Did you know that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov, who celebrated his 75th birthday on March 21, 2025, was a poet, too?

“One for the Road”

by Sergey Lavrov, March 1989
Translated by Putinger’s Cat

Well, here it is – a horse-drawn carriage,
Drivers’ hangover’s gone away,
And, in the dawn’s haze, one can manage
To see the fires of yesterday.
Black trusty horses have been harnessed,
The roadway’s clear of any block,
And, scabbard-free, the sword is out,
As if there is no turning back.

New shoulder boards replaced the old ones,
Balm for the soul poured on, with purpose,
And holy bows have all been done
Before the native graves and crosses.
Black horses stab the ground with hooves,
Old monograms are cleared of dust,
Old debts have all been paid in full
With brand new promissory notes.

The carriage starts moving, with rattling,
While it, quite low, on axels sags,
The driver’s steering for Manhattan,
His whip raised high above black backs.
And, now, rolling on, still faster,
The wheels are tracking through the mud,
Yet, it’s as if somebody’s grabbing
And holding tightly, from behind.

Each step, through clay, growing more heavy,
Black horses’ve slowed down to a walk.
It is not possible to break it –
A navel chord straight from the еarth.
And, just like that, one can’t break oneself,
Much as it’d seem one almost did it.
Here’s to our weakness. To our Russia.
To our fate and to our limit.
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