Roses and Revolutions: The Selected Writings of Dudley Randall

Love Poems

love poems This page intentionally left blank 139 I Loved You Once (Ya Vas Lyubil) (Translated from the Russian of Alexander Pushkin*) I loved you once; love even yet, it may be, within my soul has not quite died away. But let that cause you no anxiety; I would not give you pain in any way. I loved you silently, and hopelessly, with jealousy, timidity brought low, I loved you so sincerely, tenderly I pray to God some other love you so. [ 1949 ] * Alexander Pushkin was the Russian poet of African descent who is credited for making the Russian language live again. 140 The Profile on the Pillow After our fierce loving, in the brief time we found to be together, you lay in the half-light exhausted, rich, with your face turned sideways on the pillow, and I traced the exquisite line of your profile, dark against the white, delicate and lovely as a child’s. Perhaps you will cease to love me, or we may be consumed in the holocaust, but I keep, against the ice and the fire, the memory of your profile on the pillow. [ 1968 (the year of the fire and the whirlwind) ] 141 Good to Be in You Good to be in you. Good, too, to be near you. To feel your shoulder touching mine and know that all night we shall lie side by side, and in the morning you will wake me with your gentle movements about the room. Good to be in you. Good, too, to be with you. To sit at table and look into your eyes and see feelings, like wind over grass or water, stir your sensitive face, to exchange our families and our childhoods, and know that our souls have kissed. 142 Thunderstorm June.—Night.—Rain.——And thunder of our hearts together. 143 Black Magic Black girl black girl lips as curved as cherries full as grape bunches sweet as blackberries Black girl black girl when you walk you are magic as a rising bird or a falling star Black girl black girl what’s your spell to make the heart in my breast jump——stop——shake [ 1969 ] 144 The Brightness Moved Us Softly Light flowed between black branches and new snow into the shaded room and touched your eyes. Your slow lids made another soft sun rise upon your face, and as that morning glow spread in your cheeks and blushed upon your lips, the brightness moved us softly to a kiss. 145 Love Poem Love lover beloved loved one lovely lovelier loveliest lovable love love loveless lovelorn lovelone lovelack lacklove unloved misloved disloved underloved subloved lovingkindness lovingcare tenderlove dearlove sweetlove kindlove heartlove soullove lovelily lovingly lovedlily lovably lovelook lovetouch lovespeech lovetalk closelove tightlove nightlove dawnlove morninglove freshlove lovecalls lovecries love love love love love love love relove overlove surlove superlove everloving heavenlove soullove heartlove truelove loveosity lovefeats lovefeast lovefest loveniks lovadors lovathons longlove lastinglove lovability lovingness reloved surloved superloved loveliness lover beloved loved one love done love you love you love you love you 146 Sanctuary This is the time of the whirlwind and the fire. This is the time of nation-death-and-birth. And from the turbulence there is no shelter, except within the circle of love’s arms, where for a moment, in that little space, you may find peace and tenderness, even in the center of the fiery winds. So step into the circle of my arms while we are hurled, with the other doomed spirits, around and around in the fury of the whirlwind. [ 1968 ] 147 Love Song Until the shadows go, And morning gilds the copse, Beloved, be like a doe Upon the mountain tops. As softly as the snow Upon the mountain drops, Your love on me bestow Until the shadows go And morning gilds the copse. Beloved, be like a doe, Upon the mountain tops. 148 April Mood This is the season when, in days of old, Young knights would don again their dinted arms, And, as in tales at great length we are told, Would venture forth through forests fields and farms To rescue damsels from...