Translation Of A Poem From Prison By Irina Ratushinskaya. Poem by Anthony Weir

Well, we'll live
as the heart dictates,
and not ask for anything.

To have a dog is impossible,
so I'll tame a mouse.
And he and I will pace about,
read letters in the corner.

He'll climb into my bed
without wiping his feet.
And if letters suddenly stop —
after all, anything could happen on the way! —

he, Mr Grey, then and there,
will angrily wrinkle his nose
and then snuggle into my palm:
as if to say, remember, we're in this together!

No need for us both to take Validol
— better to chew on a crust!
I'll bring out a squashed heel of bread,
and we'll regard the world more cheerfully.

He and I will invent a land
where there are neither cats nor camps.
We'll abolish the cold,
cultivate bananas …
Maybe after our term we'll be sent there
— though more likely to Magadan.

But when I'm taken for transport
and put through the search,
he'll discreetly tag along behind,
scurry after me wherever I go.

I'll put him in a secret pocket
so he'll keep warm while the wheels
rumble on rails.
And we'll share sugar fairly —
ten grams per nose.
And we'll go wherever the track is laid —

for anywhere suits us,
we two old lags,
me and my long-tailed friend.

We'll make a home beyond* bars,
beyond any February — beyond any Spring…

We'll definitely get a dog,
when better times arrive.

— August 8,1984

Note: 'Behind bars' and 'Beyond bars' are the same in Russian:
за решеткой.