A book from Larry

I received a mysterious email from Larry (who is in New York), telling me he had bought and sent me a book from the Strand . It arrived today–a lovely copy of poems by Marina Tsvetaeva, a Russian poet from the early 20th century. Like her compatriots, her life was tragic–you can look it up if you like. Still, her lyrics still soar:

With airborne step–
the sign of a clear conscience–
with airborne step
and resonant song

God set me down alone amidst
the world’s immensity: ‘You’re not
a woman’, he said, ‘but a bird.
Your task, therefore–to fly and sing!’

Marina Tsvetaeva
translated by Christopher Whyte