MARINA TSVETAEVA
191
Through the kiss of our lips, kissed hands become kin, and
touch each other . Through their kissed hands , the lips that kiss
become kins and reach for each other. A round-robin of immortal–
ity .
Thus , Rainer , you have bound me to all who 've lost you, as I
in return have bound you to all those I've lost, and closest of all to
two .
As on waves, death carries us on hills of graves-to Life .
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...
Rainer, your death has split in my life , stratified into three .
One death prepared yours in me , the other concluded it. One is a
fore-tone, the other an after-tone. Stepping back a bit in time-a tri–
tone. Your death , Rainer , and I am already speaking from the
future-was given to me as a triunity.
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MADEMOISELLE JEANNE ROBERT
"Well , Alya, how did it go at Mademoiselle's? "
"Wonderful, Mama! But the most wonderful thing was that
we came , because if we hadn't there would have been only two of the
children , two girls-one grownup and the other one a
kindergartener . And she would have gotten everything ready for
nothing. And you know-I was so surprised-she has a wonderful
apartment: a marble staircase, carpeted, and polished banisters, and
some sort of bronze bells . . .. It's even fun to walk up a staircase
like that , though not for her I guess, since it's on the seventh floor ,
French style , and she 's about seventy .
" Inside it 's wonderful: paintings , mirrors, and souvenirs on
the mantelpiece and everywhere-all kinds of them, embroidered,
knitted , all with inscriptions from her pupils. And books, Mama!
Whole walls of them. Mostly about Roland , the Quatre fils
d 'Aymon-that kind of stuff. But the most wonderful thing is that
she has two grand pianos in one room . It 'sjust because she' s so poor
that it 's wonderful. Ifit was a rich man 's house , well then , it would
make sense . Just a lot of everything: napkins, knives . .. . So he up
and bought himself two pianos at once, and will buy two more. But
at Mademoiselle's it doesn ' t make any sense. And it 's completely
clear-from love. (Mama , I just had a strange thought: what if she
grows into a giant at night and plays on both of them with no trouble
at all ? All alone, both of them at the same time-with four hands?)
