TL Climbing - Page 11

The Top


This land isn’t flat this climate is bad
There’re avalanches frome time to time
And stones fall from somewhere above
And we can turn and go round
But what we choose is a difficult route
Dangerous like a path of war.

You never were here you never took risk
It means you never tested yourself
Even if you grabbed stars from the sky
Down there you’ll never meet
Never in your happy life
Ten percent of miracles and beauties here

No scarlet roses no funeral crepe
It doesn’t look like a tombstone
The stone that gave you eternal peace
In daylight eternal fire sparkles
Eternal fire of emerald ice
The ice on the mountain top you never reached.

And let them gossip and let them talk
We know nobody dies in vain
This way to die is better than vodka or cold
The others will change some comfortable place
To risk and a lot of excessive work
They will complete your uncompleted route.

Look out when climbing these vertical walls
Don’t set your hopes upon your luck
At mountains we never trust neither stone nor ice
All you can trust is your own hands
And hands of your friend and safety anchor
And prayer to Lord for the quality of the rope.

We cut footsteps we never step back
We spare no efforts with thembling knees
Your heart is ready to leave you after and run
The world’s on your palm you’re happy and dumb
You envy a bit the climbing people
The others with their tops still waiting ahead.

© Alex Sokolov. Translation, 2011