«Откуда такая нежность» в переводах на английский язык

[Plutonia]

Откуда такая нежность,
И что с нею делать, отрок
Лукавый, певец захожий,
С ресницами — нет длинней?

Читать статью >>>

[Boyar]

Да, удивительные наблюдения ... особенно сильное место - о том, что "все три перевода [иностранных] содержат одну и ту же ошибку в одной и той же строке: «Еще не такие гимны ... »."

[savageanomaly]

Great article. I'd be curious to see translations by Russian speakers now. In general, any poetry in translation from Russian kinda sucks. I feel for the translators though.

Thanks for the read.

[SemaRogov]

Почитал статью днем еще. Ну, эт да... Давно не читал, шоб про поезию! Да без охов-ахов.
На стихи потянуло. Цветаеву вообще-т как-т не очень, но пойду почитаю. На сон, такскть. Пока не нагрянет.

[ibelk]

A very interesting article, many thanks to the author. Understanding English poetry has always been a really difficult task to me. I also liked the phrase "жанр любовного СМС", I've never heard it before. 

Great article. I'd be curious to see translations by Russian speakers now.

Here's one of them. The Basic English Translation, if you please:
===========================
Where does this quality of being kind and loving come from?
This waving hair is not the first
I've made smooth,
And I have seen lips darker than yours.

The stars kept coming into view and going out,
Where does this quality of being kind and loving come from?
The eyes kept opening and shutting
Before my very eyes.

Better songs of religion
Were coming to my ears one dark night,
While I was being married, oh quality of being kind and loving,
On the very chest of the song-giver.

Where does this quality of being kind and loving come from,
And what am I to do about it,
Young man, good at tricking, a person giving songs, who came to us by chance,
Who has the longest eyehair on Earth?
==============================
I'm afraid it's not quite what you had expected... 

[savageanomaly]

I'm afraid it's not quite what you had expected... 

Thank you. I enjoyed that. =)

[ibelk]

Thank you. I enjoyed that. =)

I am awfully glad to hear this.   The good (or at least amusing) qualities of the translation are undoubtedly due to the merits of Mr.Ogden, the Basic English inventor, and I am to be blamed of the bad ones.
One more go at translating inspired by the term "love-SMS genre".   It's rather a loose translation, because I thought it best to add to the verses some passion and intensity that the genre seemingly demands:
===========================
From whence does this tenderness go,
These curls aren't the first I have touched.
And I saw darker lips looong ago,
But your bics are the biggest I've cluched.
 (The X-rated version: But your balls are the biggest I've clutched).

The stars kept arising and dying,
From whence does the tenderness go? -
I was watching your eyes, lewd and prying,
Now darkened, now aglow.

I have heard so many a psalter
That I know your hymns aren't the best.
Oh tenderness, my wedding altar
Was the singer's muscular chest.

From whence does this tenderness go?
Sly lad, do I need it or not?
The singer's long eyelashes grow
So bushy that I grow hot!
========================
I attempted to keep to the "love-SMS genre" without going down onto the "written-on-the-fence poetry" level, and I hope my attempt succeeded.