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International Socialist Review, Winter 1962

 

Yevgeny Alexandrovich Yevtushenko

[Two Poems]

 

From International Socialist Review, Vol.23 No.1, Winter 1962, p.21.
Transcribed & marked up by Einde O’Callaghan for ETOL.

 

You Can Consider Me a Communist

There were traitors both open and secret,
And indifferent like a stone,
Who signing various resolutions in the name of the revolution,
Were actually trampling on that glorious revolution,
A foul, malicious game,
And helping them in their deeds was a historical figure called
                    “At your service, sir.”
These obedient servants, armed with weighty quotations, slandered
                    often the most honest, calling them anti-Soviet.

Not being a party member, I declare, I am your revolution,
And I take a legitimate pride in my fate.
I will be firm to the end and will never become a bootlicker.
The only thing I fear is doing harm to the revolution.
And contrary to words of those who are insincere, permit my whole
                    life to shout out: Consider me a Communist.

* * *

Station Zima
(An Extract)

Young people were better before
The Komsomol is deadly dull nowadays.
Yes, changes, yes, but behind the speeches
There’s some shady game.

We chatter about what yesterday we kept quiet
We keep quiet about what we did yesterday.

So many ancient tricks I’ve seen
Just staged in a new and expensive way.

We’re all guilty
Of empty verses and countless quotations
And standard ending of speeches.

 
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