The Light Moscow Rain

by Osip Mandelstam

It gives away so scantily
Its weak sparrow chill —
A little to us, a little to the trees,
A little to the cherries on a tray.

And in the darkness the boiling grows —
A light fuss of tea leaves,
Like an airy ant-hill
Feasting in the dark verdures.

The vineyard of the fresh drops
Is stirring in the meadow:
As if the nest of the cold
Was appeared in web-footed Moscow.

Poem first published in 1922. Translated by Dmitri Smirnov.

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About the Author:

Osip Mandelstam (January 15, 1891 – December 27, 1938) was a Russian poet and essayist.