Stand by the River
This is my translation of «Встань у реки» by Борис Гребенщиков [Boris Grebenshchikov].
Stand by the river; watch how the river flows;
It cannot be caught in a net, or a hand.
It is without name, though only its banks can really be called;
Forget your own name, there by the strand.
Stand by the grass; watch how the grass there grows,
It does not know love, alas.
However the love of grass is no less than your own love;
Forget about words and become the grass.
So stand by the river; watch how the river flows;
It cannot be held by a dam or a beam.
It is without name, though only its banks can really be called;
Accept your own name, and become the stream.