Osip
Mandelshtam
Hagia
Sophia: here, God himself decreed
Nations and
kings to stop! As witness eyes
In words,
your ancient cupola is indeed,
As if on a
chain, suspended from the skies.
Across the
centuries, Justinian’s example
Shines:
Diana of Ephesus abets
The theft
of 107 columns in green marble
For the
benefit of those alien gods.
In lofty
thought, your magnanimous architect,
Noble of
spirit, arranged the nave, exedrae,
Semi-domes,
apses, pillars, et cetera,
Once he had
indicated east and west.
The lovely
temple is bathing in the world,
Its forty
windows hold a triumph of light.
Under the
dome, with sails of wings bedight,
The four
archangels are the most beautiful.
This wise
and spherical construction
Will
outlive many a loud age and nation.
Echoes of
choirs of cherubim weeping
Will fail
to warp the darkened gilding.
Translated by Philip Nikolayev
