Confession of a hooligan-Sergei Yesenin

English translation of "Исповедь хулигана" ("Confession of a hooligan") by Sergey Yesenin, 1920

Not everyone was born to sing,
Not every apple’s meant to fall.
This is my wild confession,
My truest song of all.

I walk with hair disheveled,
A lamp aflame upon my head.
Your autumn-souls lie barren,
I light them up instead.

Throw your stones like raging hail,
I will never bow or fail.
In my hands I hold the fire,
Burning with a mad desire.
Still I hear the alder’s tone,
By the pond where weeds have grown.
Father, mother love me still,
Like the rain on springtime’s hill.

With pitchforks you would rise for me,
For every curse, for every plea.
Oh peasants, poor and weary now,
Still fearing God, still bending low.

If only you could understand,
Your son’s the finest in this land.
When autumn puddles touched my feet,
Did not your hearts for me still beat?

Now I walk in polished shoes,
Top hat high, yet never lose
The rascal fire I still obey,
The village boy has not decayed.

I bow to cows on butcher signs,
The dung of fields still fills my mind.
I’d carry horses’ tails with pride,
As though a wedding gown I’d guide.

I love my homeland, deep, profound,
Though sorrow rusts her willows round.
I love the pigs, their dirty snouts,
The frogs that sing when night comes out.

April’s haze still haunts my dream,
A maple warming in dawn’s gleam.
Childhood burns inside my chest,
With every memory, I’m blessed.

Oh maple tree, how many nests,
I robbed while climbing, full of zest!
Are you the same with crown of green,
Still strong as once you’ve always been?

And you, my faithful spotted friend,
Old dog whose sight is near the end…
Together we would steal our bread,
One bite for each, enough we had.

Final refrain (whispered, fading)
Not everyone was born to sing,
Not every apple’s meant to fall…
This is my wild confession,
The truest song of all.

------
Link to the song "Исповедь Хулигана" (автор Сергей Есенина, 1920 год):

https://disk.yandex.ru/d/snC8MNuRlICKww


      *    *    *

Russian version: http://stihi.ru/2025/09/22/329