Saturday, 3 October 2026

A 1899 poem by Konstantin Balmont on the coming of autumn

A 1899 poem by Konstantin Balmont on the coming of autumn

The cowberries are ripening,
The days have turned colder,
And the cry of the birds
Only saddens the heart.
Flocks of birds are flying
Away, beyond the blue sea.
All the trees are glittering
In their many-coloured attire.
The sun laughs more rarely,
The flowers have no fragrance.
Soon Autumn will awaken
And weep, still half asleep.

Literal translation

Konstantin Balmont, 1899.

Illustration: Isaak Brodsky. Fallen Leaves, 1913.

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