Original of this translation (TRYING AGAIN!)

[Robert Chandler]

Dear all,

This outstanding poem, by a former teacher of mine, is likely to be a
translation from either Russian or French. Does anyone recognize it?

Vsego dobrogo,

Robert

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
I¹ll 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 kenŠ Yes, he was right:
Now, from the west, where still the sky burns bright,
I too can hear the old mare¹s eager tread.


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