The Necklace by Osip Mandelstam translated from the Russian by Christian Wiman

Take, from my palms, for joy, for ease,

A little honey, a little sun,

That we may obey Persephone's bees.

You can't untie a boat unmoored.

Fur-shod shadows can't be heard,

Nor terror, in this life, mastered.

Love, what's left for us, and of us, is this

Living remnant, loving revenant, brief kiss

Like a bee flying completed dying hiveless

To find in the forest's heart a home,

Night's never-ending hum,

Thriving on meadowsweet, mint, and time.

Take, for all that is good, for all that is gone,

That it may lie rough and real against your collarbone,

This string of bees, that once turned honey into sun.

(NOVEMBER 1920)

If you enjoyed last week's poem - Galway by Chris Jones - you can find out more about Chris Jones at http://www.chris-jones.org.uk.