The Burial

You have blossomed again,
You – a forgotten lump of earth,
I travel from afar to witness your rebirth,
I come on a pilgrimage – my incense burning strong.

Your ruby-colored velvet was once all around me,
Here, when we were together – side by side,
I was happy – and you, a rose,
A wild rose, a work of art – sacred, pure.

But now, the bird plummets in a frenzied rush,
And I have come to die.
Here, laying alongside the swallow’s mangled corpse,
I place my aged heart.

Speechless as I lay still amongst the crickets’ lullaby,
The meadow lit up by thousands of tiny candles – the gifts of the glowworm,
I have decided,
Yes – here is where I wish to lay my wild heart to rest.

Roupen Sevag – undated

Here is the original Armenian version.

Roupen Sevag’s The Burial