Who wrote the original from which this was translated?

[Robert Chandler]

Dear all,

Does anyone recognize the original of this beautiful translation by Gordon
Pirie, a former teacher of mine who died about 20 years ago?  He translated
mostly fro Russian, though he did occasionally translate from French.

Robert Chandler


Evening.  I¹ll go to meet them down the old
Familiar road.  Light fades.  The colour¹s gone
>From all around me - earth, grass, tree and stone -
But overhead the sky has turned to gold.
Its soft warm glow burns brightest where the dark
Horizon swells to meet it in a gentle arc.
I¹ll go no further.  Under these oak trees
I¹d gladly sit and wait for them till morning,
Watching the standing corn sway in the breeze,
And one day¹s death become another¹s dawning.
So past and future in my own life meet;
And now the sweetness of the hour, so calm
And free, acts on me like a potent charm,
Stilling regret for what¹s behind, and doubt
Of what¹s in store.  My dog lies at my feet,
Watching a beetle crawl across the ground.
But what was that?...  He cocks his head,
Alert to catch some distant sound
Beyond my ken...  Yes, he was right:
Now, from the west, where still the sky burns bright,
I too can hear the old mare¹s eager tread.

                    Tr. from ?? by Gordon Pirie

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