By Daniil Kharms

Clocks tick
Clocks tick
Over the world springs dust

In the cities they sing,
In the cities they sing,
In the deserts chime sands.

Over the river
Over the river
A spear shoots and whistles

The wild one falls,
The wild one falls,
And sleeps, with an amulet glistens.

Like weightless steam
Like weightless steam,
Springs forth his spirit

And into the sun-ball
And into the sun-ball
Shoots, rustling his braids.

Four hundred warriors,
Four hundred warriors,
Threaten the sky with swords

The dead man's spouse
The dead man's spouse
On her knees to the river crawls

The dead man's spouse
The dead man's spouse
Breaks off a long stone's end

And hides the dead man
And hides the dead man
Under the stone, in the sand

Four hundred warriors
Four hundred warriors
Four hundred days stand in silence

Four hundred days
Four hundred days
No clock ticks above the dead man.


- 1938