do I get
this startling
endurance?

***
What’s wrong with me?
Indeed, one day
I was killed
by my unwritten
lines.

***
The Great Absence is
here again-
within me, round me.
Lord of Mercy,
lead me to the place
where I never am!

***
On the shore,
a little boy
was throwing stones
into the water.
That’s when
I witnessed
my doubts
stoning my
faith.

***
You are trying to
identify me
with everyone you know,
but see how hard
God has worked
on each grain of sand.

Sometimes
Sometimes the angels
are dying to see
something that’s not
theirs-
they get punished:
their wings get burnt.
The morale is
curiosity kills
the angel,
sometimes.

***
Between my yesterday and tomorrow
today is threatening me
in the face of
torment.

Between my enter and exit
the closed doors
are compressing me
with airless space.

***
Ripeness makes things sweet-
don’t taste the early
fruit; leave it
to time. It leaves the fruit alone
to become fully
grown.

Translated by Samvel Mkrtchyan

***
There were stony frozen
heaps of snow left
thereabouts.
They were the white feelings
sent from heaven
that had frozen
for they didn’t meet your warmth.

***
When the love pulled down
all the barriers
between the yesterday and today
the biggest barrier
was left there; the today-
you’re not in there.

The Man In Love

He was ready to refuse
the pleasures of all kinds
in which his beloved didn’t take part
and to pass hundreds of miles
following the myriads of his footsteps
for he hadn’t seen her for long,
for ages-
since yesterday.

***
I was accompanying
my own day
holding it’s hand
and trying to warm
it’s cooling hand;
the cars obstinately blow their horns
and hurry the procession of my day-
where does it proceed?
Only the autumn sun and me
don’t hurry;
Oh, sun, your every glimpse
is my heart-beat!

***
How can the tree trust
that the wind-that is
in the tender arms of the tree-
isn’t going to break its boughs down?

***
I was in love with you since the time I was slave
And had to carry water from the banks of the Nile
And pour it into your clay pot;
I was in love with you since the time when I was queen,
And you would knock the terrible bull down at the circus
And then put your head down before me;
I was in love with you since the time
When you were a pagan god
And wine and blood would mix into our pagan love,
I was in love with you since the time
When you were a crusader
And our love of Jesus would bless our love
And make us follow it;
I bring love to you from the depth of centuries
For I simply was born with love
And you must mix with the eternity of love
And then rise from the centuries being forever new.

Translated by Meruzhan Harutyunyan