The poem

Translating from Russian: Valentin Voroshilov

Editor of the translation: (here could be your name!)

Fairy tale about Small Umbrella and Big White Bird

What am I writing this for? I do not know. Probably, it would be desirable to dig out in itself the rests of the childhood, left irrevocably. But, who really cares, for what reason the adult rationalist need to find in this world just something simply light. So...

In one City of Umbrellas lived Umbrellas.

The different Umbrellas lived over there: ones were Big and Black, very important and serious. They went slowly along streets and exchanged of bows each with other. Others were Motley and Bright, they had fun all days without a break, flied over the streets, visited to each other or ran rushed through the City to flit on a nature. There were many other Umbrellas in this City, which were busy of them everyday things and cared only about one thing - that the Strong Wind has not carried them from the City away.

Light Small Umbrella lived in this City too. He was very young and all other Umbrellas considered his silly because he liked to stick to them with very silly questions. Well think, what may be sillier than a question “Who lives far, vary far from our City of Umbrellas?”, or “Can the Strong Wind lift me and carry above whole the World, and bring me then back home?”, well and many other nonsenses. And, still he frequently was watching at the Sky and tried to imagine, what he would see, if he were to made a flight in this light blue Height. So, as thus he did not look under his legs he commonly has come across on other Umbrellas which hastened on the affairs or hurried up to have a rest.

Certainly, he annoyed very much to other Umbrellas with his rashness. So, other Umbrellas frequently battered him for empty imaginations. “Be engaged in something”, told other Umbrellas to him, “or you will grow the empty visionary, and any considerable Umbrella will never get a bow with you”.

Days went behind days, Small Umbrella looked at the Sky and dreamed, but nothing has changed in his life.

Once upon a time, when Small Umbrella has again left City to get the dreams, he saw small black points in the Sky. “What are those dots about?!”, he wanted to ask another Umbrellas, and even almost run in City with this question, but then stopped. “What I shall annoy Big Umbrellas for with one more silly question?”, he thought and did not go to City. To this time black dots began became more and as though closer, and Small Umbrella suddenly understood, that these dots are flying on the Sky, and flying directly to his side!

Ah, he wanted to be such Black Dot very very much and to fly, fly, fly above the World!

Small Umbrella even narrowed his eyes in desire to imagine himself by the Black Dot flying in the Sky. And when he opened again his eyes there was something strange seemed to him in a row of flying Dots. Really, all Dots flied forward an equal direct line, but last of them, somehow, for some reason has slightly lagged behind the others. The more attentively Small Umbrella looked at the Sky, the it was better visible to him, that last Dot really flied more and more slowly, becoming more and more strongly lagged behind other Dots. Suddenly Small Umbrella understood, that this last Dot not only lagged behind the girlfriends, but became more bigger and bigger. “She is falling!”, suddenly Small Umbrella understood. “She is falling directly to me! There will be a little more time, and the Dot will fall on the other side of my City!”

So far never ran Small Umbrella so quickly as this day. He flied as if would have wings. Probably, on the road through City he has many times flown on other Umbrellas which important strolled along streets or cheerfully flitted there-here. Probably, at this day many angry words and serious remarks were told following to him. He did not see and did not hear anything. He ran so quickly as fast as he could, and only one idea flashed in his head “The Inhabitant of the Sky lowered to me! The Inhabitant of the Sky lowered to me! The Inhabitant of the Sky lowered to me!”

...

A long time Small Umbrella looked from apart at the Big White Inhabitant of the Sky who laid on the ground, and did not dare to approach to her. And the Inhabitant of the Sky quietly laid on the ground, and her breath only show that a really alive Essence was before Small Umbrella, but no a big white fluffy stone.

At last Small Umbrella dared to make a small step forward, then one more, and still more, and Small Umbrella has quietly approached to the Fallen Dot. “Hi, Big White Inhabitant of the Sky”, said Small Umbrella. “I am Small Umbrella, I live in this City of Umbrellas. Did you fly for a visit to me?”

The big White Inhabitant of the Sky lifted slowly the head and looked silently at Small Umbrella with the big deep eyes. At last she said with the slow silent voice: “No, Small Umbrella, I didn’t. I didn’t fly for a visit to you. And I am not the big white inhabitant of the sky. I am a bird, I was fling with the Flight to Distant Edges. But I appeared too weak and could not fly so quickly as other birds of my Flight. My forces began to leave me, and I began to fall”, the Big White Inhabitant of the Sky sighed and lowered the head on a ground. “If I had a rest and was not ill, I could catch up the Flight. But the Strong Wind flies behind us. He will catch me here soon and bring a cold and a rain”.

And it was the truth, Small Umbrella was feeling already approach of the Strong Wind. Small Impulses, harbingers of the Strong Wind, have already begun to push him to the house with the cold hands and to splash on him drops of a beginning rain.

“I shall help you, Big White Bird!”, Small Umbrella told proudly. “I shall close you from the Strong Wind!”. Shivering, whether on a coming cold, or on fear, he has closed the Bird by himself.

Soon Small Impulses have departed, air has stiffened, motionlessly and threateningly enveloping all around. “Dear Mom”, Small Umbrella thought, and at this moment the Strong Wind struck him very much in a breast. The Strong Wind blew and howled, and there was only a miracle that Small Umbrella kept himself on the place, covering a motionless Bird from the Enemy. “I must do it, I must do it” - he just might think about, keep standing on his legs. The strong Rain struck on Small Umbrella, and he did not understand any more, whether these are tears drops on his cheeks, or the Rain which tried to reach his Friend.

...

This time the Strong Wind made a row in City of Umbrellas more than usually. Many Umbrellas treated the bent spokes after the Strong Wind departed further, making disgraces in other Cities.

“I am tired”, Small Umbrella thought and lowered on the ground. It was difficult for him to keep standing, and he covered his small dome. Then he closed eyes and fallen asleep.

When he woken up, the Sun has already dried up his clothes.

Near to him there was Big White Bird.

“You helped me very much, lovely Small Umbrella”, she told. “You saved me from the Wind and the Rain. I had got a rest now and gained my strength and shall manage to catch up the Flight. You very courageous and strong, Small Umbrella. And Kind. Thank you, my Friend. And now I should be hurry up”, and Big White Bird spread wings, waved them and flied up in the Sky. “Good-bye, Small Umbrella!”, has reached from the blue Height.

Soon the Bird has turned to a small dot, and then she disappeared.

...

In a long time all ones in City of Umbrellas have forgotten about that day when Small Umbrella has suddenly taken in head to be carried through all City like mad, parting forcibly decent citizens on the move.

Small Umbrella still looked at the Sky sometimes and dreamed of how would be great to do some flying in this blue Height. He recollected seldom about the meeting with Big White Bird as at this memoirs with feeling of pride he for some reason had any strange feeling of melancholy. Because of this feeling he thought about the Sky even less than earlier. “Look at our Small Umbrella”, spoke Big Umbrellas each to other, “he ceased to set to us silly questions and almost ceased to fly on us when we walk. Soon he will mature and becomes absolutely normal Umbrella”, they spoke with satisfaction.

But once some day, when Small Umbrella was looking at the Sky, he suddenly saw there one small black dot. It came nearer to City and became more and more and more bigger. “Big White Bird falls again on our City!”, Small Umbrella thought, and rushed off the City. “the Lunatic!”, the Big Umbrellas shouted to him, “never meet us again!” But Small Umbrella saw nothing and did not hear anything, he hastened to the aid for the Friend.

“Hi, Big White Bird!”, he has cried to her still from afar. “I shall again help you and I shall close you from the Strong Wind!”

But for some reason Big White Bird did not lay this time on the ground, she is stood proudly and her smiling eyes looked at Small Umbrella.

“Hi, Small Umbrella”, the Bird told cheerfully. “ You do not have to give me your help, because I am strong and healthy and the help is not necessary now. I have flied for a visit with you. You see, you became the Friend of mine that terrible day, and I should meet you again”.

Small Umbrella burst out laughing with happiness. He has the Friend - the Inhabitant of the Sky! He have never can even to dream about such thing!

And Big White Bird continued to speak. “I want to show you my World, Lovely Small Umbrella. If you are not afraid, get to me on my back, and I shall raise you in the Sky, and we shall fly with you above the World and we shall see, how big and beautiful it is”.

“Thank you, Big White Bird”, Small Umbrella just managed to tell because the feeling of pleasure and happiness was in him such strong, that all words would have taken off from his head, as if them was blown off by the Strong Wind and was washed off by the Strong Rain. He approached to Big White Bird, stroked her fluffy feathers and risen cautiously on her back. Big White Bird spread the wings, waved them and soared up in the Sky.

They flied above the World and laughed at happiness. The rivers and the seas, woods, fields and mountains floated under them. The surprising beauty was opened to Small Umbrella. He had such feeling, as if he flies in the blue Height, and his Friend was near to him, who always will help him with a trouble and which he, Small Umbrella, is always ready to cover even from the Strongest Wind.

When they returned to the City, there was a night. Nobody has noticed, that Small Umbrella was not in the City a long time.

“Thank you, Big White Bird”, he has whispered to her when he was cautiously lowered on the ground. “Thank you, Small Umbrella”, has whispered Big White Bird, and, having waved wings, she has soared up in the Sky.

The Bird has departed, but the feeling of pleasure, pride and happiness remained with Small Umbrella because he knew - they will meet again. You see, the really friends do not abandon each other.

The End

___________________

And this is my very first poem on English (the work is still in rpogress)

“I wona pass away”

I wona pass away

I do not like this world.

I wona pass away

in (a) world without gold.

I wona pass away

where people are never sad,

where women do not look like men

and kids have mom and dad.

I wona pass away

where money don’t exist.

I wona pass away

or faraway at least.

I wona pass away

where people do not lie,

where women happy with one man

and kids fly in the sky.

I wona pass away

from (a) world that’s ruled by (a) sword.

I wona pass away

where “(a) war”’’s forgotten word.

I wona pass away

and live in (a) happy world,

Where women live without war,

where children live without war,

where people live without war,

Where all are blessed by Lord.